"Letting go doesn't mean forgiving or forgetting, it means choosing to live your life without the weight of past hurt."
*****
THE LIVING ROOM was dead silent and no one said a thing. But the tension and curiosity was hanging in the air. The only person in the room that was less concerned was Jared who was playing a video game on his phone.
"I think you are the only one who is relaxed in this situation," Khalid said, breaking the silence in the room as he looked in Jared's direction.
Others nodded in concord as Khalid had just said their minds.
Jared lifted his eyes from the game briefly. "What do you mean?"
"That question is quite ridiculous, Jared," Jesse said with a frown.
Jared quirked a brow at him.
"What exactly is going on with the twins?"
Yasmine and Adelaide glanced at Chizaram who sat a few distance from them with an ice on a side of her face. Jewel was in front of her, saying nothing like she expected her to do.
"Everyone seems to know what is going on, but I and Khalid seem to be in the dark."
"I don't know what's going on too," Adelaide chirped in.
She was sitting next to Khalid. Everyone glanced at her but said nothing.
"No one wants to talk about it."
"Despite I am Neche's roommate, she won't say anything about it too. So, I am also in the dark here."
"Kai, Zayn, what exactly is going on?" Jesse queried, turning to the quiet duo when it seemed Jared wouldn't answer them. "I'm sure that you two know about what is happening. You can't keep letting everyone be in the dark."
"It's none of your business, Jesse," Zayn answered him with gritted teeth.
He was still mad about what happened a few minutes ago, and he wasn't interested in saying anything.
It was taking a lot of willpower in him not to do what he had in mind for Chizaram.
"Why do you always act like an asshole?" Jesse asked.
Zayn attempted to stand up and react, but Jedekiah held him back, gesturing for him to calm down.
Reluctantly, he sat down again, and they both glared dagger at Jesse.
"Jesse is kind of right. We are just trying to know what happens. For the past two days, the house has been in some kind of tension and we just pretend like it wasn't there. We are together in this, so why should we be kept in the dark?" Khalid defended his best friend.
"Why don't you just ask the person involved in it directly?" Jared spoke up, drawing all attention to him.
He dropped his phone on the seat next to him, then he moved his gaze to Chizaram and others followed suit.
Chizaram lifted her gaze to see that everyone was staring at her.
"What?"
"Don't pretend you don't know what we are talking about," Yasmine responded. Her voice filled with a bit of exasperation.
"Let us know what is going on with you and your sister," Jesse added. "You guys can't be making the house uncomfortable for everyone. So what's going on between you two?"
"I..." she drawled, looking at Jewel who had been quiet.
Silently, she pleaded with her eyes for her to say something in her defense. But Jewel's face remained impassive; because just like the others she was kept in the dark by her best friend.
After realizing that Jewel wouldn't say anything, Chizaram thought of what to say.
And immediately, an idea clicked in her head.
Meekly, she spoke, "It's personal. It's between the two of us."
"No, it isn't," Yasmine disagreed, her tone filled with annoyance. She was getting pissed off which wasn't a surprise to them as Yasmine has little tolerance to things. "The matter has involved the whole group. All the Coterie are now involved, so tell us."
"We are friends, Zara. We need to know the truth. We can't do anything about this if we don't know what is going on," Jewel finally spoke up, urging her on.
"Also, you two have pulled my brother into this," Jesse chirped in. They all shifted their gazes towards him. "What? I'm telling the truth. They have dragged Jaime into what is happening between them. Two days ago, he came back with a devastated Neche and he argued with Zara afterward. Since then, he had been avoiding her like the plague and he also happened to be in the middle of their fight today. You both are making it seem like he is married to the both of you."
"That's not what is going on," Chizaram disagreed, shaking her head.
"Then tell us what exactly is going on."
"Fine," Zara muttered then she dropped the ice block in her hand on the table next to her. Quietly, she narrated, "I didn't... I don't want to say this before because I don't want my sister to look bad in front of you guys."
Her voice was meek, her tone filled with sadness and she sounded like she wanted to cry.
"What the fuck are you saying?" Zayn and Jedekiah chorused.
They could already tell that she was planning on saying something different from the truth. They shot daggers with their eyes, but Chizaram used that to her advantage, cowering with fright.
