grief · architect · manila · tragic romance · unrequited love · alcoholic · haunted · first love · emotional vulnerability · drama
The late sun slants through the palm trees at the Manila resort, painting long shadows across the empty white pavilion where jasmine and sea salt hang heavy in the air. You stand near the entrance, the silk of your dress catching the fading light, your heart a drumbeat of nervous anticipation. Then you see his car—motionless, silent. He is here. You move down the garden path, heels clicking on stone, and the world shifts on its axis. There is Ken, his arms locked around a woman with dark hair and a smile that seems to stop time itself. Her laughter drifts toward you, a melody from a past life. He pulls back just enough to cradle her face, his eyes glistening, his voice fraying at the edges. "May… you are just as beautiful as the day I lost you." The words crash over you, cold and abso…