Mr Humility episode 24a

MR HUMILITY 🎶🎶🎼🎼🎧🎧🎤🎤🎹🎹

Chapter 24🍀🍀 fififif
(Final episode.)

Part one.

(Don’t leave me alone with memories of your harmony….)

Cynthia lay sprawled on her bed, her heart feeling lighter than ever. Her stomach growled, reminding her of the fact that she had only had the coffee Lee served her that morning to eat all day. She sighed, and forgetting her initial fear of running into Chan if she went outside, opened the door to trudge into the living room to look for something to eat.

She stepped into the living room and stopped short when she saw Lee seated with an unfamiliar man on the couch. Lee turned back at the noise.

“Oh, Cynthia…it’s you. How have you been?” She asked sweetly, but Cynthia could hear the pain in her voice.

“I’m fine…I just came out to find something to eat.”

Lee stood up immediately. “Oh, there’s some leftover steak in the fridge, I could get some for you.”

Cynthia smiled. “Thank you Lee.”

Lee’s eyes w¡dened a bit. “Hey, you didn’t protest. Honestly you even look a lot better actually.” She gave Cynthia a warm smile, then turned back to the man seated beside her.

“Oh, teach, this is Chan’s manager, Cynthia.”

Cynthia’s eyes narrowed at the man whom Lee had just so casually introduced her to, and watched his eyes w¡den with compassion and kindness. He stood up gently, and grabbed her hands.

“Wow…it’s so nice to meet you, young lady. I do hope you’ve been taking good care of Amelia’s son.”

A look of shock crossed Cynthia’s face. “You knew Amelia?” She asked gently.

A sad smile plastered on the man’s face. “Yes, I did. She was very dear to me. I was her teacher, a very long time ago.”

Cynthia frowned, not a frown of anger, but one of painful realization. “Sorry sir, but is your name….Erwin Fitzgerald by any chance?”

“Yes. Yes it is.”

Cynthia staggered back, holding her head. “Oh…oh wow. This…is too much.”

She sat down, Erwin gently guiding her, as she struggled to get her bearings. “She….she always talked about you…to me at least. She told me how she was indebted to you, and how much she had disappointed you. And she said your name, many times too. It’s burned in my brain.”

Tears formed in Erwin’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. As pathetic as I am, I just now learned of her death. I can’t help but feel that…if only I had done something, said something sooner, Maybe she’ll still be alive.”

Cynthia shook her head sadly. “No. It’s not your fault. There was nothing she could have done. She said it herself, that she had sealed her fate the day she agreed to marry Mann Kim. It’s all that man’s fault. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”

Lee stared solemnly at the two people, whose lives would have been otherwise different, if not for the one thing connecting them all at this point, Chan.

But… no matter what was in the past, everything was slowly coming together.

Cynthia smiled at Erwin again, then directed her gaze at Lee, who was heating the steak up in the microwave.

“Lee, I think I’m ready to tell you all about what happened…or at least my account of it. I don’t know how much it will help, but I think I realize now that my silence is just another ploy by the devil to keep us all miserable.”

Lee bit her lip to keep from squealing in happiness, before getting the food out of the microwave and making herself comfortable beside Erwin.

Cynthia stared at the two of them, then began her story.

“I adored Amelia. She was an example of the rarest kind of human beings that exist on this Earth. She was living a miserable life, but she never showed it, or rather, she never felt it. As long as Mann was happy, she was too. It didn’t matter that he hurt her. That was her greatest strength, and her greatest flaw. She blinded herself to everything else, and chose only to focus on the good, and never the bad. But it wasn’t like she was ignorant. She knew very well that what she was going through wasn’t normal, but she didn’t care. She chose the path of forgiveness….over and over again….even though it killed her.”

She paused, taking a deep breath.

“When their family took me in, I felt it immediately. The air in that house, was one of fear and terror. Mann was a tyrant, and trust me, Chan would have none of it. He was so fierce, you would almost never believe that he and Mann were father and son. And I could see it in his eyes. He hated his mother. Hated her for being so weak, and allowing herself to be controlled by such a beast. But…he loved her at the same time. It was… something I could never understand.”