"Both of you should better shut up. Let her talk," Khalid ordered.
"Talk? And then spread out lies from her mouth."
"Kai, shut up na," Jesse yelled at his brother. "Why are you being so defensive? We have been asking if anyone has an idea what was happening, but you two refuse to talk and now, you are interrupting her from doing so."
"That's because I know she is just going to lie."
"You don't know that. So shut up."
"I..."
"Kai," Jared called with a pleading tone. Jedekiah shifted his gaze to him. With a pleading expression, he said to him. "Please, let's hear what she has to say. Please."
"If you don't want to listen, just leave," Yasmine added.
"Yasmine!" Jared called sternly.
She responded by rolling her eyes, saying nothing.
Adelaide touched Jedekiah's hand and pleaded with her eyes for him to do as Jared instructed.
Reluctantly, Jedekiah agreed and he folded his arms to listen to what Chizaram had to say.
When Chizaram noticed that Jedekiah and Zayn had been put to check and she could now talk, she went on with what she had been saying before they interrupted her.
Her face looked melancholic and with sadness-filled voice, she said.
"It's all Chinecherem's fault," she paused for a few seconds, then she sniffled. "She had always had feelings for Jaime even when she knew he was dating me."
"Feelings for Jaime?"
The majority of them chorused in surprise while Jedekiah scoffed loudly.
"Is she..." Zayn was saying, but Jedekiah cut him short, saying with clenched teeth.
"Let's hear the nonsense she has to say."
"But..."
"Wait."
"...she had been doing everything to make things hard for me. In the past, I have always tried to reach out to her, but she won't give me the audience because she has a higher IQ than me. So, she always tried to make me feel so small. She even did the same with Jewel. She pushed the two of us away.
"She plays tricks on me, teases me, and acts like she is better than me, especially to our parents. Despite all of that, she wanted to have my boyfriend. I did everything to beg her not to ruin my relationship, but she refused. Before the vacation, I overheard her talking with one of our maids who happened to be very close to her. She..." she sniffed, wiping her tears. "She told her that she would take Jaime from me. She believes that I don't deserve him because I am not as bright as her."
She looked up at the group with her tear-filled eyes.
"She always wanted what I wanted and I know some of you will think that I am the bad person here, but I am not. I just want to fight for what is mine. And since she doesn't want anything to do with me and she has done a lot of things to hurt me in the past, I tried to give her some space. That is why you see that I don't really associate with my own sister. She had made life a living hell for me back at home.
"She pretends to be quiet and antisocial when she is outside. But Neche is nothing like that. She is quiet on the outside, but she is cold on the inside. She's mean. Stone cold. You won't believe everything that she does to me at home," she paused and wiped tears from her eyes.
Then she began to sob, and the others stared at her sympathetically except Jedekiah and Zayn. Jared's face was impassive. He had his arms crossed in his chest and his face gave off no expression.
Jewel reached out to Chizaram, and quietly she said, "Neches have been hurting you?"
Without raising her head, Chizaram nodded, cleaning more tears with the back of her hand. She covered her face and wept loudly.
"Yes, I just...I just don't want to tell you so you won't hate her," she answered Jewel who had a conflicted look on her face.
She couldn't believe that her friend had been going through all that and that the quiet Chinecherem, had been so mean to her own sister. She had always wondered why there was a gap between them.
Now she knew the reason. And to say that she was shocked was a huge understatement.
Chizaram continued, wiping the tears on her face with the back of her hand.
"I have tried everything to make our relationship work, but nothing works. And I couldn't continue, so I had to keep a distance from my twin sister. But I couldn't accept the fact that she wanted to take the guy I truly liked away from me. I love Jaime and I knew what I had to face before I could be his girlfriend. And Chinecherem want nothing, but to ruin all of that for me.
"That night she came back with Jaime, she had planned everything to lure Jaime out of the house and pretend to be a victim, then she concocted lies about me to him. Now Jaime is acting differently around me. She had managed to get to him and he won't even listen to what I have to say."
She cried to them, looking miserable, eliciting pity from those in the room except the quiet duo - Kai and Zayn.
"I can't believe Jaime can be this dumb," Jesse remarked, scoffing.
"You all saw how he defended Neche instead of me who is his girlfriend. That's how much Neche had gotten into him and... she has successfully had my boyfriend for herself."
