LOGINCHAPTER 167 – “We Think the Same Now”“Hindi na kami nag-uusap para magkaintindihan.”“Dahil alam na namin ang susunod na sasabihin ng isa’t isa.”At doon ko unang na-realize na hindi na pala kami dalawang tao.Isa na lang.Gumising ako sa kama na malamig ang gilid.Hindi empty.Hindi dahil wala siya.Kundi dahil alam ko kung nasaan siya kahit hindi ko siya nakikita.
CHAPTER 166 â I FORGOT WHO I WAS BEFORE YOUâIf I only exist when Iâm with youâŠââThen who am I when Iâm alone?âHindi ko alam kung kailan nagsimulang maging tahimik ang lahat.Hindi yung paligid.Kundi ako.Yung klase ng tahimik na hindi mo napapansin agad, hanggang sa mapansin mong wala ka nang iniisip na hindi siya kasali.Si Torren.Palagi si Torren.Hindi lang sa presensya niya.Kundi pati sa absence niyaâparang may naiwan siyang imprint sa utak ko na hindi na kayang burahin ng kahit anong distansya.Nakahiga ako sa kama.Mag-isa.Pero hindi talaga mag-isa.Dahil kahit wala siya sa tabi ko, parang alam pa rin ng katawan ko kung nasaan siya.Nakakatawa.Nakakatakot.Dahan-dahan akong bumangon.Hinilot ko ang sentido ko.âFreya ka pa ba?â bulong ko sa sarili.Walang sumagot.Pero may mas malala pa doon.May part sa loob ko na hindi na nagulat sa katahimikan.Parang sanay na siya.Parang matagal na siyang wala.Tumayo ako at naglakad papunta sa mirror.Doân ako tumigil.Matagal.Tin
CHAPTER 165 â THE PROMISE WE NEVER SAIDâSome promises arenât spoken.ââTheyâre alive.âI woke up before him.That alone felt strange.For as long as I could remember, Torren Villanueva was always the first presence I felt before I even opened my eyes.Not because he woke me.Because my body already knew where he was.Breathing beside me.Existing near me.Anchoring the space around me like gravity itself.But this morning was different.The bed beside me was still warm.Not empty.Just⊠recently left.A trace.A hesitation.Like he had been there a moment ago and didnât want to leave completely.My fingers moved instinctively across the sheets.Slow.Searching.As if touch alone could explain absence.That was when I heard it.Footsteps outside the room.Not rushed.Not urgent.Just⊠steady.Controlled.Familiar.Torren.I didnât move.I just listened.The door didnât open immediately.He paused outside.As if he was waiting.For what, I didnât know.Permission?Timing?Or maybe some
CHAPTER 164 â WHAT IF WE HEAL?"The most frightening possibility wasn't losing him.""It was healing enough to stop needing him."I couldn't stop thinking about it.Not the folder.Not the house.Not even the future Torren had apparently been planning long before I entered his life.No.It was something much worse.Something quieter.Something that settled inside my chest and refused to leave.A question.One dangerous question.What happens if we heal?The thought arrived unexpectedly.And once it did, I couldn't force it away.Because for years, every part of our relationship had been built inside destruction.Pain.Loss.Fear.Violence.Survival.Every moment that brought us together had been forged under pressure.Every confession had happened after the tragedy.Every step closer had happened because the world kept trying to tear us apart.But now?The empire was stable.The chaos had slowed.The constant threats had faded into distant noise.And for the first time...There was sp
CHAPTER 163 â THE LIFE WE NEVER PLANNEDâNobody taught us how to live.ââOnly how to survive.âThe realization hit me harder than any bullet ever had.Not because it was new.Because it was true.For years, survival had been the only language I understood.Run.Fight.Hide.Adapt.Endure.Everything else had always felt temporary.Even happiness.Especially happiness.Because happiness was fragile.And fragile things never survived in our world.Yet somehow, standing inside one of Torren Villanuevaâs private estates overlooking an endless stretch of ocean, I found myself staring at proof that shattered everything I thought I knew about him.The house was quiet.Too quiet.No guards walking nearby.No emergency meetings.No gunfire in the distance.No chaos demanding our attention.Just silence.The kind of silence that forced people to confront themselves.I hated that kind of silence.Because silence gave memories room to breathe.And memories were dangerous.I walked slowly through
CHAPTER 162 â âThe Things Forever RequiresââForever sounds romantic.ââUntil you realize⊠it demands everything you tried to keep for yourself.âI didnât realize I was holding my breath until Torren finally closed the door behind him.Not loudly.Not dramatically.Just⊠final.And that was the problem.Everything about him lately felt final.Like he wasnât entering my life anymoreâhe was settling inside it.Permanent.Irreversible.Dangerous in a way bullets never were.I stayed seated on the edge of the bed, staring at the empty space he just left. The room still smelled like himâcologne, leather, and something heavier I couldnât name. Something that clung to me more than it shouldâve.Forever.The word echoed again.And again.Until it stopped sounding like love.And started sounding like a sentence.He came back after midnight.No gunfire.No emergency calls.No empire collapsing in the background like usual.Just silence.That was new.Torren didnât announce himself. I felt him
CHAPTER 46: The Man From My PastâAkala ko tapos na ang lahatâpero ang totoo, ngayon pa lang nagsisimula ang pinaka-delikadong laro.âHindi ako makahinga.Hindi dahil sa sugat ko.Hindi dahil sa sakit.Kundi dahil sa lalaking nakatayo sa harap ko.âFreya Yang⊠buhay ka pa pala.âMalamig ang boses n
CHAPTER 41: The Cage He Calls Protection“Hindi na ako takot sa kanila… pero bakit ikaw pa rin ang kinakatakutan ko?”Hindi na ako humihinga nang maayos.
Chapter 37: The Cage That BreathesâHindi ako dinala⊠ako ang kusang pumasok sa kulunganâat iyon ang pinakamalaking pagkakamali nila.âHindi ako lumaban.Hindi ako sumigaw.Hindi ako tumakas.Dahil sa bawat hakbang na inilalayo nila ako kay Torrenâmas lalo akong maging kalmado.Mas lalo akong nagi
Chapter 36: The Price of Possessionâš âHindi na ako ang hinahabol nila⊠ako na ang hinahanap nila para maghari.â âšHuminto ang mundoâpero ako hindi.Huminga ako nang malalim, kahit ramdam ko pa rin ang amoy ng dugo, ng pulbura, ng pagkawasak na iniwan ng ginawa ko.Hindi na ako tumatakbo.Ako na an