Erwin and Lee sat with rapt attention, trying as hærd as possible to process everything Cynthia was saying.

“Even though Amelia was complacent with all of Mann’s torture and beatings, she never allowed Mann to hit Chan. He tried to so many times, but she would always jump in the way, standing her ground that he could hit her, but he should never touch their son. As a result….Mann started taking out his frustration on me too.”

“Oh God.” Lee said softly.

“He hit me. Hurt me. Amelia was always sorry. She tried to protect me. She really did. But he would beat her to a pulp Everytime. In the end, all she could do was watch. I did my best to steer clear of him, but…that never deterred him. When he felt like it, he would always hit me. But at least he didn’t hit me as much as he hit Amelia.”

Cynthia gulped, taking a deep shaky breath.

“When Chan turned ten, he…. reported his father to the Child protective services. I don’t know how he did it. At such a young age, he must have been planning it doesn’t a very long time. They came over, asked questions. I thought this would be the push that Amelia needed to get out of that hell, but she…”

Cynthia covered her mouth, the memories too painful to remember.

“She lied. Through her teeth. Smiled the happiest smile I had ever seen, called Chan a troubled child who had just gotten ahold of a phone. The officials were suspicious, but she called me over, begged me with her eyes to lie for her as well, and I did. After they had left, she begged me, groveled that I shouldn’t tell Chan what she had done. She called herself all sorts of names, and I honestly thought that she was going to cry herself to death. She had used both her hands and mine to plunge us all back into hell.”

Lee squeezed her hands. The more she heard Cynthia’s story, the more she understood why Chan had reacted the way he did the previous night. She shouldn’t have spoken so rashly.

“Eventually, I turned eighteen, and went off to college, but the abuse continued. Once, when I came home for winter break, Mann got Angyy about something again, and he hit Amelia. Only this time, she fell down, and hit her head. She was in the hospital for several months. Eventually, the doctors told us there was nothing more they could do. She had had a brain aneurysm, and when she had hit her head, the aneurysm had ruptured, and she was now brain dead. Chan….Chan was so numb….I had never seen him that way before. Mann wasted no time in covering up the act, deeming it a suicide to anyone who got too suspicious. I thought Chan would rage, and come out to tell everyone the truth…but….he was so silent, so quiet. Eventually, once his music career kicked off, he left his family home at the age of fifteen, with me by his side, and never looked back.”

“And now Mann has come looking for him again, dredging up old wounds.”

“They’re not old wounds. They never healed. They have been open all his life, and they are the reason why he’s the way he is. Why he’s so untrusting, and his heart is so hærdened.”

The three of them were silent for awhile.

“So…how did Amelia die? You said she was brain dead, technically that meant she was still alive right?” Lee asked hopefully.

Cynthia smiled sadly.

“Chan pulled the plug. It was too painful for him. After three years of care, he decided to let her be at peace…or maybe he was just trying to find peace himself.”

“B-but she could’ve still lived! A miracle Could have happened…!”

The sadness in Cynthia’s eyes grew.

“Maybe. But it’s too late for that now, isn’t it?”

Lee slumped back in her seat, taking deep breaths to try and understand everything. Indeed, Mann was a monster. Indeed, Chan had had a rough childhood, and Cynthia as well. But there had to be some reason God had allowed this to happen. She was willing to go along with any plan, no matter how painful, if it could heal both Cynthia and Chan.

“Lee, you told me that everything will be okay. And I believe you. But how? We can’t just sit around and do nothing. How are we going to get through to Chan?”

Lee narrowed her eyes.

“And what about you? Are you okay?”

Cynthia flinched. “I…I’m fine. I realize I’ve been acting too selfishly, especially to you people who only care a lot about me. Your brother most especially….I’m tired of hurting him. And I want to put my faith in God, and in you, that all will be well. I’m really just ready to let go of all this emotional baggage.” She gave a light smile.

