All Chapters of She Didn't Know He Noticed: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

The crystal chandelier above our table caught the afternoon light, fracturing it into brilliant, blinding shards. It was a beautiful restaurant, the kind of place where people with old money and unblemished lives came to laugh softly over white wine.Across from me, Maddy smiled, her engagement ring catching the light."I was thinking of adding a touch of silver embroidery to the table runners, Diane. Something subtle, but elegant. Ano sa tingin mo? Will it clash with the floral arrangements you picked?""Hindi naman," I said, forcing my lips to form a polite, professional smile. My cheeks ached from the effort. "Silver will actually elevate the centerpieces. It reflects the light beautifully."Magpanggap tayo sa harap nila. Sevi’s words from last night echoed like a haunting melody in my head. But looking at Maddy’s innocent, glowing face, the guilt was a heavy, suffocating weight in my chest. She didn't know anything. She didn't know about the dark alleyways of her sister’s mind, sh

The silence inside the atelier didn’t leave when Maddy stepped out of the room. It stayed, heavy and suffocating, wrapping around my throat until every breath I took tasted like ash.I looked down at my hands. They were trembling. The same hands that had meticulously sketched the intricate lace patterns on Maddy’s gown, the same hands that had touched Sevi’s face in the dark, and the same hands that were now stained with a guilt so profound it made my stomach churn.“Hindi ko alam kung paano ko itutuloy 'tong kasal na 'to kung pakiramdam ko unti-unti siyang nawawala sa akin araw-araw.”Maddy’s words echoed in my ears, a cruel, distorted playback of Sevi’s own confession. Hindi ko alam kung paano ko itutuloy 'tong kasal na 'to nang hindi nadudurog araw-araw. They were both bleeding, and I was the knife."Ma'am Diane? Okay lang po ba kayo?"I jumped slightly at the sound of my assistant's voice. She was looking at me with a worried expression, holding a clipboard against her chest. I di

The desperation in his eyes was lethal. It wasn't just heartbreak anymore, it was an obsession born out of guilt, trauma, and a love that had never been allowed to die. He was ready to burn everything to the ground—his career, his family's reputation, Maddy’s innocent life, and the fragile peace I had spent half a decade bleeding for."You want me to help you?" I whispered, my voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register that cut through his frantic breathing. I reached up and grabbed his wrists, pulling his hands away from the tree. His skin was burning hot against my cold fingers. "Gusto mong sabihin ko sa 'yo kung paano makalimot, Sevi? Tumingin ka sa akin. Tumingin ka sa mukhang 'to."I grabbed his jaw, forcing his bloodshot eyes to lock onto mine."This isn't the Diane you drew in your heart. The girl you loved under this tree died years ago in a pool of blood and acid! Ang kaharap mo ngayon ay isang pirasong karne na binuo ng plastic surgery sa South Korea! My face was shattere

Hindi na umuulan paggising ko.The sky over Manila was a dull, bruised gray, washed clean by the midnight downpour. Outside my window, the city was slowly coming alive, but inside my room, the silence was suffocating.I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my hands.Luke’s words from our video call last night echoed in the back of my head: “Don't let the past trap you in places you've already grown out of.”I had spent weeks justifying what Sevi and I were doing. Telling myself it was fine, that we were just caught up in nostalgia, that we were owed this after everything we had lost. But seeing Luke—peaceful, happy, and genuinely moving forward—made me realize how deeply I had fallen back into the mud. I was becoming the very thing I used to despise: a secret lover stealing moments from an innocent woman.My phone buzzed on the nightstand.Maddy: "Hi Diane! Are you free this morning? Sevi and I are going to the catering venue for our wedding tasting. Big big favor, can you join us? N

Matapos ang tila walang katapusang photoshoot sa garden courtyard, inabutan kami ng maikling pahinga bago magsimula ang dinner reception briefing. The photographer was reviewing the shots on his laptop, smiling and nodding as if he had just captured a picture-perfect love story.And on paper, it really was.Si Sevi, ang gwapong groom na matagumpay at tahimik. Si Maddy, ang magandang bride na walang ginawa kundi magmahal at magtiwala. At ako—ang Maid of Honor na nakatayo sa tabi nila, nakangiti sa harap ng mga ilaw habang dahan-dahang nawawasak sa loob.“Diane, thank you,” bulong ni Maddy sa akin habang inaalalayan ko siya paupo sa isa sa mga lounge chairs. Her hands were slightly cold, her cheeks flushed with pure excitement. “Sobrang saya ko na ikaw ang kasama ko ngayong araw. You don’t know how much your presence means to me.”Naramdaman ko ang matinding kurot sa dibdib ko. The weight of her gratitude felt heavier than any insult Sophie had ever thrown at me.“Wala ‘yun, Maddy,” pil