He Couldn’t Forget, She Wouldn’t Forgive

True Colours

LAYLA

The weird, nauseating smell and the incessant beeping of the life monitor were enough to know my location. I was at the hospital. Slowly, I opened my eyes, but I was forced to close them back when I was welcomed with blurry vision. Groaning, I scrunched my face and remained in the position for a few minutes before I summoned the courage to try opening my eyes again.

The dizziness was still there, but it wasn't as aggressive as the first time I unlocked my eyes. I sat up on the hospital bed weakly, and my eyes wandered around the room. There was nobody there with me.

Yesterday, Bastian carried me to the hospital against my will, and I was forced to give Rina some of my blood. I thought they would stop at the first pint, but they didn't. They took the second pint even though I told them I was getting weak. The last thing I remembered was hearing Bastian say, "Don't stop unless you've gotten the two pints of blood."

Immediately, my hands found their way to my belly, and I rubbed it carefully. I hope my child is safe. I will visit a different hospital to check the condition of my baby once I leave here.

"Auntie Layla!" A familiar voice wafted into my ears, causing chills to rush down my spine before I could see the owner of the voice. This voice. It had caused me more trauma than I could imagine. It was tiny and innocent, but behind it was mischievousness and slyness. The owner of the voice was the reason I was at the hospital.

Taking in a deep breath to release the tension from my body, I tilted my head in the direction of the entrance. And there she was. The perfect beloved lover of my husband, Rina Blackwood. She was in a wheelchair, and beside her was my husband, Bastian. He had this gentle and tender glint in his eyes as he pushed her toward me slowly.

The moment he got to where I was seated, his expression darkened and became fierce. A sharp pang of pain slit through my heart like a double-edged sword. I was jealous. Why wasn't he staring at me the same way he stared at Rina? Why did I deserve his hate while Rina deserved his love? Can I ever see the warm side of him? Can he ever give it to me?

"You are finally awake, Auntie Layla. I have been coming to check on you every minute," she mumbled, holding my hand and smiling cheekily.

Anger coursed through me as I pierced into those innocent eyes. That b***h! How could she act friendly when I almost died because of her? It was evident that the reason Bastian was obsessed with her was because of her innocence. I wonder what he would do when he finally saw through her pretense and facade.

Unsmilingly, I removed my hands from hers. "I don't think you are in a good condition to check on me. I heard that you lost your pregnancy. You are too strong for somebody who just had a miscarriage and got a blood transfusion," I commented, staring into her eyes and intentionally laying emphasis on every statement I made. The purpose was to pass on information to her.

A flash of ambiguity crossed her crystal-clear innocent eyes, and I saw her swallow hard. She must have gotten the message underneath the statements.

She chuckled and held my hands.

I felt like striking her face with those hands she was clutching onto, but I couldn't. I just needed to stand her annoying attitude and pray that she left the ward on time.

"I know you feel bad for what happened. You don't need to blame yourself for what happened to my baby. You tried your best. I heard you couldn't come to the hospital on that day because you had a fever. You should take care of yourself, Auntie. I forgive you for everything." She mumbled, and I couldn't help but snort.

That's sly. She forgives me? And what right does she have to say that? I am f*****g innocent. How can I ruin what I know nothing about?

Without hiding the spite I had for her, I jerked my hands away from grasp. "Please take her back to her ward. She still needs to rest. She has gone through a lot," I told Bastian.

"Auntie Layla, do you hate me? Why do you keep chasing me away?" Rina asked, pouting. A stream of tears instantly rushed to her eyelids and glistened like the stars. She lifted her head to Bastian. "Babe, I think Auntie Layla hates me. Is she angry with me? Is it because I took her blood?" She mumbled.

My stomach churned with irritation, and an incredulous scoff escaped me. "Drama queen,"

"No, baby. Layla wouldn't dare hate you. You are the victim, and she is the murderer. She should be crying—not you." He assured her, wiping her fake tears with the handkerchief he took from his back pocket.

My heart twitched as I watched the duo. He had never treated me this way.

I am his wife. He got married to me. Why do I feel like Rina is the real wife while I was just a... a nobody?

"I think Aunty Layla is angry. She doesn't like to see us this way. I feel like I stole you away from her." She spurted out, lowering her head and stifling imaginary snot so that she could appear more pathetic.

Bastian raised his head and darted a gaze of scrutiny over me. Hissing, he snorted and returned his gaze to his lover. "She wouldn't dare. She knows our marriage isn't real, and she is just a blood donor. I married her so that she could give you her blood every month. I am sure she isn't expecting more," he said without sparing me a glance.

Each word pricked into my skin like a needle. I felt a suffocating lump in my chest, unable to breathe properly. Tears ran to my eyelids, dancing there and waiting for the right time to drop like rain.

How else do I have to tell Bastian that I got married to him because I love him and not because of his money? I agreed to the condition he gave back then because I thought it was nothing. I was just so desperate to be by his side yet he never spared me a glance. It had been three years, yet he had never shown me any form of affection.

A bubble of laughter left her mouth, and she shifted her attention to me. "Auntie Layla, please, can you come to the place this weekend? My helpers will not be at work this weekend, and I don't think I will be healed enough to do anything by then. Can you please render your assistance?" She pleaded in a tiny, pitiful, and innocent voice. For a few seconds. I was so dazed that I almost pitied her.

I snorted. "You are asking for too much, Rina. Will you rest when I give you my life?"

"Don't be this way, Layla. The young girl didn't do anything to you. You are the reason she became this way. The right thing you can do to clear your guilt is to assist her for the weekend. It is not too much to ask. This is the list you can do to pay us back for killing our child," he barked; layers of haze emerged in his eyes, signifying his patience had run out.