Lee smiled back. That was good enough for her.

“Well, we need to help Chan realize that he can’t keep living in his past….” Lee narrowed her eyes. Just a few months ago, she was living in her past too, and God had used Chan to bring her out of it.

She took a deep breath.

“First off, as I was telling Erwin here, we have to find Mann, and ask him just what on Earth caused him to seek out his son after so many years.”

She gave Cynthia a kind look.

“I know it won’t be easy seeing him again, Cynthia, and I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

Cynthia smiled back confidently.

“Don’t worry about me Lee. I…I can do all things.. through Christ who strengthens me.”

Cynthia’s words gave Lee hope, and she stood up boldly.

“Okay. We have no time to waste. We have to find him as soon as possible. It’s likely that he’s lodged at the only hotel in town, which is a bit far from here. If we camp out outside the hotel we just might catch him and drag him down here.” She stuck her hand out, giving the people around her a glance.

“Are you guys ready?”

Cynthia got up confidently, and stretched her hand out to touch Lee’s.

“Ready.”

Erwin stood up, giving Lee a proud look, and did the same.

“Ready whenever you are.”

“Alright. God help us!”

They all gave a small cheer, then grabbed their things and headed for the front door.

Lee glanced back at the house, praying silently that Chan would be okay till they got back. As the three of them stepped out of the house, they were stopped in their tracks by a taxi coming to a halt Right in front of the house, and Aster stepping out of it angrily with none other than Mann Kim coming out behind him.

Lee’s mouth dropped open.

They hadn’t even done anything yet, and God had already made things easier for them.

“”Aster! Where have you been all day?” Lee called out, as her brother stomped over to her. He gave Cynthia a quick glance, before facing his sister squarely.

“I went to look for this guy.” He answered sharply, gesturing towards Mann.

“I figured that he’d be lodged at the only hotel in town, so I went there very early in the morning to camp out for him. The hotel staff said they couldn’t disclose any private information to me, but mom managed to pull some strings, so they didn’t kick me out when I decided to wait in the lobby, looking like I was about to punch someone.”

He paused, taking a deep breath.

“God knows I’m already sick and tired of the secrets. I decided to drag him here to fix what he has broken.”

Mann gave a small cough. “I was still planning on coming here again anyway. This was a bit unnecessary.”

Lee stared the man down. The human part of her wanted to hate him, and called him a monster. But doing that now would help no one at this point.

Her teacher, however, didn’t have the same kind of self control.

“You…you bastard…!” He said, gritting his teeth and grabbing Mann by the shirt. Lee watched as Mann’s eyes w¡dened with recognition.

“Erwin…. Fitzgerald?”

“That’s right. It’s me right in the flesh you bastard. And I know everything you did to Amelia. After everything…. after everything….you killed her! You….”

He raised his hand to punch him but Lee quickly grabbed it.

“Teach! Now is not the time! Please!”

The man shook with anger, before reluctantly letting go of Mann’s shirt.

Mann Chuckled bitterly. “Guess I was really bound to pay for my sins anyway. I understand you all might hate me. Even you Cynthia. But right now, I really wish you can save it for later.”

“You…! Don’t you even feel the least bit of remorse?! You’re a demon!”

Lee bit her lip. This was getting out of hand. She quickly stepped in.

“You’re right, Mr Kim. We honestly don’t want to have anything to do with you either. But if it’s for Chan’s sake we’re willing to work together. And I don’t know if the idea of anyone here hating or fearing you makes you feel big, bit I assure you, you’re not even worth our hatred.”

She spat out the words boldly, and Mann’s eyes w¡dened, then he glanced at Cynthia. She didn’t cower away, but instead stared him down defiantly.

He then chuckled.

“Well, then…I guess that makes things easier for us both then.”

Lee sighed heavily.

“Why are you here, Mr Kim?”

“I need to talk to my son.”

“About what?”

“That’s between us both.”

