HATRED

CHAPTER 22

RAPHAEL

I sat beside her on the bed and stared at her. She looked so fragile, lean, and wrinkled. The chemotherapy treatment had made her weak and pale. Tears fell from my eyes; she didn't deserve to be in this condition. I wiped my tears and was about to leave when her voice stopped me.

"I told you not to come back and you didn't listen."

I shrugged. Rebecca said she was deteriorating, and I wasn't really doing anything in the company. With what I did to Gina and the situation with my mom, I felt like a useless CEO, and Paul could handle everything.

"I miss my mother," I said, my voice breaking, giving away my pain.

She smiled and stretched out her right hand, so I moved closer to hold it. "Son, please don't cry because of me," she said.

"M-mom..."

Our privacy was interrupted by the creaking sound of the door. The nurse and Rebecca walked in and informed me that my mom needed to take her medication. However, my mom refused. She insisted that she needed to spend her last days with me and not on meds. I couldn't take the pain anymore, so I planted a light kiss on her forehead and left the room.

My legs carried me outside; I needed fresh air to breathe properly. But even with the fact that I was outside, I couldn't breathe. I would never be able to forgive myself for not being able to save my mother and the humiliation I caused Gina.

I felt someone touch my left shoulder. "I'm sorry," Rebecca said, and I immediately broke down. She embraced and comforted me. Everything hurt; this feeling was worse than a broken heart. I still needed my mother.

My phone began to vibrate, so I had to break the embrace to answer the call. But when I saw the caller ID, anger rose within me.

"What do you want?"

Going straight to the point as usual, Gina's father replied on the other end, "Rumors have it that you are in the country, and I want to talk to you. I expect to see you in my office tomorrow, or I will come to your mother's house."

"I don't want to ever see you," I replied, my other hand fisted in anger, but Rebecca held it, helping me to relax.

I heard him sigh before he spoke arrogantly again, "You don't have a choice because you and I have important things to talk about."

"I have nothing to discuss with you," I said, ending the call before he could make any threats.

"I hate him," I said, the bitterness in my voice making Rebecca scowl at me. I sighed, frustrated. "I know he isn't responsible for my mother's illness, but knowing he was the source of all our problems... I hate that he is the father of Gina."

Rebecca led me back to the house and sat me down on the couch. "I need you to be strong because being in this country will bring hurtful memories," she said, but I kept a straight face.

"You should speak to Patrick and Regina, especially Regina. You owe that girl an apology."

I nodded, even though Anita had already warned me against speaking to Gina. "She hates me. I saw Anita, and it was bad."

Rebecca sighed and took a seat beside me. "Gina might hate you, but running away won't solve anything. You need to face this head-on, for your sake and for your mother's."

I nodded again, feeling the weight of her words. "I know. It's just hard."

"Nobody said it would be easy," Rebecca said gently. "But you're not alone. You have people who care about you, who want to help you through this."

"I know. Thank you, Rebecca," I said, appreciating her support.

"Now, get some rest. Tomorrow is a new day, and you'll need your strength," she said, giving me a reassuring smile.

I tried to smile back, but it felt hollow. Still, I knew she was right. I had to face my demons, no matter how painful it would be.

REGINA

I got home feeling exhausted, and for the first time, I appreciated my therapist's words. It helped me get my emotions out, but on getting home, my parents' argument from Dad's study room deafened me.

"What is going on?" I asked one of the maids.

Out of a shaky breath, she answered, "Ms. Allen, your parents are arguing again, and we don't know why."

"What do you mean by 'again'?" I asked.

She clarified, "Early this morning after you left for work, Mrs. Allen confronted your father, but we couldn't hear the details of the conversation. All we know is that they argued for a long time before Mrs. Allen left the house crying."

I sighed and thanked her for the information before going to the study room to settle whatever was going on between them. But I doubted I was the person who could resolve the issues.

As soon as I entered, both of them turned to me, looking very angry. This is bad; I shouldn't have come.

"I overheard voices and wanted to know if everything was okay," I said, carefully picking my words so I wouldn't become the end product of their disagreement.

My father's response just proved that I shouldn't have interrupted them. "What do you think?" he snapped.

I was about to answer his question when my mother interjected, "Don't even dare to pin this on Regina. I gave you everything, Patrick. I—" Her voice broke, and tears fell from her eyes, but she continued, "Even when you treated our daughter like an object, I stood by you. But infidelity with that woman, Esther? That is something I will never forgive." She yelled as she wiped her tears.

"I didn't cheat on you, and I never will. There are a lot of things that you don't understand," my father replied in frustration, but my mother refused to listen. Her next words left my father and me in shock: "I want a divorce."

My mother walked out of the room, and I stared at my father, who in turn was glaring at me. To prevent him from pouring out his aggression on me, I turned and left, running to look for my mother.

"Mom, there is another way to resolve everything," I said after finding her packing some clothes in a box.

With determination, she responded, "I am not changing my mind."

"Please, Mom," I pleaded, "there has to be another way."

She stopped packing and looked at me, her eyes filled with sadness and resolve. "Regina, I can't live with a man who betrayed me like this. I need to find my own peace."

I nodded, understanding her pain but feeling helpless. "I just want you to be happy."

She hugged me tightly. "I know, sweetheart. And this is the first step towards finding that happiness."

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