She sobbed louder, as more tears streamed down her eyes.
Jewel placed a hand on her back, patting her softly.
"I always know that it is quite weird seeing Jaime and Neche together. So that was her plan all along."
"You're right. Jaime doesn't give a damn about Neche, but things suddenly change after he came back with her two days ago."
"Since then, he has been defending her and talking to her."
"He is even sitting with her to play chess. A person that he had never been seen together in ages."
"Oh, my! This is surprising."
Jedekiah let out a loud scoff, amazed at how they all seemed to believe Chizaram's words so easily. They have been fooled by her lies and crocodile tears.
"I can't believe this is who Neche is."
"She is nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. I must say that she is quite a good actress." Khalid scoffed, exasperation dripping from his expression.
"As in," Jesse asserted.
"Please, don't say that," Chizaram pleaded, shaking her head. "I just... I couldn't control myself today that's why. She is still my sister and I hate that she would be treated differently because of what I say. You guys..."
"That's how we should behave," Yasmine cut her off. "That's very bad of her. How could she do such a thing to her sister?"
"I always thought she was a cool person. This is unbelievable," Adelaide said and Jedekiah looked her at incredulously.
"Can you guys believe yourself at all?" Jedekiah bellowed, standing to his feet. "So you believe that ridiculous makeup story she just said."
"Kai, it's not a makeup story. It is the tru..."
"Will you shut the fuck up?" he yelled at Chizaram, causing her to veer back in shock. "Are you crazy? Don't have a conscience?"
"Hey, Kai, calm down. Why are you so defensive of that girl? She must have manipulated you too, right?"
"I swear if you say one more word, Jesse, I will injure you."
"For what? You are defending a pretender and a manipulator and you want me to keep quiet. Can't you see what she had been doing to the whole group? See how she hurt her own sister and put our brother in the middle of their fight."
"Jesse, I'm warning you for the last time."
"So what? What are you going to do? She don wash your head too abi."
Jedekiah jeered forward but Khalid quickly stopped him, standing in his way.
"Back off, Kai. We know she is your friend, but you should be wise enough to see the truth."
"Truth? You guys are the stupid ones to believe her lies." He pointed behind him at Chizaram. "She is nothing but a liar."
"You are just in denial."
"Denial my foot," he snapped, then he looked behind Khalid. "Jewel, I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you believe everything she just said. You are closer to them. You go to the same school, and do things together, so tell me that you believe that Neche is a bad person and she had been maltreating her sister."
All eyes went to Jewel who had been quiet all this while. They stared at her, expectantly to say something.
"I never knew about any of this. But we can't really tell who a person is."
"So you believe that Neche is a bad person,"
"I don't know."
"Just say what you have in mind," Zayn snapped.
Everyone turned toward him.
"Do you actually believe that Neche did all that to her sister?"
Jewel frowned down at him, and then she answered, "Neche has truly been weird for a while. She pushed me away especially since I became closer with Zara and I noticed how she doesn't want to relate with her sister, most especially in school. But most importantly, I have noticed that Chizaram doesn't like to go home because of a reason known to only her.
"She was always sad whenever she was going home like there was something she was avoiding. She didn't want to tell me about it. A lot of time she would want to sleep over at my place. Anytime, her mom wasn't home she would come to stay with us. But not once did Neche have a sleepover. Not since we were ten. So I found that weird. I didn't know why, but I didn't want to force either of them to say anything."
Chizaram responded, gazing at her friend with an apologetic face.
"I didn't want you to think badly about, Neche. She is still my sister and also your friend. I also love her no matter what she might have done to me. She is still my twin."
"Chizaram!"
"I believe her, Kai," Jewel suddenly said, locking eyes with Jedekiah.
A surprised look morphed on his face as he stared at Jewel. He could read from her expression that she wasn't joking. She was serious about her response.
And he felt both defeated and disappointed.
"I believe what Chizaram is saying. She doesn't have any reason to want to hurt her sister. I'm her best friend, but she never opened up to tell me about all this. But because of what happened and all of you forcing her to say something, she was coerced to open up.
"And just like every one of you. I just found out today why Chizaram has always been on edge around her sister. Neche had been hurting her, but she had been covering up for her. Although, I'm still finding it hard to believe that Chinecherem could do such a thing for her sister. But I guess that is the hard truth"
"Unfortunately, yes," Chizaram inputted.
