Ch-57
"Yes," he said feeling nervous. Every day, he gets into the cafe, orders something for himself, and starts reading a book. He read so many books from the store. Oscar became a binge reader as he kept on reading books here. Because of him, there were few women who started visiting the 'books and cafe' regularly. The customer flow increased because of him. The cafe manager was thankful for him.
Oscar even took a VIP membership for the cafe as he started visiting it continuously. Never once, Luciana paid attention to him. He didn't try to bother her much too.
Now, seeing her approach him made him feel nervous. His chest tightened at her presence.
In front of her, he didn't look like Oscar Lorenzo Bernadetta who scared everyone. But more like a scared cat.
Luciana sat down facing him as she saw the feeling of doubt and tension in Oscar's eyes. Even though she didn't care about him. There were times she noticed Oscar.
She saw a lot of change in him. He became extra humble with people around him, he started helping out others. He was no longer the cold Oscar Lorenzo Bernadetta.
In fact, she heard him starting an organization, especially for rape victims. Any victim can go to that organization seeking justice, they will be given justice legally. She really saw he was guilty. She knew she was not very safe in the outside world, but he followed her around protecting her. He stopped irritating others.
He learned to say sorry. He started smiling at others. Oscar changed a lot. But his change doesn't make him worthy of her forgiveness. It shows his hard work to change himself to be a good person. Also, she never meant he is the same for everyone. '
She saw when somebody tried to snatch the purse of a stranger woman who was waiting for the bus, he acted so violently. She deduced, he was being kinder and humble to the people who are humble and kinder to him. And merciless to his enemies.
Same oscar but he was a change, Oscar.
Luciana… she was the same too but a changed Luciana too.
A lot happened in their lives. They became healthy mentally.
"Oscar, I will speak. Listen to me," she said to him. He nodded like an obedient kid. Luciana knew if it was old Oscar he wouldn't even sit here waiting for her to say something to him. He would not even seek her forgiveness. He would have walked away royally making her hate him further. But he didn't.
"I am really angry, sad, disgusted, and hated you when you tried to molest me. But later… while I am getting my therapy, every day you used to follow me. I felt violated every day when I saw you following me. I felt disgusted all over again," Oscar's face turned black at her face. But he knew he has no right to complain. He was at fault, to begin with.
"Thanks to my therapist, I started feeling better with or without your presence. Slowly I got out of your incident. I am working on my life. Yet I felt uncomfortable with your presence," this was his first time hearing the journey of her recovery from her mouth. The fact her saying she was recovering made him happy yet guilty of his actions.