The Cold Billionaire's Wife

PROLOGUE

Prologue

Callista's Point of View

Eto na. Eto na ang araw na pinakahihintay ko. Ang tagal kong hinintay ang araw na 'to at sa wakas dumating na rin ito. Ang tagal kong pinangarap ang bagay na 'to at ngayon ay naisakatuparan na.

Pero bakit gano'n? Bakit pakiramdam ko ako lang ang masaya sa araw na 'to? Bakit parang malungkot siya at parang labag sa kalooban niya ang mangyayari ngayon?

Napangiti ako ng mapait ng maalala ko. Oo nga pala, hindi nga pala niya gusto ito. Ako lang pala at ang mga magulang namin ang may gusto nito.

"Calli, anak. Are you ready?" Rinig kong tanong ni mommy sa akin habang nakatayo kami sa harap ng isang malaking kahoy na pintuan ng isang simbahan. Ilang segundo bago ako sumagot.

Yes, I'm ready. Ang tagal kong pinaghandaan ang araw na 'to pero bakit iba ang nararamdaman ko? Hindi ko makuhang maging masaya ng lubusan knowing that we don't feel the same way.

"Yes, mom." Sagot ko kay mommy at isang kiming ngiti ang ibinigay ko rito. Ngumiti naman ng matamis si mommy sa akin habang si daddy naman ay hinalikan ang aking sentido. I have the sweetest and kindest parents in the whole wide world and I'm so lucky to have them.

Pero tama nga ba ang desisyon nilang ipakasal ako? Yes, I'm getting married. And guess what? I'm getting married to the man of my dreams. The man I have been dreaming of my whole life. But unfortunately, we don't share the same feeling because this marriage is honestly an arranged marriage.

We are forced by our families to marry each other for the sake of business negotiations and connections. We both came from a wealthy family. Both have goodass fine businesses running across the country, not only inside our country but in the whole wide world. And being the one and only child of my parents, humanap sila ng makakatulong ko sa pagpapatakbo ng aming negosyo at sino ang nahanap nila? Walang iba kung hindi si Ice Buenavista, ang lalaking matagal ko ng pinapangarap at hinahangaan.

Iniisip ko ang swerte ko dahil finally, after how many years, magiging asawa ko na ang lalaking matagal ko ng gusto. Pero in the back of my mind, I'm disappointed because I know he just was forced to marry me. He doesn't have any feelings for me.

Narinig ko na ang wedding song namin at senyales na ito para ako naman ang maglakad sa aisle. Bumukas na ang pinto ng simbahan at ang unang pares ng mga mata na nakita ko agad ay kay Ice. I had always dreamt of marrying Ice Buenavista, the young billionaire I had admired from afar. And finally, that day had arrived. But as I stood in front of the church entrance, something felt off.

As she walked down the aisle towards Ice, I met his eyes, and I felt a pang of sadness. He looked solemn and detached as if he were being forced to marry me. He's staring at me and I feel like his stare pierces through my soul. Titig na titig siya sa akin but his eyes are void of any emotions. He's just staring at me blankly, dahilan upang mas lalo akong makaramdam ng lungkot. Sana kahit man lang sa araw na 'to ay magpanggap siyang masaya.

Ngunit mas okay na ito hindi ba? Kaysa naman maging masaya ako sa kasinungalingan. I think he's just being true and honest about his feelings.

Nagsimula na kaming maglakad nila mom and dad sa aisle. There's a lot of people watching me float down the aisle, pero sa iisang tao lang ako nakatutok. Sa lalaking naghihintay sa akin sa dulo ng altar. This should be a dream wedding of mine but instead, I feel like it'll be the start of my worst nightmare.

Huminto kami ng marating namin ang kinaroroonan ni Ice at ng mga magulang niya.

"Ibinibigay na namin sa'yo ang unica hija namin, Ice." Saad ni mommy habang nakangiti niyang iniaabot ang kamay ko kay Ice. Tinanggap naman iyon ng huli at tipid na sinuklian ng isang ngiti si mommy.

"Yes, Madame. I'll look after your lovely daughter," and he smiled warmly, promising to look after me. It was clear to me that he was only saying those words to reassure my parents, and not because he had any feelings for me. Hindi ko tuloy alam kung ano ba ang dapat kong maramdaman. But I felt a pang of sadness, knowing that the man I had always dreamed of was now my husband, but without any reciprocation of my love.

"Welcome to the family, hijo. We are so happy that finally, a Buenavista is going to be part of our family. Alam kong hindi ako mabibigo sa pagpili sa'yo bilang mapapangasawa at magiging isa sa tagapagpangasiwa ng mga negosyo ng pamilya ko." Saad naman ni daddy at nakangiti niyang hinawakan ang balikat ni Ice. Confident na ngumiti naman si Ice kay daddy at sa base sa mga ngiti niyang iyon ay alam kong hindi niya bibiguin si daddy sa pagpapatakbo ng mga negosyo namin.

