STITCHING BOUNDARIES

This book is a work of fiction. Names, places, incidents are produced by the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblace to persons, living or dead, events and locales are extremely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including, photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

©AmorevolousEncres2026

Date Posted: March 22, 2026 Status: // // //

PROLOGUE

Prologue

No one told me that loving someone could hurt this much. I can’t even find a word to describe how much my heart aches. I feel as if someone is tearing my heart apart, forcing me to feel every agonizing inch of the pain.

They say loving can hurt because you wouldn’t feel the pain if you didn’t love the person. But how the hell does it hurt like this? The pain reverberates back to me tenfold.

Throughout our relationship, though we weren’t perfect people or partners, we truly loved each other. We spent nights together. We shared the same bed for countless nights.

He lifted me up whenever I was completely drained from my studies. He cooked for me. He even brought me my favorite snack—cheesecake. That was why he started calling me ‘cheesecake’ instead of ‘babe.’ He always had a habit of giving me endearments like that.

How did our late-night talks about the future turn into this? How did those unrhythmic bachata dances we shared in our room end up feeling like a cold winter after the warmth of summer?

I never knew how I managed to sleep through those nights without him. I never knew I would survive those months without him.

And now that I’m starting to gather the pieces of myself that were shattered when he left, he suddenly appeared in front of me.

My shoulders shook. I tried so hard to restrain myself from wailing, but my body could not suppress the emotions building inside me. When my eyes could no longer cry, my body responded instead, shaking uncontrollably.

Iniwan niya akong mag-isa at hindi ko aakalain na sa muli naming pagkikita. May kasama na siyang iba.

May mga taong dumadaan sa pagitan naming dalawa pero parang nagbu-blur na ang mga taong iyon sa paningin ko. Maybe because of my unshed tears, or maybe because I was so focused on him that I couldn’t recognize any face but his.

I saw how his arms wrapped around the woman’s body… around her round tummy.

My lips quivered. How long had it been since we parted? Months?

Mabagal ang kanilang paghakbang at kinakausap ni Elvin iyong babae na akay ng kanyang isang braso. And the woman was smiling at him, so bright, so radiant, that it stirred a deep ache within me.

While they were smiling, I couldn’t even form one on my lips, as if I had forgotten how to smile the moment he left me. While they were building a family, I was slowly breaking, unable to put myself back together.

Habang papalapit sila sa ’kin unti-unti nahahawi ang mga tao na dumadaan sa pagitan namin. Tingin ko unti-unting lumiilit ang mundo namin habang papalapit sila.

The tears I had been holding back for so long finally streamed down my cheeks, and that was the moment when Elvin finally, finally, noticed my presence.

Nanlaki ang mga mata niya nang makita ako. He stilled and his arms fell down to his sides like he lost his strength. Umawang ang kanyang labi.

Nagkatinginan kaming dalawa at bumuhos ang luha ko. It had been months since we broke up and the last time we saw each other, yet the pain was still there.

The longer we held each other’s gaze, the moments we spent together seemed to play out in front of us like an old, broken tape.

The laughter we shared. The trials we faced together. The late-night talks. It all replayed in my head like an old movie, slowly glitching until it finally shut off.

The woman tugged at Elvin’s polo, and they continued walking, walking past me, as if straight through me. Dinaanan niya lang ako na para bang hindi niya ako kilala. Na para bang hindi naging parte ng kanyang buhay ang isang Diemsiel Jonathan.

Nalampasan nila ako. Ang malamig na hangin at ang pamilyar na bango niya na lang ang tanging naiwan sa ere.

CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1

How can a person unlove someone when that person became their world and they already planned a future with them?

Humugot ako ng isang malalim na hininga bago ko ito pinakawalan sa bibig ko. Pinakiramdaman ko ang tahimik na paligid. Mga nagtatayogang mga puno ng kahoy at ang mga munting ingay na nagmumula sa mga tao na bumibisita rin dito sa Mt. Camisong Forest Park in Itogon, Benguet ang pumuno sa tainga ko.

I like how serene this place is. I like how it comforts my distorted thoughts. Humigpit ang pagkakahawak ko sa iron railings at muling pinuno ang dibdib ng hangin.

Jesus! It’s been years. Ilang taon na rin ang lumipas. Marami na ang nagbago-not just our physical appearance, but everything about us has changed too. Even how my heart beats for him has changed as well.

But then why does my heart feel so heavy? Is this going to be our last conversation? Is this going to be our last meet-up?

Of course it is, wala na rin naman kasing rason para magkita kami. Ngayon nga… pinagbigyan ko lang siya. Lately, he’s been bombarding my inbox, and for him to stop his little antics, pumayag na akong makipagkita sa kanya.

