The hospital hallway stretched out before them, cold, sterile, and seemingly endless. Every step Gabriel took echoed, bouncing off the polished floor and fading into the antiseptic air. His father, Pastor Samuel, walked beside him—quiet, steady, his face etched with the weariness of a man who had seen too much. They were here again, for another desperate prayer, another last-minute miracle.
Gabriel glanced at his father. “Do you think… this time?”
Pastor Samuel didn’t look at him. His voice was soft, almost a whisper. “It’s never about us, son. You know that.”
They reached Room 307. Gabriel paused, hand hovering over the door handle, feeling the heat of something unseen. It prickled at his skin, the familiar sensation of power—divine, angry. This was not going to be easy.
He pushed the door open.
Inside, Laura Benson lay propped against stiff pillows, her skin pale and stretched thin over brittle bones. A woman once full of life, now hollowed out by cancer. Her breath rattled in her chest, the oxygen tube hissing faintly beside her. Despite the machines, the sterile smell, and the slow ticking of death, her eyes were sharp. Too sharp.
Her son, Jason, barely fourteen, sat beside her, holding her hand. His face was wet with tears, but he kept quiet, chewing his lip. Gabriel’s heart twisted at the sight.
Pastor Samuel stepped forward, his voice calm, the way it always was when he was about to pray. “Laura, we’ve come to pray with you.”
Laura’s smile was faint, but her eyes flickered with something Gabriel couldn’t quite place. “I appreciate it, Pastor. I really do.”
Gabriel felt the heat on his hand again. Stronger this time. He could almost see it—a black ring hovering over her chest. Dark and pulsing. He had seen this before, but never so intense.
“She’s holding something,” Gabriel muttered under his breath, but his father caught it.
Pastor Samuel glanced at him. “What do you see?”
Gabriel hesitated. He hated this part—calling it out. But it had to be done. “There’s… a shadow. Over her heart. Unforgiveness.”
Laura stiffened, her smile fading. Her voice was sharp now, defensive. “Unforgiveness? Pastor, I’m a Christian woman. I’ve forgiven everyone who’s ever wronged me.”
Gabriel looked to his father. His dad nodded—encouraging but stern. This was Gabriel’s burden to bear. He took a deep breath, feeling the weight of what was to come.
“It’s strong, Laura. This isn’t just a grudge.” Gabriel’s voice wavered slightly. “It’s—It’s something bigger. The Lord says it’s tied to your ex-husband.”
For a moment, everything went still. The room, the air, even Jason seemed to stop breathing.
Laura’s eyes darkened. Her voice dropped low, like the growl of a cornered animal. “Don’t you dare mention him. Not here. Not now.”
Pastor Samuel, ever calm, took a step closer. “Laura, it’s important. The Lord can heal you, but He’s asking you to release this. To forgive.”
Gabriel saw it—the shift. The way Laura’s face twisted, the rage bubbling up from somewhere deep inside her, dark and toxic.
“I can’t!” Her voice cracked, and the sound of it startled Jason. She gripped the edge of the bedsheet with trembling hands. “I won’t! That man—he ruined everything! He deserves to rot for what he did!”
Gabriel exchanged a glance with his father. This wasn’t the first time they’d heard something like this, but it was the first time it felt this… final.
Pastor Samuel leaned in, his voice kind but firm. “Laura, this is killing you.”
She laughed—a bitter, hollow sound that echoed in the small room. “What’s killing me is the cancer, Pastor. Not him. And I’d rather die than ever let him know I forgave him.”
Gabriel flinched at her words. They were sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. He glanced at Jason, who was staring at his mother, eyes wide and glistening with fresh tears.
“But what about Jason?” Gabriel’s voice broke, and he didn’t care. He pointed to the boy sitting quietly, his knuckles white as he gripped his mother’s hand. “What about him? He needs you.”
Laura looked at her son then. For a moment, the anger faltered. She reached out and touched Jason’s face, brushing away a tear with her thumb.
“I love you, baby. You know that, don’t you?”
Jason nodded, swallowing hard. His lips trembled. “Mom, please… forgive him. Please.”
But the darkness crept back into her eyes, the shadow growing deeper. She shook her head slowly. “I can’t. I just… can’t.”
Pastor Samuel sighed, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We’ll come back in a few days, Laura. Think about what we’ve said.”
As they turned to leave, Laura’s voice stopped them. “Don’t bother, Pastor. Don’t come back.”
Gabriel froze, the weight of her words pressing down on him. This was it. She had made her choice. They had done all they could.
Two days later, Laura’s condition worsened. She sent word that she didn’t want any more visits. She didn’t want any more prayers.
Gabriel and his father got the call a week later. She was gone. The cancer had taken her.
At the funeral, Jason stood by the casket, his eyes red and swollen. He didn’t cry anymore. He just stood there, staring at the woman who had once been his entire world. Gabriel stood beside him, unsure of what to say. What could he say?
After the service, Jason pulled Gabriel aside. His voice was small, hollow. “Why didn’t she… forgive him? Why wasn’t I enough?”
Gabriel felt the sting of those words, the unfairness of it all. He knelt down, putting a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “She loved you, Jason. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Jason shook his head, eyes hard. “No, she didn’t. Not enough.” He looked back at the casket, his voice barely a whisper. “She hated him more than she loved me.”
Gabriel swallowed, the lump in his throat threatening to choke him. He wanted to tell the boy it wasn’t true—that it wasn’t as simple as that. But deep down, he wasn’t sure. Maybe bitterness had a way of overshadowing everything, even love.
That night, as Gabriel lay awake, staring at the ceiling, he realized the truth of it. Unforgiveness was a poison. It didn’t just kill the person who held onto it—it spread, seeping into the lives of everyone around them. Even those they loved.
It was a bitter root that could choke the heart until there was nothing left but emptiness.
And it was a choice. A choice to let it go… or to die with it.
