lights out, jake sim.

28.

When fate decides to test us through its tantalizing brutishness, we have two options: either we linger in the past, clinging to the pain like a woeful masochist, or we choose to gather the strength to move on and embrace the power of forgiving and forgetting. 

Lily had chosen the latter path. She firmly believed that everything in nature ought to deserve a second chance. Nobody was perfect, not even herself. Forgiveness wasn't a sign of weakness; rather, it demonstrated her inner strength and resilience. She held great respect for Jake, who stood before her, a tender smile on his face, acknowledging his past and determined to make amends. 

Lily believed that life was worth forgiving and moving on, rejoicing in the little moments. We all have a good and a bad side to us, but what matters is, which side overweighs the conscience. 

Although the anger and hurt she felt were still vivid and overwhelming, the natural inclination was to walk away, and protect herself from the possibility of further heartache. Her conscience was, however, muddled by the haunting image of her mother's tear-filled eyes that would appear before her every time she was on the verge of breaking apart.

Her mother's tears were a constant reminder of the regret that clung to her like a shadow. The pain of losing her child's father had haunted her every day; a choice she had made out of anger and bitterness. Lily saw her mother break every night in front of her, only to wake up with a solemn demeanour as if nothing was anomaly wrong with her. It was as though nothing was ripping her apart from the inside and she wasn't dying inside. 

And now, witnessing her mother's sorrow, she couldn't bear the thought of living with similar remorse in her heart. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Lily mustered the strength to do what her mother had never been able to do— to forgive. In doing so, she would be freeing herself from the suffocating grip of resentment that had been taking hold of her. 

Lily loved Jake, and there was no denying it. In choosing to forgive, she was breaking the cycle of pain and bitterness that had plagued her family for generations. She knew it wouldn't be easy, and the scars would take time to heal yet the thought of carrying the haunting tears of her lost love throughout her life was unbearable.

Forgiving him was a powerful act of liberation that would enable both of them to embrace the present and free their souls from the burden of the past. 

Forgiving him was a profound declaration that her love was greater than pride, stronger than hurt and capable of enduring calamities in the name of love. A profound expression of her heart's capacity to love him unconditionally and embrace his imperfections.

Because there always exists that one person in our lives we cherish deeply, for whom we fight, laugh, and shed tears. Hatred becomes a forbidden emotion when it comes to them. We forgive them for their wrongs, not solely out of pity, but out of the profound love that clutches at our hearts, blinding us to their imperfections. 

For Lily, that person was Jake.