BECAUSE I LOVED YOU
"Congratulations," everyone around me greeted. I just silently bowed my head and smiled as my eyes tried to search the room for someone. "Where is he?" I kept on asking myself.
As the night passed by slowly, my eyes grew tired of searching. And as the guests left one by one, my eyes became flooded with tears.
"This was the end, the end of everything that has kept me going for the last 4 years. Tonight will be the last night that I would be allowed to dream of him."
Four years ago….
"Catch me if you can," a young woman shouted as she tried hard to continue running away from a young man about the same age as her. She giggled and kept on looking back just to check if the young man was still following her.
"Don't worry. I will surely catch you. And when I do, I will make sure you pay for making me so tired," the young man shouted back with a charming laugh.
The girl laughed as well. Somehow she couldn't resist staring for a moment as the sun slowly casts a shadowy glow on the young man.
"How beautiful," she uttered. As she said those words, she was quickly swept off her feet by the young man.
"Caught you," he said as he tried to control his breathing. "You made me so tired. So now you're going to pay the price," he said with the most enticing smile.
The girl laughed. "And what price should I pay?" she asked innocently.
"You already know what it is," the young man answered. And after saying those words, he carefully tightened his hold on the girl's body and lovingly kissed her waiting lips.
***If there was sunshine in their lives, the rain always came afterwards…
"You said you were arriving at exactly 9am. What time is it? It's already 12. You made me wait for 3 hours," the girl shouted.
"Sorry. I had to take care of something. Besides… who told you to wait that long anyway? It's your choice. So don't go screaming at me for something you decided yourself," the boy quickly answered with irritation.
"You had to take care of something? Don't lie to me. You were out partying with another girl, while I waited here… looking like a fool," the girl shouted again. "You're such a liar."
"Liar?" the man's eyes changed and were filled with anger. With a swift move, he slapped the girl's face that sent her lying on the floor.
"That's what you get for always nagging," he said as he quickly turned around and left.
The girl looked at the young man, as he walked away. 'Is this the life that she wanted?'
"Sorry…" the girl uttered softly.
The young man tried to smile as he continued to act like he wasn't hurt. "It's okay. We both know that this is where we were heading anyway. We were just too naïve and proud to actually admit that we made a mistake."
The girl closed her eyes. She didn't want her tears to fall. She didn't want him to see her fall apart. This is what she wanted…
"Are you okay?" a man's voice quickly shook me up, back into reality.
I turned around and stared back at the man behind me. "I'm fine," I answered with a fake smile.
The man's eyes somehow became filled with sadness. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?"
Just like a child who was caught doing something bad, I quickly moved away from him and tried to focus on something else. "No, what makes you think…"
"Don't lie. Please don't lie," he begged.
"Sorry." I said with a weak voice.
The man's heart was breaking in pieces as he continued to look at the woman he loved for the past 4 years. He was her best friend and her one and only knight in shining armor. He was always there when she needed someone to talk to. He was the one who always showered her with the love and affection that the man she loved never gave her. And when the time came that she needed someone to lean on so she could move on… he was there, offering himself and his love. But sadly, even after 4 years have passed… she never learned how to forget. She was still longing for him, the one who taught her how to laugh and how to cry.
The girl tried to hide her tears as she slowly looked at herself in front of the mirror. The wedding dress she was wearing looked perfect but there was something missing.
This is the day, the day that will change her life forever.
The groom quietly entered the room and suddenly hugged the girl from behind.
The girl was taken by surprise, as she saw the man's reflection in the mirror. "Why? Why are you crying?" she asked with concern.
"Can you promise me something?" the man's quivering voice asked.
Confused, but the girl still nodded. "What is it?" she asked again.
The man carefully took a small envelope out of his pocket and slipped it into the girl's hand. "After I leave the room, I want you to read this letter and decide. No matter what your decision will be, I will respect it."
"What do you mean? I am confused. What is this about?" the girl asked as she quickly turned around and faced the man.
"Please read it when I leave…" the man answered as he lovingly kissed the girl on the forehead.
Minutes passed….
The girl opened the envelope and as soon as she saw what was inside she quickly fell down on the floor. She then started to cry uncontrollably. With tears streaming from her eyes, she still tried to read the letter.
"I am sorry for making you so miserable for the last 4 years. I know the only reason why you accepted my love was because you were returning all the kindness that I have given you. I always thought that time would pass and things would change. But sadly, you could never really give me what I wanted. I know you're still in love with him. I just tried to act like I didn't know it. I loved you too much that's why I tried to pretend. But what really hurts me most is that even though he did so many bad things to you, your heart still longs for him. I always thought that if I gave you all the things that you needed that maybe I could fill the empty space that he created in your heart. But I was a fool. Now I know that while I was trying to take his place in your heart, I was making you hurt more. Sorry and I hope that you would find it in your heart to forgive me for the bad thing I did. He wanted to take you back 4 years ago, but I can't let him ruin your life again. And so I made a very bad decision. I am sorry if I made you wait for someone who can never return to you again. I thought that I could make you love me, but I was wrong. Now I am setting you free. Promise me, you will take care of yourself.
Please believe me that I only did it because I love you."
The girl continued to cry as the old newspaper clipping fell on the floor.
"MAN FOUND DEAD:
An unknown young man was stabbed multiple times and was left dead in a dark alley near Parkstone Hotel. The man's face was smashed beyond recognition and all his fingers were cut. Other possible marks were also removed making the police unable to identify the said victim. Case is still left unsolved due to the lack of evidence and witnesses."