Jedekiah scoffed and with a disappointed look, he commented. "I can't believe that you will say such a thing. I'm so disappointed, Jewel."
"Me too," Zayn concord, looking at Jewel.
Then he tore his gaze away. He stood up and left the group.
"So you guys truly believe everything she says?" Jedekiah asked, looking at each of them in the room to see the expression on their faces. Their expression gave him the answer he needed, causing his shoulder to fall in defeat.
Chizaram quietly said, "I'm telling the truth, Kai."
"Shut up. Just shut up. I don't want to hear anything from you. You don't know how much I want to hit you right now."
"Kai!"
He knew he wasn't supposed to be having that kind of thought, but he just couldn't help it with how angry he was.
"You guys can believe whatever you want to believe, but I will never believe that witch. Chinecherem has never had any bad intentions for her sister, but that's not the case with her. But you chose to believe her. You should all suit yourselves."
They said nothing in response, staring back at him.
Jedekiah pushed Khalid's hand away and then walked away from their midst.
*****
JAIME STARED at Chinecherem's back where she curled up on the floor, crying quietly.
They were on their way to the kitchen to get a first aid box when they had to stop and listen to what Chizaram told the group.
So, they had both overheard everything that Chizaram and the group discussed. It was still during that conversation that she ran back up the stairs with tears in her eyes. He followed her and found her weeping on the floor.
So, he just stood still, a few feet from her as he watched her cry to herself. Somehow, he felt powerless because he knew there was nothing he could say or do to soothe the wound in her heart.
Chizaram had finally broken the last pieces of her sister's heart with her lies. But it was funny how they all easily believed her. Though it didn't surprise him. He was just disappointed that no one except Jedekiah and Zayn questioned Chizaram's story.
He let out a sigh and then turned away.
Quietly, he went down the stairs and headed to the sitting room. There was something he needed to clear and he made up his mind to do so at that moment.
But on his way, someone bumped into him. It happened to be his brother, Jedekiah.
Since the latter seemed to be blinded with anger and appeared to be storming out of the others' presence, he forced out an apology.
"Sorry." He attempted to move past him but Jaime held him back. "What?" he snapped at his brother with annoyance.
"Chinecherem is at the rooftop, I believe she needs you."
Jedekiah expression softened a bit and then his eyes held a mix of different emotions.
"You should take the first aid box with you," he advised him.
Chinecherem's wound was still on her face and it still needed cleaning before it would result in a scar.
Jedekiah nodded, muttered thanks, and then went in the direction that Jaime was coming from.
Relieved that Chinecherem would be in a safe hand, Jaime went to the living room to join the others.
They didn't look pleased to see him, but he didn't care. He ignored the looks on their faces and headed straight over to Chizaram. Calmly, he stated,
"Let's talk."
"No," Chizaram debunked immediately. Then she turned to the side. "I don't have anything to say to you."
Jaime rolled his eyes, but he wasn't giving her an option. He was determined to speak with her.
"Let her be, Jaime. After hurting her, you don't expect her to want to talk to her," Jewel defended her friend angrily.
Jaime ignored her and waited for Chizaram to stand up.
"Let's go," he repeated.
"No."
She seems adamant, a defiant expression on her wet face.
"Jaime, she doesn't want to go," Yasmine and Jesse said in unison. "So let her be."
"Will the both of you stay out of this," he growled at the duo.
Then he turned back to Chizaram, took her hand by the wrist, and pulled her up from the seat.
A surprised gasp escaped from her lips, but before she could even protest or pull her hand away, Jaime dragged her along with him toward the stairs that led to the top floor where their rooms were.
The others stood up and were ready to go after them. But Jared bellowed at all of them, putting them to a halt.
"STAY OUT OF IT," he yelled at everyone.
They all stood still staring at him like he had grown two horns.
The livid expression on him was a shock to all of them. Jared was hardly angry and they all knew that. Hence, even Jewel was perplexed.
"Just stay out of it. Let them handle it alone."
"Why? You want another fight to ensue again, right? It seems you don't know what is wrong with you," Yasmine remarked, her voice dripping with exasperation.
Jared simply ignored her and stood up.