Nakakatuwang isipin na noon, ako ang walang sawang nagti-text sa kanya o nagdi-DM sa kanyang mga accounts. Kahit saang accounts niya, may conversations yata kami sa pambubulabog ko sa kanya.

However, all of those things happened years… years ago. Those were only our history. It is futile to think about it right now. Ngayon, nandito ako para sa huli naming pagkikita, I suppose.

Nilingon ko ang kapehan kung saan niya sinabi na maghihintay siya sa akin. Halos magkasunod lang kaming dalawa na dumating. Habang nagpa-park ako ng kotse ko, nakita ko siyang lumabas sa kanyang sariling kotse. I think hindi niya naman ako nakita o nakilala ang kotse ko.

At imbes na pumasok ako sa loob ng shop, hindi muna ako pumasok doon. Mas pinili kong maglakad-lakad muna sa lugar. Na-miss ko rin kasi siya-because it has been a while too since I visited the place. This place held a special place in my heart… before. Before everything about us shattered.

“Let’s get this over with, Diemsiel Jonathan,” I told myself.

Mabagal at mabigat ang bawat hakbang ko pabalik sa coffee shop kung saan naghihintay sa akin si Elvin. Halos isang oras din pala akong naglakad-lakad. Hindi ko tiningnan ang cellphone ko na nagba-vibrate sa purse na dala ko.

Tinulak ko ang pinto. Wala masyadong tao sa shop kaya naman mabilis na natagpuan ng mga mata ko si Elvin.

He was looking through the glass wall, his hands clasped above the table and a cup of coffee in front of him. Elvin was wearing a gray bonnet, navy blue hoodie jacket, and faded jeans.

“Ahem,” kuha ko sa atensyon niya dahil ang layo ng kanyang tingin, hindi niya ako napansin sa tapat niya. “Sorry, I’m late.”

Kaagad siyang tumayo at lalapit sana sa akin upang ipaghila ako ng upuan kaso pinigilan ko siya. Tinaas ko ang kamay ko sa kanya at umiling.

“Dumating ka. Akala ko hindi ka na darating, eh.”

“I promised you. Hindi ko ugali na hindi tumupad sa pinangako ko,” mataman kong sagot, pero pakiramdam ko iba pa rin ang dating niya.

Hindi ko siya pinapatamaan pero kung sumapol sa kanya, I’m so sorry.

Hilaw ang naging ngiti niya sa akin. Bumalik siya sa kanyang silya.

“Right!” Hinga niya ng malalim. “Um, ano ang gusto mo? Ako na ang oorder para sa ’yo.”

“No need, Elvin. Let me.”

Kape at isang slice lang ng cake ang inorder ko. I’m sure hindi rin naman tatagal itong pag-uusap namin.

“So, what’s up?” he asked, striking up a conversation as if nothing happened between us. As if I was the only one who suffered all these years.

The man who promised to marry me ended up marrying someone else. The man who promised not to hurt me, hurt me with unimaginable pain. The very man who promised to comfort and love me brought so much misery to my heart.

Are those enough reasons to unlove him? Yes! But why do I feel like my heart is tearing? Why is it that despite the years that had passed, there are still remnants of the past? Why does it still hurt seeing him right now?

Maybe you can’t really unlove someone. Maybe you just get used to not having them around, but when he’s already in front of you, flashes of the past replay inside my head.

The laughter we shared. The tears we shared had turned into a nightmare. The solace that once became our world turned into disaster. A disaster that brought too much change and tragedy between us. A disaster that changed everything just like a flick of a finger. Because of such disaster, it left my heart beyond repair.

I smiled at him. “I’m good! Ikaw? What’s up? I guess your child must be quite grown up now. How is he?”

Elvin gave me a faint nod. “He’s doing well.”

“And you?”

“Diemsiel.”

My heart pounded. Ang pamilya ko, Jona or Jonathan ang tawag sa akin. Iyan ang nakalakihan ko, kaya naman nang tawagin ako ni Elvin na Diemsiel, gulat na gulat ako.

Ayokong tinatawag akong Diemsiel, but he was the only exception. Iba na ang dating ng pagtawag niya sa akin sa pangalan ko. Pakiramdam ko may kamay na sumasakal sa dibdib ko.

“Elvin.”

“Diemsiel, I’m so sorry!”

Ang ngiti na nakapaskil sa mga labi ko ay unti-unting nawawala nang marinig ko ang mga katagang iyon sa kanya.

“Elvin.”

