Chapter 64


    BONUS CHAPTER 1


    LORIK POV


    “I forgive you.”


    The words charged at me like a sharp dagger that gatecrashed through my heart leaving me breathless.


    Heat rose from my neck and settled just right above my head, creating a cloud of intense self-loathing


    that made my ears deaf. With blurred vision, I watched as she slowly sashayed out of the damp dense


    cer where I was chained.


    My eyes followed her movements until she was out of view. My mind reeled with all sorts of thoughts


    recalling all the evil things I havemitted. She had forgiven me, despite everything I had done to her.


    She forgave me and bathed me clean, after being tortured by my son for how long… Heck, I didn’t even


    know how long I have in here without food, water, let alone taking a bath. I reeked of death and all the


    things I have done in my past. Vernero always brought him a small bite of protein bar just to keep me


    alive, nothing more than that. I was famished, my throat so patched it felt like it was burning. In my


    darkest moment where I felt life slipping through my fingers, Leigh-Ari gave me water to drink and


    quenched my thirst.


    Good lord, had I been wrong all these years? Was I wrong to want what’s best for my sons? Was I wrong


    to uproot things that would bring them distraction? I just wanted what was best for them. I never wanted


    my sons to end up as low lives with nothing to do. I wanted to pave a way for them, to sharpen them and


    make them unstoppable, and they were exactly what I had hoped. What wrong did Imit in doing all


    that?


    A lone tear escaped my eye and drizzled down my cheek. I couldn’t even believe what had just


    happened. When I saw her, I thought she came in here tough at my face, to torment me even further


    and tell me how much of a failure I was, how weak and pathetic I am. That’s what I had hoped for.


    Because at least I wouldn’t have felt so shitty like I was.


    My heartfelt lighter, it was at that moment it dawned to me that I needed her forgiveness. I needed Leigh-


    Ari to forgive me for all I have done to her. Her forgiveness was what made me look forward to my death


    without regret, not because I was running away from all my sins, but because I was redeemed and ready


    to receive my befitting punishment.


    I have hurt the only people I tried to protect, and there was no way I could ever undo all the things I did to


    them. But out of all the fiasco, Leigh-Ari suffered the most. She didn’t even have to forgive me. Heck!


    Even if she cursed me and told me to rot in hell, I wouldn’t cry and raise a ruckus, I deserved it. I was sp


    unworthy of her forgiveness, but she chose to forgive me nheless.


    That made me feel so pathetic and low like I have never felt in all my life.


    An image of ia shed through my mind like a tape recorder in slow motion. Her hazel eyes and


    pearly white teeth with a smile that could brighten up the whole world, she had been the most beautiful


    girl I have everid my eyes on. And instead of cherishing her and thanking her for the wonderful gifts


    she gave me, I killed her. She gave me a reason to live, she gave me two sons, but I didn’t give her the


    credit she deserved. I whipped her every minute of her days, cursed her, I could literally see the angry


    lash marks on her porcin skin. Despite everything I did to her, she still came home to me, to our sons,


    to us.


    And then I killed her. With my own hands, I killed her. The look on her face when she gave out herst


    breath shed even slower. At that moment I had her lean body between my legs, straddling her, with my


    hands squeezing tight on her throat, preventing all the air from entering her body and leaving. I


    remembered as she tried to fight me off, hitting my arms and trying to pry my hands off her neck with her


    small delicate hands, but I didn’t budge.


    I had throttled her until her face turned purple, her eyes had pleaded with me, as she silently begged for


    me to get off from her, but I didn’t. Gosh, I killed her. she didn’tst long. She became weaker until her


    eyes rolled into the back of her head and her body went limp. I didn’t let go. Even when her arms


    dropped to her sides I just held on tight. And my beautiful ia died. The mother of my sons died and I


    had killed her.


    I didn’t deserve Leigh-Ari’s forgiveness. I didn’t.


    Soft murmurs echoed around the stone walls as Lorenzo and Vernero emerged to where they had gone


    off to after being dismissed by their girl. The way they let her control them always puzzled me. My boys


    took orders from no man, but one word from Leigh-Ari had them on their knees, submitting to everything


    she said. That never went well with me. I hated the idea of my boys being weak, being controlled by


    someone else. But that little girl knew just the right words to say to them and they would do whatever she


    wanted.


    Was that how it is supposed to be like? To be controlled by a woman like that? To be ordered around like


    a headless chicken? Was I supposed to let ia control me as Leigh-Ari did with the boys?


    I guess we’ll never know.


    I watched as the boys drew closer towards me, Enzo had his eyes on his feet as they conversed slowly.


    They halted and then looked up the stairs where Leigh-Ari had taken off to, their voices were so low, so


    full of admiration and adoration and pure appreciation whenever they talked about Leigh-Ari. I don’t know


    what that was, but I bet you my rotten life it was love. They loved her, they always did. And I hurt her.