"This is between them. I don't want to see anyone getting involved in it. I'm certain you're all happy to have filled your curiosity, but let it end there."
"Why should you be telling us what to do?" Khalid asked exasperated.
Jesse nodded. "Yes. You asked us to leave them, therefore, letting us watch Neche beat her sister to a pulp without doing anything to stop it. Now you are asking us not to interfere again. Are we some sort of robot or what?"
"You are not," Jared answered with a deep frown on his face. "But it is not our fight. And it isn't everything that you should believe."
"What does that mean?" Jewel asked him.
He gazed at her but didn't want to say anything that would ruin her relationship with her best friend. Moreover, it wasn't his story to tell. He just hoped that one day she would see the truth in the lies.
"That's left for you to find out," he replied Jewel, then he turned to the others. "So I'm warning you all to stay out of it."
"And if we don't?"
"I'm older than all of you here and you will do as I say."
"In your mind, senior," Khalid scoffed while Jesse let out a mirthless chuckle. "Even if you are a year older than everyone, you are just four months older than me."
"Don't try my patience, Khalid," Jared warned, his face dead serious.
"Stop it. That is enough," Yasmine quickly interfered, coming in between them.
Just like everyone, she could feel the tension that was building up. If Jared and Khalid were to fight, it would be a much bigger problem.
"You both should stop. Khalid, back off," Yasmine warned Khalid.
Reluctantly, he unclenched his fist and looked away from Jared.
Relieved, Yasmine turned to face Jared who still seemed angry.
"Let's go, Jared." she took his hands, but he brushed it off.
"No," he retorted. Then he picked up his phone. "I want to be alone."
"Jared!"
He ignored her and walked out of the door.
****
WHEN THEY got to his room, Jaime pushed Chizaram inside the room and then locked the door behind them.
Angrily, he turned to a perplexed Chizaram who was rubbing her wrist which Jaime had held tightly while dragging her along with him.
"What is the meaning of that? Why would you pull me in here and lock the door?" she asked him with a stern voice.
"What is the meaning of that nonsense you said out there?"
"I didn't say anything that isn't the truth," she answered confidently.
"Really?!" Jaime chuckled mirthlessly. "Are you hearing yourself?"
"Of course," she retorted with a defiant expression, "you don't know anything about Chinecherem. If you know her like I do, you won't want to be around her. She is nothing but-"
"Shut up," Jaime snapped, irritated. "Just shut the fuck up. What are you saying that isn't meaningful to hear? Why are you so cruel?"
"Me? Cruel? How could you say that to me? Your girlfriend. Oh, my God!"
She shook her head with a pained expression on her face.
"You shouldn't be surprised because it is the truth. I'm not your boyfriend to sugarcoat your bad attitude. As a good friend, I should be able to tell you the truth to your face. What you are doing to your sister is inhumane. It's uncalled for. And I won't accept or support that kind of attitude from the girl who is my girlfriend. If no one is going to tell that to your face, I will."
Chizaram threw her hands in the air. Frustrated, she answered. "Here you go again with your preaching!" Then she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms on her chest. "Don't start with your I-know-it-all attitude, Jaime. I hate it because it makes you sound like my sister."
"What?"
She took a step closer, looking at him directly in the eyes.
"Yes, I will tell you the truth now. Though it makes you cool and all that, I still hate the fact that you are smart intelligent, and narcissistic. I hate it so much because you are just like my sister and father. You all make me feel so low and worthless."
"What? How?"
"Don't pretend you don't know because I know you do."
"I will simply say this is your inferiority complex speaking because-"
"Another grammar," she sneered, rolling her eyes and Jaime frowned.
"This is one of the many reasons why I am acting this way to you. You hate corrections."
"Well, I don't need corrections from you. You are not my father or mother, Jaime. Stop it. It makes me pissed. I hate that you think that you are right because it's said that you're smart. Please. Spare me those bullshits. You are making it seem like I am stupid. And that is exactly what my stupid sister does too. So, stop acting like her. It freaking annoys me to the bone."
Jaime just stared at her, short of what to say. Then he watched her inhaled and exhaled deeply, before turning to face him again.
"I guess that is probably why you both never get along, but somehow she has found a way to manipulate you to do her bidding."
