The Pretender

Dati, akala ko imposibleng makaramdam ng pagkakulong sa loob ng isang napakagandang bahay. ‎I was wrong, because sometimes, the most beautiful houses are the ones that hide the ugliest secrets. ‎At minsan, ang taong akala ng lahat ay swerte ka ay siya pala ang pinakamasamang dahilan kung bakit gusto mong mawala.

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‎That was what happened after I married Logan Garrison.

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‎Sa paningin ng lahat, perfect ang marriage namin.

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‎He was a famous lawyer—brilliant, wealthy, well-respected, and almost untouchable. His name was always mentioned in newspapers and television interviews, and his family had enough influence to make people think twice before crossing them. When I married him, everyone told me the same thing.

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‎‘You're lucky, Aurelia.’

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‎I believed them.

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‎For a while, I really did.

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‎I still remember our wedding day. Thousands of white flowers surrounded the altar, cameras were everywhere, and the entire room was filled with people who looked at us as if they were witnessing some kind of fairytale.

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‎Logan looked perfect in his black tuxedo, and I looked exactly like the wife everyone expected me to be.

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‎Beautiful.

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‎Happy.

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‎Lucky.

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‎When he held my hand in front of everyone, I smiled. When he whispered that I was beautiful, I smiled again. When the cameras flashed, I leaned closer to him.

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‎No one saw how nervous I was. ‎No one noticed how tightly my fingers were gripping his. And no one knew that the person standing beside me would eventually become the person I would be most afraid of.

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‎My family thought I was making the right decision.

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‎Papa Caleb believed Logan could give me a secure future. Mama Aaliyah kept telling me that I deserved a comfortable life, especially after everything our family had been through. Connor, my older brother, wasn't exactly happy about the arrangement, but he eventually told me that as long as I was happy, he would support me.

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‎Even Arjun, my younger brother, tried to make me laugh during the wedding. He whispered that he was only attending because he wanted to eat all the expensive food.

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‎I laughed so hard that day, I didn't know it would be one of the last times I would laugh without forcing myself to.

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‎And then there was Calla.

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‎My twin sister.

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‎She had always been different from me. We looked almost exactly alike, but anyone who truly knew us could tell us apart in seconds.

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‎I was soft where she was sharp. I overthought everything, Calla simply acted. I cried easily, Calla rarely showed emotion. And while I always tried to believe that people had good intentions, Calla had this strange ability to look at someone once and somehow know when they were lying.

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‎On my wedding day, she barely spoke to Logan.

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‎She only watched him.

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‎I remember finding her alone near the balcony after the ceremony.

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‎"Why do you keep staring at him?" I asked.

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‎She looked at me.

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‎"Because I'm trying to figure him out."

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‎I laughed softly. "He's my husband, Calla. Not a criminal."

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‎Her expression didn't change.

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‎"Are you sure about that?"

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‎I frowned.

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‎"Calla."

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‎She walked closer and fixed the small strand of hair that had fallen across my face.

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‎"Are you happy?"

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‎I smiled.

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‎"Yes."

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‎She stared at me for a few seconds before quietly asking, "Are you sure?"

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‎I didn't understand why she asked twice, so I laughed again and wrapped my arms around her.

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‎"He's good to me."

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‎Calla didn't hug me back immediately.

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‎When she finally did, her arms tightened around me.

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‎Too tightly.

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‎"Then I'll believe you," she whispered.

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‎I wish I had paid more attention to the way she said it because the man I married was not the man everyone thought he was.

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‎The first time Logan hurt me, I thought it was an accident.

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‎The second time, he apologized.

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‎The third time, he told me I had pushed him too far.

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‎After that, I stopped counting.

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‎Hindi naman agad naging nightmare ang marriage namin.

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‎That's what made it harder.

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‎There were good days. ‎There were mornings when Logan would bring me coffee and kiss my forehead before leaving for work. There were nights when he'd come home with flowers and tell me he was sorry for being busy.

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‎Those moments made me question myself.

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‎Maybe I was exaggerating.

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‎Maybe I was too sensitive.

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‎Maybe he really loved me.