"I didn't kill your child, Bastian. Stop calling me a murderer," I retorted.

Leaving Rina's side, he clutched my arm and squeezed it furiously. "You don't have the right to make a foolish utterance, Layla. My child would still be alive if you had come to the hospital two days ago. She wouldn't have had an attack that caused our child's life," he growled, his eyes darkening with terrifying glints in them. The hair on my body instantly stood erect, and my throat moved with difficulty.

"You should be thankful to Rina for stopping from ordering your arrest. You are a bloody murderer, and you should rot in the deepest part of the jail," he continued, spitting in my eyes.

At the mention of Rina, I saw her smile when she looked at me. I scoffed inwardly.

"I will go to her place by the weekend. Let your hands off me. You are hurting me," I uttered, and he instantly yanked me away like I was some sort of dirt.

*******

It was the weekend, and Bastian had ordered the chauffeur to drive me to Rina's place. I stood in front of her door, contemplating whether to enter or just return to the mansion. I had promised Bastian. I planned to tell him about his baby when I returned from Rina's side later tonight, and I didn't want anything that would stir his infuriation before then, which was the reason I had to go and assist the b***h.

"Auntie Layla," she shouted as soon as she saw me walk into the living room. Her eyes dilated with excitement. She got up from the couch and rushed to me. She opened her arms and attempted to pull me into an embrace, but I recoiled and sent her a warning stare, which made her take a few steps backward. Flashing a fake smile, she mumbled, "Welcome to my abode, Auntie Layla. I was already feeling sad when I didn't see you on time. I thought you wouldn't fulfill your promise. Seeing you now brings me so much joy," she fibbed without batting an eye.

I found her act so creepy that it caused goosebumps to shroud my skin. What the hell is wrong with this pretender?

"When will you stop being fake, Rina?" I spurted out without controlling my tongue. It was time I let my mind out so that she could know that I had seen through her facade and I wasn't Bastian, who was foolishly believing every word that came out of her mouth.

Her body stiffened, and she threw me a quizzical look. Abruptly, her shocked expression was clouded with a smile. "What are you talking about, Auntie? Fake? I am not fake," she denied.

"I know you don't have anemia. You are just being wicked. I wonder what you have been doing with my blood for the past three years," I let out, causing her body to stiffen again.

"Are you okay, Auntie Layla? What nonsense are you spouting? Do you know you could get me in trouble with your foolish talks?" She snapped at me, her voice getting high and rude.

I chuckled inwardly. She was gradually revealing her real self.

"You know the truth, Rina. You are not sick. You don't have anemia. You are just doing this to... To... I don't know. What will you get from hurting me? Bastian didn't get married to you. He got married to me. When will you stop being obsessed over him and let us be?" I blurted out.

She stared at me for a few seconds with an indifferent gaze.

Swiftly, her expression twisted, a sinister smile appearing on her lips. "Smart Layla!" She remarked and closed the gap between us. Leaning her head forward, she placed her mouth beside my ear and whispered, "You are not supposed to be telling me this, Layla. Since you know the truth, why are you not revealing it to Bastian?"

My body froze at her voice. It wasn't the usual tiny, innocent voice. It was terrifying and eerie that it caused the hair at the nape of my neck to stand.

Pulling her head backward, she chuckled. "Are you scared? You cannot do it?" A peal of laughter escaped her mouth.

After a few seconds of laughing, it died abruptly, and her countenance became fierce instantly. "You should keep your dirty mouth shut and continue donating your blood every month if you know you cannot reveal who I truly am. Bastian is loyal to me. He will only believe what I told him, and you have no chance with him," she stated, as a matter of fact.

She was right. Bastian was loyal to her, and I had no chance with him. He will never believe me over her, which means revealing Rina's true identity is impossible.

"Feel at home. Prepare my lunch and clean the house before you leave. I will be in the bedroom," she told me and began to climb the stairs.

I wasn't having it. Anger coursed through me. There wasn't an iota of guilt or remorse in her eyes or voice. I could hear the arrogance in her voice as she spoke to me. She was feeling like a winner.

Tightening my fists beside me, I called, "Rina!!!" My voice ripped through the air, echoing across the house.

She stopped at the mention of her name and turned.

Clamping my mouth, I dashed toward her, my heavy breaths vivid. "What do you want from me, Rina? Tell me. I am ready to do it. Can you just leave me the hell alone?"

"What do I want from you?" She poked her jaw with her finger and lifted her head slightly, staring at the space. "Hmmmm... I don't want anything. I just want to punish you for acting so smart with me. You dared to get married to my man just because I left the picture for a year," she grunted, menace vivid in her voice.

I blinked and scoffed in disbelief. This woman! She dumped Bastian four years ago and returned just a week before our wedding, with a sickness called anemia.

Bastian decided to go to her, of course, but he was stopped by his grandfather, which was the reason he made me sign an agreement that said I would be giving Rina some of my blood every month.

She left him, yet she blamed me for sticking with him.

"You are such a joker, Rina. Don't take my silence for a fool and don't take my love for Bastian as dumbness. Do not bite more than you can chew. Just stop. Stop now that you have the opportunity," I fired at her.

She smiled evilly and placed her hands on my shoulders. "Do your worst, Layla. And let's talk about this again at the hospital." She mumbled, and before I could realize what was going on, she pushed me gently, and I slipped.

I couldn't control myself, and I ended up rolling over the stairs to the floor. My vision immediately blurred. I wanted to struggle but found myself powerless. At the same time, I saw the door open, and a familiar figure sauntered in. Rina saw the silhouette and instantly slumped onto the floor, feigning unconsciousness.

I couldn't resist the invasion of darkness. My body went weak, sinking into the endless abyss of darkness.