Chapter 63

Chapter 63


Rigella Andrea’s POV

There’s one word that constantly reminds me how mistakes are inevitable in life—forgiveness. Without mistakes, there can be no forgiveness. The very concept of forgiveness is anchored in the idea that someone has done wrong. Without sin, there’s nothing to forgive.

For me, I’ve always been a victim of that word. Everyone who’s ever wronged me—I forgive them almost immediately. I don’t have a heart of stone like others who refuse to let go. All I’ve ever wanted was to do the right thing, and for me, that means forgiving. Because when I don’t, my heart pounds relentlessly. I can’t stay calm. I can’t stay quiet.

At a young age, my mother taught me what forgiveness means in this world. She said chaos and unrest will always find me if I don’t learn to forgive those who’ve wronged me.

I remember asking her why—why I should forgive people who hurt me or offended me. It felt unfair. It felt too much. I believed people who sinned against me also sinned against God. Why should I forgive them when they don’t deserve it?

But my mother just gave me a weak smile and spoke words that I’d never considered.

> “The chaos and disturbance I’m talking about, baby girl, is your conscience. It won’t stop whispering to you until you forgive. Your conscience won’t give you peace. And remember what I told you—God forgives those who hurt His children, even if the offense is great. So, we must learn to forgive too. If God can forgive, so can we. It’s that simple.”

And now, I believe she was right. I need to forgive those who’ve hurt me, no matter how painful it was. It’s something I’ve always done. But in the past five years, I forgot my mother’s wisdom—and I regret that deeply.

I let anger and revenge consume me. I didn’t think about the consequences of my actions. I disregarded everything my parents taught me. I rushed into battle, not caring whether I would survive. All I wanted was revenge for my family and justice for what was done to us.

But maybe they were right—regret always comes too late. Yes, I won the fight. But because of that... I lost him. He vanished from my life. I never got to see his sweet smile again. I never held him again.

I smiled sadly, my gaze rising to the top of the building in front of me—the name of the mental hospital carved into the stone. I never imagined I’d find myself in a place like this. I had no family or friends with mental illness, so I never thought I’d step foot inside a psychiatric facility.

I tightened my grip on Laren’s arm, prompting him to look at me. I turned to him and gave him a small smile. I knew it was hard for him to see his twin in a place like this, but he still chose to come with me.

“Are you okay?” Laren asked with a soft smile, his voice filled with concern. He was worried—I could feel it. I’m pregnant. I can’t blame him.

I nodded. “I’m fine. What about you? Are you sure you want to come in with me? If you’d rather stay outside, I understand. I can go alone.”

He stared at me for a long moment before shaking his head. “No. I’m going with you.” He glanced at my growing belly. “You’re pregnant. Do you really think I’d let you go in there by yourself?” He furrowed his brows, then looked up at the building again.

“Then... let’s go,” I said, gently encouraging him. We had plans later, but this had to come first.

Laren gave a weak smile and nodded. I held onto his arm again as we walked up the stairs toward the entrance. Once inside, we headed straight to the nurse’s station and requested to visit the person we had come to see.

A nurse led us to the waiting area and informed another nurse that we were here to see Lara. I noticed Laren sighing repeatedly, but I didn’t comment. He was probably trying to build the courage to face his sister.

“Ma’am, please follow me,” the nurse finally said. Laren helped me up, and I took a deep breath. They were all so careful around me—it made me feel safe.

We followed the nurse down the hall. Laren held my arm, and I felt the coldness of his palm. I looked up at him. His face was expressionless, but his eyes carried deep sadness.

We entered what seemed to be a visitation room. The nurse seated us on a long bench behind a table, staying nearby as we waited.

Then the door opened, and two nurses entered with Lara between them. She wore a hospital gown and looked incredibly frail. My chest tightened. Her body was thin, her skin pale, and her eyes were sunken, surrounded by dark circles.

Laren stood up quickly. I followed his gaze as he rushed to Lara and wrapped his arms around her. One of the nurses followed him to ensure things remained calm.

He hugged her tightly. My heart ached at the sight. Despite all the pain Lara had caused him, Laren still embraced her. That’s what real sibling love looks like.

I just sat there, quietly watching them. I felt a little envious. I’ve never had a sibling hug me like that. I remembered how Kuya Ryan hugged me once—it was the most comforting hug I’d ever had. And Ate... her hugs made me feel safe. But now, they’re both gone. So is Ivan. No one’s left to hug me.

“Are you okay, Lara?” Laren asked, tears falling freely. Lara didn’t respond. She simply stared, blank and silent. Laren cupped her face gently, still crying. “God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what was happening to you. I should’ve checked on you...”

“I’m sorry, Lara. Ate isn’t here to protect you anymore. I broke my promise. I didn’t keep you safe. I’m so sorry...” Laren sobbed, brushing his fingers over the bruises and wounds on Lara’s body. “It won’t happen again, okay? No one will hurt you anymore. Ate’s here now. No one’s going to hurt you, princess. No one.”

He hugged her again.

I gently touched my belly and wiped away the tears on my cheeks. They looked so sweet together, and I couldn’t help but feel a little envious again. Even if Lara didn’t seem to want it, Laren was giving his all.

“Don’t be so fake, Laren,” Lara suddenly said, making my eyes widen. Her face was still expressionless, but her eyes glistened. “You wanted this to happen to me. You wanted me to suffer because of what I did to you. You wanted to destroy me—and now you have. Are you happy now?”

Laren pulled away, stunned. “What are you saying, Lara? I told you—I didn’t know what was going on in here!”

“Liar!” she screamed. “You knew! You knew everything they were doing to me!”

“Lara, please—”

“They treated me like an animal here! They shocked me with electricity whenever I disobeyed! They made me clean toilets, forced me to eat pork, and left me to work under the sun!” she sobbed. “Someone almost raped me here!”

“What?!” Laren’s voice cracked as he shouted.

“Don’t act surprised, Laren! This is all your fault! If you hadn’t abandoned me, I’d be happy with Ivan now! I wouldn’t have gone through this hell!”

She tried to strike Laren, but the nurses restrained her quickly. She struggled, screaming.

“I’m sorry...” Laren whispered, tears still streaming down his face.

“No! Sorry isn’t enough! You ruined my life! You’re worse than an animal, you bastard! I didn’t rape you before just so you could pay for everything with this guilt! I will never stop until I ruin your life in return!”

She lunged at him again, but the nurses held her tighter.

“Lara, please... I swear, I didn’t know what they were doing to you here. Please, believe me...”

Laren was breaking, and I pulled him gently away from her, trying to ease the chaos unraveling before us.