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‎Until the good days became less frequent.

‎And the bad days became longer.

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‎I learned how to recognize his footsteps from across the house. Kapag mabigat at mabilis ang hakbang niya, I knew I had to stay quiet. Kapag tahimik siya, mas kinakabahan ako. Kapag tinatawag niya ang pangalan ko in that calm voice of his, I already knew something was wrong.

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‎I learned how to hide bruises beneath long sleeves. I learned how to smile during family dinners even when my ribs still hurt. I learned how to tell Mama that I was simply tired whenever she asked why I looked thinner. I learned how to avoid mirrors. And most of all, I learned how to lie.

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‎I became very good at it.

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‎"You're shaking."

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‎My eyes snapped open.

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‎I hadn't even realized that I was staring at my own reflection for too long.

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‎Logan was standing behind me, his reflection appeared in the enormous mirror in front of my vanity, and the sight of him immediately made my entire body tense.

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‎I gripped the edge of the table.

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‎"I'm cold."

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‎He looked at me through the mirror.

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‎The room wasn't cold.

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‎He knew it.

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‎I knew it.

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‎Still, he slowly walked toward me while removing his tie.

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‎"You've been avoiding me."

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‎"No."

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‎His eyes narrowed.

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‎"Don't lie to me, Aurelia."

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‎My stomach twisted.

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‎I lowered my gaze.

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‎"I'm sorry."

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‎He stopped behind me.

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‎For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence. Then his hand landed on my shoulder.

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‎I flinched.

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‎His fingers tightened.

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‎"You've become very jumpy lately."

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‎I didn't answer.

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‎He leaned closer.

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‎"Are you afraid of me?"

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‎My lips parted, but nothing came out.

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‎He smiled through the mirror.

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‎"You shouldn't be."

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‎I swallowed.

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‎"You're my husband."

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‎His smile widened.

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‎"Exactly."

‎

‎That word stayed with me.

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‎‘Exactly.’

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‎As if being his wife meant I had no right to be afraid. As if the ring on my finger gave him ownership over every part of me. As if loving him was supposed to mean that I had to endure everything he did.

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‎I looked at myself in the mirror.

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‎The woman staring back at me barely looked familiar anymore.

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‎My face had become thinner.

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‎My eyes looked tired.

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‎There were dark circles beneath them that even makeup couldn't completely hide.

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‎I looked like someone who had been slowly disappearing. And for the first time, I allowed myself to think the question I had been too afraid to ask.

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‎‘What if I never get out?’

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‎The thought came quietly.

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‎Almost harmlessly, but once it entered my mind, it refused to leave.

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‎That night, Logan slept beside me as if nothing had happened.

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‎I didn't sleep. I stared at the ceiling for hours, listening to his breathing while the darkness outside slowly turned into morning.

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‎Somewhere between four and five, I made a decision.

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‎I was leaving.

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‎Hindi ko alam kung saan ako pupunta. Hindi ko alam kung paano ako mabubuhay. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang gagawin ni Logan kapag nalaman niyang tumakas ako. I only knew that if I stayed, there might not be another chance.

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‎So I waited.

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‎I waited until the entire house became quiet. I waited until the security guards changed shifts. I waited until Logan's breathing became deep and steady. Then, I slowly got out of bed.

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‎My hands were shaking so badly that I almost dropped the small bag I had prepared underneath the bed.

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‎A few clothes.

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‎Some cash.

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‎My identification.

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‎And the little silver necklace Mama gave me when I turned eighteen.

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‎That's all I had.

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‎I looked at Logan one last time before leaving. He looked peaceful. Almost innocent. It frightened me how easily monsters could sleep.

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‎I turned away.

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‎I quietly walked downstairs.

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‎Every step felt like it could wake the entire house.

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‎When I finally reached the front door, my hand was already on the handle when I heard his voice behind me.

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‎"Aurelia."

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‎My entire body froze.

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‎Slowly, I turned around.

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‎Logan stood at the bottom of the staircase.

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‎He wasn't wearing his suit anymore. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair was slightly messy, and his eyes were fixed on the bag in my hand.