“I know. I know I already apologized and told you that a lot of times back then. Pero uulitin ko ulit siya ngayon, Diemsiel. Kasi iniwan kita noon, sinaktan kita noon, at hindi ko alam kung ano ang dinulot kong sakit sa ’yo noon. I didn’t know what you’ve been through, but right now that I know what happened right after I left you…” he cried. Hindi niya matuloy ang nais niyang sabihin nang bumaha sa kanyang mga pisngi ang malalaking butil ng luha.

“When I heard that you almost got yourself killed because of what happened to us, gusto ko na lang ding mamatay, Diemsiel-”

“Tama na, Elvin. No matter how much you say sorry, nothing will happen. Nothing will change!” I cut him off. “Ito ba ang gusto mong pag-usapan natin kaya mo ako ginagambala? Pwes, kung ito ang rason mo, aalis na ako!”

Tumayo ako ngunit kaagad niyang hinuli ang kamay ko.

“Diemsiel, please!” He pleaded.

Tiningnan ko siya. Natigilan ako nang makita ko ang kanyang mga mata na namamasa sa mga luha. The glow in his eyes was gone and what was left was a sadness that I couldn’t fathom.

Nasaan na ang Elvin na kilala ko? I closed my eyes and it felt like I was brought back to the past where the glint in his eyes was so contagious.

I watched him like a hawk and he’s my only prey in a sea of prey. He stood out among them. He’s as tall as Alcinous, Dei’s boyfriend. Toned body despite being a senior high school student. Smiling. Giving off a good aura and personality. Nawawala pa ang mga mata kapag tumatawa siya.

He’s also maingay. Too friendly for my liking-parang lahat ng visitors sa birthday ni Dei ay kakilala niya at nakikipag-usap siya… except for me. Sa loob ng ilang minuto kong pagmamasid sa kanya ay napansin ko naman na may mga visitors na hindi niya kilala, pero kinakausap niya na para bang siya ang birthday celebrant. Whereas sa akin na matagal nang nakatayo at nakatingin sa kanya ay hindi niya pinapansin.

So madaldal nina Remy, Hansel, at Juls-kaso hindi na ako nakakasunod sa kanilang topic dahil naagaw talaga no’ng Elvin ang attention ko.

Really, I only knew this guy because of the pictures na pinakita ni Dei sa akin last year at sa mga kwento ni Dei. Unang kita ko pa lang talaga sa kanya sa photo, he already got my attention. Tall, dark, has chinky eyes, has perfect set of dimples, good humor, and so friendly! Mas lalong crush na crush ko na this guy. Kaso ever since he arrived kasama ang mga kapatid ni Alcinous, he never spared me a single look.

What ba ang gusto niya? Gusto niya bang tumalon at tumambling ako in front of him? The hell I would do that! Pero gusto ko rin talaga na pansinin niya. Baka pati tumbling and split pa ang gagawin ko.

Lord! Sana naman ipakilala n’yo rin siya (si Elvin) sa akin. Kapag tinupad ninyo ang hiling ko ay ako na bahala mag-relapse para sa amin. Kidding only!

I kid inwardly as I traced every trail that Elvin went. I don’t know a thing about this guy except for being a good friend of Alcinous. He’s really gwapo. Very malakas ang dating. And an eye-catcher. Thankfully, hindi nagka-crush ang best friend ko sa kanya. Very noisy kasi si Elvin, eh. Mabuti na lang talaga!

As much as possible, ayaw kong makipag-agawan ng boys, especially kung crush na siya ng friends ko. That’s a no-no! Natapos ang birthday ni Dei na hindi niya ako nai-introduce kay Elvin. Naging busy rin kasi siya, I understand it. Though it really frustrates me na hindi ako napapansin ni Elvin.

Well, I know I’m not that head-turner type of a person, kaso lang naiirita ako!

“Ano bang sinisimangot mo here? Why haven’t you slept yet?”

Matamlay kong tiningnan si Deimos. Mukhang hiyang-hiya na siya here sa probinsya. I thought hindi talaga siya magtatagal dito, eh. Dei was a hell of a brat and spoiled by his family. Kaya nga hindi ako makapaniwala na tinapon siya here.

“I can’t sleep!”

“Namamahay ka?”

“What’s namamahay?” My brows furrowed in confusion at my best friend’s remark.

“Bitch!” Dei slapped my arm, leaving a slight sting on my white and flawless skin.

“Ouch!” I yelped, scrunching my nose.

“Na-ma-ma-hay kasi. It is like when you’re new to a house tapos you won’t be able to fall asleep because the house isn’t familiar to you or you’re not used to it.”

“Well, I guess I’m namamahay,” I said, sighing.

Oh my gosh! Nahihiya na ako now kay Dei na mag-ask about Elvin. If only this friend of mine knew na super excited ako when he videocalled me na rito siya mag-ieighteenth birthday. Halos pumalakpak talaga ang mga ears ko that time kasi chance ko nang makita at makilala si Elvin sa personal. Kaso hindi man lang ako pinansin.