    “See you up.” Enzo gave his brother a small hug and then climbed up, without much of a nce at my


    side or even a word. I longed to hear his voice, I longed for him to talk to me and call me “pops” like he


    used before I sent him to the US. And how long it has been!


    as


    I waited and waited with my breath hitched, for his voice to call me out, but what I heard was the sound


    of his footsteps as he climbed up the cold, stone stairs, leaving me behind. He


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    hated me. And I had myself to me for all of that. My head felt so heavy that it just dropped between


    my shoulders. Verzi’s steps were all I could hear as he took steps towards me, then stood right in front of


    me, removing the chair from sight.


    “She may have forgiven you, but I haven’t. Because you didn’t raise me like that.” He informed in a in


    voice, so raw and empty of any emotion. It hurts! Goodness, it hurts so bad.


    This is what I had wanted, this is what I had hoped for, why did it hurt like this? Why did it feel like


    someone had my heart in their fist, and they were angrily clenching on it with each passing second,


    painfully squeezing all the blood out? Why?


    Had I treated him better, had I epted him as the small, soft, and mild boy, so full of life and always


    supercharged, would things be this way? The image of his toothy grin shed in my mind, the day he


    hade to me holding a toad in his hands, so happy about it. The smile on his face when his mother


    gifted him a bunny. He had looked at me with a huge grin and thenughed out loud, he had been so


    happy.


    “Do you remember Stickas?” I asked facing down, my eyes shut close because I couldn’t bring myself to


    look at him. I didn’t even deserve looking at his face to see all the damage I had done to him!


    “Hmmm. How can I forget him? You forced me to eat his flesh remember?” He spat stepping from my


    line of sight.


    “Your mother gifted it to you.” I ignored his biting spite and focused on something I needed to


    say.


    “I know. And then you killed her right after. It was my fault for existing. Had I not been there, maybe she’d


    still be alive.” He intoned causing me to raise my head abruptly. Words seemed t o be stuck in my throat


    as I watched him cleaning his dagger so unhurriedly, his face was still nk, and I so wanted to know


    what he was thinking. But one thing that made me feel like a dick head was that he med himself. He


    med himself for his mother’s death. All these years, Vernero carried the burden of guilt, and I caused


    all that. But what made me want to lose my medu was the fact that I never knew! Heavens what have I


    done?


    “It wasn’t your fault,” I said inly and let the tears pour down my face. Gosh, it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t


    know anything, he was a child, a lovely child who knew nothing.


    “Then whose fault was it? Yours? I remember you screaming at her that she’s spoiling me. And that


    makes it my fault. Everything that has happened, to mom, to my brother, to Tesoro, you did all because


    you hated me.” He shrugged off casually, making my heart sink even further.


    “It’s not like that. It was never your fault son. You were never at fault.” My shoulders shook as a sob


    wretched through me. He didn’t reply, he didn’t have to. Vernero was one child who suffered the most. I


    knew intimately how I tortured him. Now when death was right in fronto fme, I saw how stupid I was. And


    Vernero, my poor boy became the victim of my stupidity. He suffered so much and I did all that. All I ever


    did to him was take, and take, and take until he


    had nothing more to give. Even when it was to that extent, I still took from him. Until Ipletely took his


    being, and he med himself. How can I be so horrible?


    “I am sorry son. I am so sorry. For everything.” I intoned through a sob. I didn’t need his forgiveness, I


    didn’t deserve it. Even if he chose not to forgive me, I wouldn’t me him.


    “Hmmm! I am sorry too. That I was never what you wanted.” He said and walked towards him. He stood


    in front of me and lifted my head with the sharp de of the dagger, causing its sharp edge to bite on the


    smooth skin under my chin.


    “You suck Lorik. You are the cruelest monster this world could ever have. You killed me. You killed me


    completely because you hated me. No amount of forgiveness could ever redeem your forsaken heart.


    Heck, even the devil himself is going to deny you. That’s how rotten you are. Not even the devil would


    want you in his abode.” He yelled in my face, his words piercing so deep inside me I felt like I was going


    to lose my mind. My whole body felt like it was being consumed by this raging fire that burned me deep


    to my core. At that moment, I felt hell. I knew hell was real, and I was in hell.


    “Hold on to Leigh-Ari. Love her the way I failed to love your mother.” I said in a small voice. M y heart


    shattered even further when a lone tear drizzled down his eye.


    He didn’t reply, instead, he pulled back his hand and then hurriedly jammed the dagger through my


    ribcage, all the way to my heart. My eyes stayed glued to his face as he twisted itt o the side, causing it


    to dive even further and rapture my heart. Blood gushed out of my mouth as seconds ticked by. I felt life


    running through my fingers like smooth sand, my vision gave out, and my tongue became heavy in my


    mouth.


    “So… S-sorry.” The words escaped my mouth, and they were responded to by a loud, tormented,


    tortured, and pained scream from my beloved son. His cry apanied me to the afterlife!