Ice is a very hardworking man. Trabaho kung trabaho ito. In fact, isa siya sa mga hinahanggaan pagdating sa business industry. Sa murang edad ay marami na itong pinatuyan sa larangan ng negosyo. At isa rin siya sa mga tinaguriang youngest billionaire in the world.

At eto ako magiging asawa ng batang bilyonaryo na ito. Lucky? I don't think so.

Nagbeso-beso lang ang mga magulang namin ni Ice at pagkatapos ay pumunta na rin ang mga ito sa kani-kanilang mga upuan. Habang kami naman ni Ice ay dumiretso sa harap ng pari upang magpatuloy sa seremonyas ng aming kasal.

"Good morning everyone. It is truly a blessing from heaven for two people to find one another and to love so deeply that they embrace the holy bond of marriage. That is why we are all here today, to witness and celebrate Ice and Callista's commitment to their union. On behalf of them, I welcome you all." The priest said in his opening remarks to our wedding ceremony.

Gusto ko namang ngumiti ng malungkot sa sinabi ni Father. Yes, it is indeed a blessing from heaven for two people to find another and love another so deeply that they decided to finally marry each other. Pero matatawag rin bang blessing from heaven kung ang dahilan naman ng pagpapakasal ni yong dalawa ay dahil sa pera at hindi dahil sa mahal niyo ang isa't isa? Kung sana'y ganoon lang ang lahat, kung sana'y parehas lang din kami ng nararamdaman ni Ice, siguro ang saya-saya ng wedding na ito.

Pero kahit ganoon pa man ay masaya pa rin ako dahil sa wakas magiging asawa ko na ang lalaking noo'y pinapangarap ko lamang. Siguro naman sa pagsasama naming dalawa ay matutunan din ni Ice na ako ay mahalin.

"Calli." Rinig kong bulong ni Ice sa pangalan ko kaya naman napatingin ako sa kaniya. Diretsong nakatingin si Ice sa pari habang magkahugpong pa rin ang mga kamay namin. At kahit nakatagilid ay ramdam ko ang malamig niyang mga titig.

His name suits him better. No wonder he got the title of the cold billionaire.

"Hmm?" I responded. And as the ceremony came to an end, Ice said something to me that made my heart sink.

"Please," he implored, his tone both imploring and resigned, "don't allow yourself to become too entangled in my existence. Though the legal bonds of marriage bind us on paper, it is in our best interest to keep a respectful distance from each other's affairs. Let us each forge our own paths, separate yet parallel, where you mind your own concerns, and I shall tend to mine," he concluded, his cold-blooded eyes shifting to meet my gaze.

I secretly bite the insides of my cheeks to prevent myself from crying. He has all the points but still, I'm hurt by his words. It cuts deeper than a f*****g knife that it f*****g wounds me.

At that moment, the atmosphere hung heavy with an unspoken melancholy, an ethereal mist shrouding the uncharted territory of our union. Each word he uttered was like a fragile thread of detachment, woven delicately to keep our lives apart. His words, though meant to protect, left a bittersweet taste upon my lips, like the remnants of a long-lost promise.

My heart shattered into a million pieces, as I struggled to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. The reality hit me hard and fast, like a thunderbolt. All the while, I had been living in a fantasy world, where I believed that Ice would love me back just as much as I did. But his words, like a sharp knife, cut through my illusion, exposing the harsh truth that our marriage was nothing but a transaction, a mere business deal.

Ang sakit naman pala nitong pinasok ko. Kung alam ko lang na sana na ganito pala ang mangyayari ay sana hindi na lang ako sumang-ayon sa kasalang ito. Pero alam ko na naman kasi na una pa lang ay talagang ikakasal lang kami dahil sa negosasyon sa pagitan ng mga magulang namin, pero nagbulag-bulagan ako.

Ngayon, wala na akong magagawa pa. Siguro ang magagawa ko na lang ay panindigan ang pagiging isang asawa kay Ice Buenavista at ano pa nga ba? Ang mahalin siya ng palihim.

But little did I know, that my decision to marry Ice would change my life in ways I never could have imagined. As I settled into my new life as a billionaire's wife, I would soon discover secrets that would rock my world and threaten to tear apart the life I had carefully built.

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To what extent can one persevere in the pursuit of love in order to salvage a failing marriage? As Callista Buenavista, how long can you continue to love your emotionally distant husband? Are you prepared to withstand the anguish, holding onto the belief that someday it will all be worthwhile? Alternatively, will you opt to relinquish your efforts and move on?



What would become of her marriage? Would she lose everything she had worked so hard for? Will Callista be able to navigate the treacherous waters of a loveless marriage? Or will she fall victim to the secrets and lies that threaten to destroy everything she holds dear?

The answer lies in the pages of her story, a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.