Dahil pagod na rin kami ni Dei, natulog kami sa gabing iyon. Kaso dala-dala ko pa rin talaga hanggang sa pagtulog ko ang panghihinayang na hindi nakilala si Elvin.

My gosh! Hindi ito maaari! I don’t want to go back to Manila na hindi ko man lang makukuha ang number o social media accounts ni Elvin! It’s now or never!

Kaya naman, very early in the morning, sinugod ko si Dei sa kanyang room. Pagod na pagod pa siya pero ako na hindi naka-sleep ng maayos, ganado at may energy pa.

Matapos kong ibigay sa kanya ang ice cream na dinala ni Ate Klara here sa room niya, umupo ako sa bed niya. So early niya naman nag-iice cream!

I was about to fire a question when I noticed the small cuts on his lips and they’re a bit swollen! Goodness!

Parang bumalik sa isip ang mga kakaibang kinikilos niya last night!

“Oh my, kaya pala sa likod ka umupo kagabi. It’s because of this pala. Your lips are really swollen, and there are cuts!”

I giggled when I saw him patting the ice pack on his swollen lips.

“Tsk! Parang thirsty talaga kayo sa kiss dahil d’yan!” Ngiwi kong untag.

Deimos leered at me. “Hindi ka pa ba uuwi?”

“Tonight ang byahe ko! But, Dei, I have a question.”

Umusog ako sa kanya. Nag-puppy eyes ako sa kanya at pinout ang lips ko to look more cute.

Deimos almost puked. “You’re acting weird, Jonathan!”

Pabebe kong kinurot ang kanyang arm.

“Aww!” He yelped.

“May question lang ako!” Giit ko.

“Ano ba ’yan? Bakit parang hindi ka makakaalis ng Monti Alegri hanggang hindi mo iyan nagtatanong sa akin?”

Dapat lang! Kasi kung pinakilala mo ako kay Elvin last day, I wouldn’t do this either! Lumandi pa kasi siya, eh! Though I can’t blame him, super hot din kaya ng boyfriend niya. Malamang nanggigil siya!

I made a face. “I-I just want to ask if… i-if that Elvin guy has a g-girlfriend?”

Natigilan si Dei. His eyes widened like he heard something horrible from me.

“What? Si Elvin? Shit, bitch!” He screeched.

“What?”

“Humanap ka na lang ng ibang guy! Huwag na si Elvin!”

I groaned.

“Dei!”

Deimos heaved. “Elvin is maasim, bitch! Also, he’s so maingay rin!”

Malamang naiingayan siya kasi hindi niya type ang gano’n! Type niya kasi ang looking cold, parang masungit, at tahimik.

“I don’t care!” Pagmamatigas ko.

“Oh my gosh!” Eksaherado niya.

“So, he’s single?” I asked eagerly.

Para siyang napipilitang tumango sa akin.

My mind internally screamed!

“Oh my gosh! What are his social media accounts? Do you have his number?” Excited kong tanong sa kanya.

Deimos could only twist his lips as he bore his eyes at me helplessly. I think he just saw the world end while looking at me.

Walang nagawa si Dei kundi ibigay ang contacts ni Elvin sa akin. Ayaw kong umabot pa kami sa pangungonsensya; mabuti at binigay na niya ang social media accounts ni Elvin at number.

I rolled on my bed and stalked Elwin Victor Tiongson on his Instagram. Wala siyang ganap sa kanyang X (formerly known as Twitter) at Facebook, pero palaging may IG story.

When I could not hold myself anymore, I slipped into Elvin’s DMs!

“Hi! :)” Message ko sa kanya sa IG.

Wala siyang response kaya naman nag-message ulit ako.

“I’m Jona, Dei’s friend from mnl. Sorry that I needed to ask Dei about your socmeds. I just really found you cute on his birthday ;)”

Cute muna! I reminded myself.

Online siya kaya akala ko makikita niya-at least-ang message ko at i-se-seen niya. Kaso ilang minuto na ang lumipas ngunit wala.

Nanghina ang katawan ko. Very small lang kaya ang kanyang IG following-nasa one thousand lang-pero hindi niya ako napapansin? O baka may iba siyang pinagkakaabalahan?

I felt my heart break.

Nag-vibrate ang phone ko. Parang patay ko tinagilid ang ulo ko habang nakahiga sa kama. Ngunit para akong natamaan ng kidlat nang makita ko ang reply ni Elvin!

“Yo!” Elvin’s response!

“Tenks!” sunod pang reply niya!

“Ahhhh!” Bumangon ako at tumalon-talon sa queen-sized bed ko!

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