Matrimonial Masquerade

3. Falling

Irene's Pov.



---I arranged to meet Greggy for a coffee date, my heart heavy with the weight of the news I needed to share. As we sat down, the aroma of coffee lingered in the air, masking the unease that churned within me.

"Greggy, there's something I need to tell you," I began, my voice tinged with nervousness.

He glanced at me, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern. "What's wrong, Irene?" I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the difficult conversation ahead.

 "My father wants us to get married," I revealed, the words hanging between us, heavy with their unexpectedness. Shock rippled across Greggy's face, his eyes widening in disbelief.

 "Married? That's... that's too much, Irene. tama na" he responded, his voice laden with astonishment.I rushed to explain, desperation creeping into my tone.

 "I know, I know it's sudden and overwhelming. But please, Greggy,sige na.. it's just to appease my father. We can file for an annulment afterward, after everything settles down," I pleaded, hoping to sway him.He seemed unconvinced, his brows furrowed with concern.

"An annulment... Irene, this is a huge decision. I'm not sure if we should go through with something so drastic," he replied, his apprehension evident.I persisted, trying to assuage his doubts. "Greggy, please understand. It's the only way to buy us time, to break free from this situation my father has put us in. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't necessary," I urged, desperation creeping into my voice.


Despite my pleading, Greggy remained hesitant, his reservations clear in his expression. The weight of the situation, the suddenness of the proposal, and the gravity of the solution I was proposing seemed to weigh heavily on him.


As we sat there, engulfed in the heaviness of the conversation, I realized the depth of the request I had made. I hoped beyond hope that Greggy would see the urgency in my plea, that he would agree to this impromptu plan that felt like a last resort to break free from the tangled web of expectations and deceit that had ensnared us both.


-As Greggy remained hesitant, my desperation only grew. I pleaded, I begged, but his resolve remained unyielding. The weight of his reluctance crushed me, the urgency of the situation unable to break through the barriers of his reservations.

"Please, Greggy, you have to understand. It's my only way out," I implored, my voice trembling with a mix of frustration and desperation.

But despite my fervent appeals, he shook his head, his expression wrought with conflict. "Irene, I'm sorry. I just... I can't do this," he confessed, his words weighing heavily on my heart.


His decision felt like a shackle, chaining me to a fate I desperately wanted to escape. With a heavy heart, I watched as he stood up, citing a sudden meeting as his reason for leaving. "I have a meeting. I'm sorry, Irene," Greggy explained, his voice filled with regret as he hurriedly departed, leaving me there, grappling with a sense of helplessness and desolation.Alone amidst the bustling cafe


, I felt the weight of the world crashing down on me. The plan I had woven in desperation had crumbled in the face of his refusal. I had pinned my hopes on this solution, and now I stood stranded, caught between the expectations of my father and the inability to sway the one person I had turned to for help.


As tears welled up in my eyes, I felt the overwhelming sense of being trapped, suffocated by the expectations and the web of deceit that encircled me. Greggy's departure left me stranded in a sea of uncertainty, unable to navigate the storm that raged within me.I gathered my composure, wiping away the tears that threatened to spill, and resigned myself to facing the inevitable consequences alone.


The weight of my father's expectations loomed larger than ever, and the betrayal of my only ally in this charade left me grappling with a sense of solitude amidst the chaos that had engulfed my life.---

The weight of it all felt suffocating, an unbearable burden pressing down on me. I sought refuge in the dimly lit sanctuary of a nearby bar, craving an escape from the tumultuous whirlwind of emotions that had consumed me.

The acrid scent of alcohol permeated the air as I took a seat, seeking solace in the anonymity the bar offered. With each sip, the bitter liquid seemed to numb the chaos that churned within me, if only momentarily.

I ranted to the empty air, the alcohol emboldening my voice as I unleashed the pent-up frustrations that had been simmering within. "Why does he have to control everything?" I muttered, my words slurred by the intoxication that had begun to cloud my senses.

Each swig felt like a temporary respite, a brief escape from the stifling expectations and the suffocating grip of my father's control. The weight of his imposed decisions felt like chains, binding me to a life I never chose...

The shrill sound of my phone ringing shattered the silence, and I saw Greggy's name flashing on the screen. Anger surged within me like a storm ready to break loose. Without thinking, I answered, fueled by frustration and resentment.

"What do you want?" My voice was sharp, laced with the raw emotions that had been brewing inside me.

Greggy's voice came through the line, a mix of concern and confusion. "Irene, please, I just wanted to talk. Are you okay? where are you?" His words were genuine, but they only stoked the fire of my frustration.

I couldn't bear to hear his attempts to console me after his refusal. "I don't want to talk to you! and wala kang pake!" I spat out, my tone dripping with disdain. Without waiting for a response, I abruptly ended the call, my anger simmering beneath the surface.




greggy's pov

The noise in the bar was nearly overwhelming, but amidst the chaos, I spotted Irene. She looked stunning as always, but something seemed off tonight. Her laughter was a touch too loud, her movements a bit unsteady. It was clear she'd had one too many.

As I approached her, she greeted me with a slurred speech, her words laced with a sharp edge. "I hate you! umalis ka dito!" she repeated, each repetition like a dagger, cutting through the facade I'd carefully built. It stung, but I couldn't let it show.

What she didn't know was that earlier, I'd reached out to her with a different purpose. I had intended to tell her that I was ready to agree to the farce we'd concocted—a fake relationship that was about to transform into a fake marriage. The very thing she despised me for in this moment was the very thing I was about to propose, to keep up appearances and save face for both our families.

Her inebriated state made it harder to decipher her true feelings. Was this hate genuine, or was it a drunken facade masking deeper emotions? Did she understand the weight of the decision we were about to make?

I listened as she continued her tirade against me, her words cutting through the crowded noise. Each declaration of hate felt like a barrier, a reminder of the charade we were about to dive deeper into. It was a matrimonial masquerade, a dance we were about to perform for the world, all based on a lie that we'd spun to please our families.

Amidst her drunken rant, I couldn't help but wonder if this façade would eventually crumble, revealing the truth beneath. Would our "fake" marriage slowly morph into something real, or would it forever remain a fragile illusion, constructed to satisfy the expectations of everyone but ourselves? Only time would tell...



Am i falling inlove?


Oh no..

Falling for Irene wasn't part of the plan, you know? It started as this scripted act, these feigned emotions we were supposed to flaunt for the world to see. But somewhere along the line, it got tangled up.

Those rehearsed feelings started to blur with the real ones.

I ask myself, what if these feelings I've been pretending to have for Irene... what if they're not so fake after all? It's a whirlwind of confusion.


I catch myself thinking about her outside the spotlight, wondering what she's like when there are no cameras around. Does she have these same thoughts about me?


The thing is, in this world we've created for the public eye, it's hard to decipher where the acting stops and reality begins.


 Does Irene feel anything genuine for me amidst this show we put on? Or are we both stuck in this performance, dancing to a script that dictates our emotions?It's a paradox, you know?

 Displaying love that's only for show while grappling with the possibility that it might not be so superficial after all. I'm in this maze of make-believe, wondering if there's a path that leads to something genuine between us, something beyond the façade we've constructed. But can we even recognize it amidst all the staged affection we've grown accustomed to?


I can't help but wonder what it would be like if our acts of love weren't just for the audience. If they were, in some unanticipated way, real. But in this world of smoke and mirrors, distinguishing between what's authentic and what's rehearsed seems like an impossible feat.

To be continued