"Chizaram-"
She kept talking at the top of her voice. "Just go ahead and be with her. Go do her bidding just like she wants. You prove to be intelligent, but let me tell you something Jaime Ayotomiwa Ninalowo, you are not. You are actually dumb compared to my sister since she has finally got you tied around her middle finger. You're a loser to her."
Jaime stared at her incredulously. He was shocked beyond comprehension.
"Did you seriously just say that?"
"Of.."
He cut her off, shrugging. "That shouldn't be a surprise anymore. Nothing that you do should be a surprise at this point. If you could say all this nonsense to me when you claim to like me so much, and also lie to the others, making your sister look bad in their eyes, then I shouldn't be surprised by what else you can do."
She moved closer toward Jaime and she said close to his face.
"Dramatic much! But yeah, at least, you got that right, I would do anything to get my sister out of my face. I would stop at anything to make her life miserable just like she makes mine. And the lie is just the beginning."
"Chizaram!" Jaime exclaimed.
He was stupefied and with each passing seconds, he was beginning to see the other sides of his girlfriend. The sides she had been hiding for so long scared him a bit.
There was so much hatred in her and somehow, he was scared for her.
She scoffed, unremorseful. "What? Are you surprised? I guess you should already know that by now considering how smart you claim to be. There is no point hiding anything anymore. The truth is I hate my sister and I am ready to make her life a living hell."
The air between them crackled with tension as Jaime glared at his girlfriend, anger etching lines on his forehead.
He couldn't understand how she could treat her twin sister so callously, spreading lies and ready to cause unnecessary pain to her. His frustration with her lack of remorse simmered beneath the surface, threatening to bubble over.
Jaime swallowed, trying to remain cool-headed. So, he asked with a voice laced with both disbelief and curiosity, "Why do you hate your sister so much? What could she have done for you to treat your own sister that way?"
Chizaram was quiet. She just looked away, staring at empty space.
"Chizaram, please answer me, why do you hate your twin sister?"
"Because she made me miserable," she bellowed. "I hate her because she makes me this way," she said to his face.
She was raging. Her hands clenched tightly, face red with anger. She met his gaze with a defiant glare, her expression unyielding.
"You just don't get it," she snapped, her voice tinged with bitterness. "because you don't know what she's done to me all these years. She deserves to feel some of the pain she caused me."
He felt a pang of confusion and concern, and his anger was briefly overshadowed by empathetic curiosity.
"What did she do to you?" he asked, his voice softening, hoping to uncover the roots of the animosity between the two sisters.
She took a deep breath, her eyes distant as she delved into her past.
"She made me feel like nothing. She took what belongs to me." She pointed at her chest repeatedly as she locked eyes with Jaime who listened with keen interest.
Chizaram bit her lower lip and then she continued with suppressed anger.
"She put an edge between my parents. She makes my own father hate me and my mother so much. Ever since we were a kid, he always preferred her. Mom even told me that she was the only one that he touched and carried when we were kids. He gave only her a name and he remembered just her name. For six years... For six good years, my father always forgets my own name. A lawyer forgets a name, you wonder..." she released a humorless chuckle.
"But yeah, he sometimes forgets my name. For a long time, I watched as my father openly showed his preference for just my sister. He would buy her a gift, and call her by a different name. The name he gave his only beloved daughter... Immaculate and only he calls her by that name. But he would forget my name and wouldn't even look at me.
"He chose her over me. He would take her to the law firm, to his office, anywhere she wanted to go. He acted like I never existed. He didn't even feel a thing for our mother like he did with Neche. He does everything she wants. He teaches only her and he won't look at me twice.
"Nothing that I ever did pleases him. No matter what I did, he never looked at me the same way that he did with Neche. It was only Neche that Charles ever got a birthday gift for. He never wished me a happy birthday, even when he was forced to. It's like it's only Neche who was his child. He loved and cherished her so much even more than his wife, the mother of that same child.
"He didn't care about how I or mother felt. Because of all that, I started getting jealous of my sister. I won't want to play with her or eat with her. I avoided her like a plague. Gradually, I began to hate her more and more. Well, stupid Neche doesn't seem to know and she believes that things are okay. She would still want to play with me and she would gladly show me the gift that father got for only her."