“”I don’t know if you’ve realized right now, but your son isn’t in the mood for a nice chat right now. Anything you want to tell him will have to go through us.”

Mann stared at her cautiously for awhile, then smiled.

“I see he’s garnered quite the Calvary.”

He reached into his coat and brought out an old, worn out book that looked a lot like a diary.

He stretched it towards Lee.

“Give this to him. Tell him to look through it. But mind you, it’s for his eyes only.” He gave Cynthia a glance again.

“But Cynthia should see it too. Especially the message on the last page. And when he’s done, tell him I’ll be waiting. That’s my last request. After that, I’ll really disappear from his life forever.”

Lee collected the book, feeling the cool leather on her finger tips, and pressed it to her chest.

“You have my word.”

Mann gave them all an amused glance, before turning around and walking away.

“I’ll be expecting to hear from you. ” He said casually, as he walked off, and away from them.

Lee stared at the diary. Was this the answer to all their problems?

“I’ll be going now, Liana. Whatever happens, keep me posted. I will come whenever you call.” Her teacher said, before heading in to grab his bag, and after a curtly goodbye, walked off too.

Lee sighed as they all headed back into the house, and she made her way to Chan’s room, saying a small prayer before knocking on the door.

When Chan didn’t answer, Lee pushed the door open. She met him laying on the bed, staring lazily at the ceiling.

“I didn’t tell you to come in.”

“I don’t care.”

She stood stubbornly in the center of the room, clutching the diary to her chest.

“…..What do you want, Lee?”

She sighed, and asked God for courage.

“Chan…I know you’ve been through a lot. And I know right now, the last thing you want to hear is another person telling you what to do, or how you should handle your pain. I didn’t understand before, but now I do. And I believe God has understood all along. So….all I’m trying to say is, I think it’s time to let go of the past, Chan.”

She smiled brightly, and Chan felt his heart skip a beat from how brightly she shone.

“We’re all waiting for you. Waiting for you to come back to us. Me most especially. So… please… please don’t leave us.”

She set the diary down on his dresser.

“This is from your dad. I hope it helps.”

Chan frowned but she didn’t give him a chance to argue, and stepped out of the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

He stared at the diary angrily, his first thought being to throw it away.

“Tck.” He muttered as he turned in his bed, deciding instead to put it out of his mind.

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Cynthia watched as Lee headed in to hand Chan the diary, leaving she and Aster standing in the living room.

They stood quietly for awhile, not looking at each other, before Aster moved to walk out.

“Aster….” She called out feebly, and he stopped, turning to look at her. His eyes weren’t filled with anger, but with sadness.

She forced tears back into her eyes.

“I…I’m sorry….”

“You shouldn’t be.”

“Yes I should. I….” She clenched her fists.

“I let my emotional baggage get in the way, and I hurt you. So I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being so selfish.”

Aster was quiet for awhile.

“I was selfish too, Cynthia. I wanted you, and I didn’t bother to care if I was hurting you by acting on my feelings.”

Cynthia bit her lip.

“I’ve been letting my past rule my present, for my wh0le life, even when I didn’t know it. Both the good parts and the bad. I let the promise I made to Amelia be my sole goal, and I forgot that it wasn’t an order, it was a promise. It was something I was supposed to do willingly, and with love. But I’ve learnt my lesson now. I….I want to move on, to start anew. But I don’t want to do that… without you.”

Aster’s eyes w¡dened.

“I don’t want to lose what I have with you, as Rocky a foundation as it might have. So….can we…start over?”

Aster smiled at her, the kindest and happiest smile he had done in a while.

“Okay.”

As the soft sounds of Lee’s piano began to fill the room, Aster held Cynthia’s hand, and this time she didn’t pull away.

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There it is my lovelies!!!

I hope you guys enjoyed it!!!

Sorry it’s coming so late!!!

Prepare yourselves for the grand finale tomorrow…abi???

Anyway prepare yourself for a finale Sha!!!

Remember to like and comment!!!

Written by Authoress Covenant.