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‎For a moment, neither of us moved.

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‎Then he smiled.

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‎It was the same smile the world loved. The same smile photographers captured. The same smile that convinced everyone I had married the perfect man.

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‎"Where are you going?"

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‎My throat felt painfully dry.

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‎"Home."

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‎His expression changed.

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‎"You are home."

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‎My eyes started burning. "No." It was the first time I had ever said that to him.

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‎His smile disappeared.

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‎"What did you say?"

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‎I tightened my grip around the bag.

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‎"I said no."

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‎He walked toward me.

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‎I stepped backward.

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‎"Aurelia, put the bag down."

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‎"No."

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‎"Don't make me angry."

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‎"I can't stay here anymore."

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‎His jaw tightened.

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‎"You don't get to decide that."

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‎"I do."

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‎For the first time, I saw something dangerous flash in his eyes.

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‎And then everything happened too quickly.

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‎A loud crash.

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‎A sharp pain.

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‎The floor beneath me.

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‎The metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

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‎My ears ringing.

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‎I looked up and saw Logan standing over me.

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‎He looked angry.

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‎Not guilty.

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‎Not afraid.

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‎Angry.

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‎As if I had betrayed him.

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‎As if wanting to leave was the worst thing I could have done.

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‎"You made me do that," he said quietly.

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‎I stared at him.

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‎And something inside me finally broke.

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‎Not because of the pain. Not because of the blood, but because I realized he actually believed what he was saying.

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‎He believed none of this was his fault.

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‎I pushed myself up.

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‎My hands were trembling.

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‎My vision blurred.

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‎But behind him, I saw the front door.

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‎It was still open.

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‎So I ran.

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‎I didn't think.

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‎I didn't look back.

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‎I just ran.

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‎I ran through the gates. I ran until my lungs burned and my legs started hurting. I ran until the mansion disappeared behind the trees. And for the first time in years, I didn't know where I was going.

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‎I only knew I had to keep moving.

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‎I didn't know that somewhere else, at almost the exact same moment, my twin sister was standing inside a dark room with her eyes fixed on a photograph of me.

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‎Calla had received a message.

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‎One message.

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‎She read it once.

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‎Then again.

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‎“I know what he did to Aurelia.”

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‎Her expression remained calm.

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‎Too calm.

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‎She placed her phone on the table and stared at my photograph for a long moment. ‎Then, she slowly picked up her coat, there was no hesitation in her movements.

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‎No fear.

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‎No tears.

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‎Only a quiet determination that had always frightened people who knew her well.

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‎She looked at my photograph one last time.

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‎"Don't worry, Aurelia." Her voice was almost a whisper. "I'll take it from here."

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‎And while I was running toward a life I knew nothing about, Calla was walking straight toward the house I had escaped from.

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‎She was going to wear my clothes.

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‎Use my name.

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‎Sleep in my room.

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‎Stand beside my husband.

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‎Smile at the people who believed they knew me.

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‎She was going to become Aurelia Laurent. But unlike me, Calla wasn't going back because she wanted to save my marriage. She was going back because she wanted to destroy the man who had destroyed me.

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‎And neither of us knew that my escape would eventually lead me somewhere I had never imagined—a quiet province far from the city, a small farm surrounded by fields, a grandmother who would treat me like family, and a man whose smile would make me forget, even for a few seconds, that I had once been afraid of happiness.

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‎His name was Zayn Montero. He was twenty-seven. I was twenty-nine. And the first time I saw him, I knew something had changed inside me.

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‎I just didn't know what.

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‎I didn't know that one glance could stay with you. I didn't know that a stranger could make your heart beat differently without even knowing your name. I didn't know that love could begin quietly, without permission, and grow slowly enough that you wouldn't notice until it was already too late. But before I could learn how to love again, I had to learn how to live. Before I could trust someone else, I had to find a way to trust myself.

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‎And while I was trying to rebuild the life that Logan had taken from me, my twin sister was becoming the woman he should have feared from the beginning.

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‎I ran away from my husband, Calla stayed behind. I thought I was the one escaping, I didn't know that my sister was the one preparing for war.