She paused and then wiped the tears that were now streaming down her face. Then she went on,
"It was months later that Chinecherem began to notice my change in attitude, so she would do anything to make things go back to the old way, but it was too late. Nothing could change my mind, or how I feel after all that. Especially after everything my mother and aunt told me about my father. I have realized that I wasn't alone and there was someone who understood me and felt the same way. My mother. She felt the same way as me. She believed that I needed to pay her back for taking what was meant for the both of us for only herself."
Jaime's face scrunched to a frown at her last statement, but he didn't say anything. He kept listening to her without interrupting her.
"Then one particular day, a day to our ninth birthday, Chinecherem was adamant to know what happened and why I refused to play with her and even destroyed her gift. I told her that she should leave but she refused. While she was forcing me to talk to her, I mistakenly pushed her down the stairs. She ended up with a head injury and had to undergo surgery. But..."
Her voice quieted down and she began to sob.
Jaime was quiet all through, listening to her with rapt attention with his hands folded on his chest.
"I didn't do it intentionally. I was mad at myself too for what happened then. But our father didn't believe that it was a mistake. I have never seen him so emotional before." she shut her eyes and it seemed like she was reminiscing on those memories.
"He never displayed any emotion, but that day... the anger and hatred that I saw in his eyes was indescribable. For the first time, he hit me and said the most horrible things to me. Right to my face, he said I meant nothing to him and I should pray nothing bad happens to Neche unless I and Mother will be the ones to suffer the consequences. He went as far as to promise to disown me if anything happened to Neche.
With tears rolling down her eyes, she said to Jaime. "He said all those horrible things to me because of Neche. Because of her, I have to be invisible to my father. He never acted like a father to me not even once. But he canceled a renowned case because he wanted to be there for Neche surgery. He ignored his own wife, made special rules in the house because of Neche, and treated her like a god. Neche was the best to him because he believed that Neche was from a different mother and we weren't from the same woman. Imagine the irony!" She let out a mirthless chuckle and continued.
"He looked at her, treated her, talked to her differently, while I meant nothing to him. All I ever wanted was for him to see me, but because of her existence, my father will never acknowledge me or what I do. It was always about her," she cried, her voice filled with a mix of hurt and resentment.
"Our father showered just her with love and attention, while I was left feeling worthless, like I wasn't good enough. She stole my place, my identity. And you expect me to be happy for her. Never. Over my dead body. I'm going to make her life miserable like she made mine. She made me feel worthless and made my father hate me, then she would definitely pay for it."
The tension between them reached its peak, the lingering resentment palpable in the air.
Jaime met Chizaram's angry gaze and took a deep breath as he tried to find the right words to address the deeply ingrained pain she harbored within her.
He knew that urging her to let go of her pain wouldn't be an easy task. But he was willing to try.
"But will that change how you feel?"
She snapped at him. "I don't care, Jaime. Read my lips, I don't give a damn about Chinecherem."
Jaime let out a sigh and nodded.
"But she is still your sister."
"To hell with that. I don't need a fuckin sister. I don't want anyone and I don't want her too. But unfortunately, I have to have a sort of resemblance with that bitch and be forced with that damn title - twins."
"Listen," Jaime said gently, his voice filled with sincerity. "I understand that you feel like your sister deserves to feel the pain she caused you, but holding onto the anger is only hurting you too. And the truth is none of it is actually Neche's fault. She is a victim just like you are. So, let it go and free yourself from the unnecessary burden."
Chizaram crossed her arms, her expression stubborn and unrelenting.
"No, you don't understand," she replied, her voice tinged with bitterness. "I have every right to believe that she deserves everything. Don't you get it? She took everything away from me."
"You are simply directing your anger in the wrong place, Zara. If you didn't know, but you have been using past tense for what your father did. All these happened in the past and even if they had hurt you, it doesn't change the fact that things were no longer the same.
"And you need to know that it is not just your sister who was responsible for the hardships you faced," he told her, his eyes filled with understanding. "Your parents played a huge part in it."
"Parents? I can see that you're getting crazy."
Jaime sighed without getting offended. He knew talking to Chizaram about such a thing would be tough, but he was willing to try harder.
"I'm not. Your parents started all of this."
Chizaram eyed him, then rolled her eyes. To her, he was simply preaching and trying to give an excuse for Chinecherem, her sister.
