The Truth

The next morning, Alex got up an hour earlier than usual to check on the papers his father told him about, He made a mug of coffee then went to the office

While skimming through the papers he found a letter that seemed out of place, he opened it and started reading:

(Hello Alex,

It's time for you to understand everything

I loved Lara more than anything, even my life

Sadly, She had congestive heart failure

The time we discovered it we were told that she didn't have much to live, And that the only way for her to live was to get a heart transplant

That obviously wasn't easy, However, It wasn't impossible, At least that's how it should have been.

At first, we applied for some government programs,

It was supposed to take a few years, then based on the seriousness of her case she'd be prioritized,

Once a suitable donor was found we'd be contacted for the surgery

She wasn't accepted at first,

The reasons were that her case wasn't severe enough and there was already a large number on the list, so even if she was accepted it'd have been nothing more than a false hope

However, After years of attempts, She finally got accepted

I was told by the Executive officer of the hospital where we applied that

"Because her case is too serious it shouldn't take any longer than a year"

Yet, A year passed and nothing happened

I contacted the hospital again and what they said was that

"We don't have such a name on the list"

I was furious, I went to the hospital and I asked everyone, I even filed a police report, But nothing happened

After a couple of weeks, A detective contacted me and said

"This matter is bigger than us, My advice is that you drop it"

At first, he refused to tell me what he knew, But after I pressed him to explain he told me

There was a heart ready for Lara, She was scheduled for surgery exactly a year after we were accepted into the program

However, Someone intervened

Rojer, The Hospital's executive officer removed her name from the list and added Someone else's

When I confronted Rojer he said

"It was a last-minute change"

And that he couldn't do anything about it as the patient was the son of an important figure

Later, I came to know that it was the son of some minister and that his case wasn't even dangerous,

He could've lived some more years at minimum

When I confronted Rojer again he said that

"Even if he could've lived there was no guarantee that a donor would be available"

Obviously, The truth was that he did it for money

When I accused him of that, He said that I was free to do whatever I wanted

I tried a lot, But there was nothing I could do about it,

The fear of the inevitable loss made me restless, and shortly after, Lara died

My world shattered)

The letter had a dark tint on these words as if some drops of water fell on it,

Alex knew that his father cried while he was writing that part

He was about to cry as well, But he controlled his emotions and continued reading

(The reason I'm writing this letter is simple,

I'm going to kill Rojer)

When Alex read that, His mind froze

'What?' Was all that he could think of... He stood up and continued reading

(The day your mother died his fate was sealed for me,

My original plan was to wait until your brother turned 18 as well,

Sadly, It came to my knowledge through following Rojer's news that he's soon moving out of the country for some reason,

It seems he got a better job somewhere abroad,

Therefore, I can't wait any longer.

I'm happy and proud that I raised you properly,

And now that you know everything, You've got to make a decision.

1- You can either come and stop me

-I'm inside a black car in front of the (New Life Hospital)-

I'll probably wait until night, Or maybe I'll just walk inside and shoot him in his office, I don't know yet.

2-You can burn this letter, Never speak about it, And let me kill him

I'm certain that you've grown well enough to be able to make such decisions,

And as I've told you before, I'll treat you as an equal

Decide, Alex, Do you want vengeance or not?

I promise to respect your decision regardless of what you choose

You're a fine man after all, And you've got the right to decide as well,

Sadly Oliver can't participate in such a life-changing event,

But it's okay, We're 2 out of 3, And I will decide the same as you,

That makes his vote meaningless since what we both decide is what would be done anyway.

If you are reading the letter in the morning then you have a few hours to decide,

I won't do anything until noon.)

When Alex finished reading,

He noticed that the mug was shattered on the floor and that his leg was burning because the coffee was spilled on it

He hurriedly brought some ice from the freezer and put it on his leg

He went back to the office, Shut the door, And started thinking,

He was shocked but he tried to stay composed

'Things are not out of hand yet' He thought to himself

'I knew that my father had been preparing me for something from the beginning'

'But I didn't expect it to be this extreme ...'

'Logically speaking, Even if something happens I should be able to take care of Oliver with no income for at least 6 months'

'But what should I decide?'

Alex was not even remotely ready to make such a decision

'Rojer has caused my mother's demise, I can understand my father's feelings'

'I know that he was in love with Mom since they were 7 years old,

They went to school together, loved each other, and suffered a bit until they married'

'It's a classic love story, My mother has been a part of my father's life since he was able to think rationally'

'He's basically sacrificing whatever is left from his life in this, But ... I don't want to lose my father too'

' ... But ... Wouldn't I be selfish if I stop my father from taking his revenge just for my sake?'

'Would my father be able to live if I force him not to do it?'

'Would he be the same?'

And like that, Alex spent four hours thinking