Regardless of Chizaram's cold expression, Jaime went on with what he was saying.
"They should have chosen to support both of you equally, instead of creating an environment that pitted you. But instead, your father chooses to show his favoritism for one child and your mother decides to put an edge between you two by saying things she shouldn't have said to you in the first place. I don't know what goes on in your mother's mind, but I don't think she did the right thing. To me, she caused the majority of all this. So she had a hand in this just as much as your father.
"Additionally, you might not know, but from the things you said to me, I deduced that your mother loves you more than your sister. She didn't even hide that she prefer you over your sister. So the truth remains that your parents' favoritism is what led to all of this. But just because your mother chose to love you more doesn't make Chinecherem hate you. So why would you hate your sister?"
"Well, sorry to tell you... I hate her and there is nothing anyone will tell me that will change that. Nothing is ever going to change as long as the memories remain and I keep seeing my father, I won't ever forget that feeling of worthlessness that she made me feel or how she took what is supposed to be ours for herself. I will never."
"You need to grow up, Zara. Deep down in you, you know that none of this is Neche's fault. You are simply directing your anger on an innocent victim. And despite everything you have done and kept doing, Chinecherem never stops loving you. For the past seven years, she had put up with your taunts and bullying. But you turn that story around just to hurt your sister. Honestly, that is cruel. So you should stop now.
"End all of this, Zara. I can't deny the pain you've endured, but holding onto this anger won't lead you to healing," he pleaded. "Letting go doesn't mean forgiving or forgetting, it means choosing to live your life without the weight of past hurt. Also, your sister
is more of a victim in this just like you. She doesn't deserve what you are doing to her. This would do both of you no good. Hating your sister - there is nothing to gain from making her miserable."
"It's none of your business, Jaime. So stay out of this." She was defiant.
"Really?" he queried. "Listen, you deserve to be free from this cycle of pain. Healing takes time, but it's worth it."
"I don't want it," she barked at him. "This pain has become a part of me, and it has defined who I am. I'm never going to forgive my sister. That is final."
Jaime stared deeply at her and he could tell that there was nothing he would say that would change Chizaram's mind.
"I'm not forcing you to do what I want. I'm only advising you. The choice is yours to make. But one thing that I am sure of is that the choices you made today will eventually have consequences in the future."
"No need for all the preaching Jaime. I already told you. Nothing is changing my mind. Not even you."
He let out a sigh and nodded. "Okay, if you say so. But Zara," he stepped forward. "I'm ending things with you."
"What?" Chizaram exclaimed, shocked. "You want to break up with me?!"
"Not want to. I'm breaking up with you. We are done, Chizaram. So don't even try to talk me out of it. You have given me more than enough reasons to believe that I made a mistake in choosing to be your boyfriend. So we are done."
"Because I won't forgive my sister or because you couldn't talk me out of hating her? Wow!"
"It is more than that, Chizaram," he paused and then added, "I can't keep up with what you are doing. You are not the person that I thought you were. Now that I have seen the real you, I can't keep up with it. It doesn't align with what I want for myself. And I don't want to be affected by that toxicity. No...it is actually already affecting me. It is also straining our relationship, so it should end now. I love my sanity."
Chizaram scoffed, and then she laughed mockingly.
"English professor, fine. Please yourself. So what will you do next? You will go to my darling sister whom you pity, right? The anti-social miscreant. Fine then. Go, go have fun with her. And let's see how it will turn out."
"Now I don't have any regrets. Thanks for making it easy, Chizaram Okoye."
Then he turned and unlocked the door.
"Jaime, so you are serious?"
He shifted his gaze to her. "Of course. I never say anything that I don't mean."
Then he opened the door and left her in the room.
A/N: Hello, my dear Famreaders, I trust you are all good. I'm okay too, but things have been tough on my side. But through it all, God have been faithful. How about you?
This chapter is pretty long, so I hope that meet up for the late update. Anyway, thanks for being patient with me.
What do you think of this chapter? Leave your comments in the comment section, I'm always glad to read them.
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Have a blessed weekend!
I remain your author, 𝐑𝐇𝐎𝐃𝐀 𝐎. 𝐊𝐀𝐃𝐑𝐈 - 𝐴𝑙𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑂𝑓 𝐿𝑢𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