Love Bound (Student/Teacher) ✔️

Chapter 50

"So this has been going on for how long now?" The old caseworker scrunched her nose, her eyes lingered on the notes.

I was forced to recap everything seeing as Michael personally assigned her to my case to pull some strings. I wanted to live with Mason, but it was hard to outsmart the system without knowing someone from the inside.

Lia was Michael's old nanny. You could say she had witnessed his first crush, first girlfriend, his graduation and inevitably being wed to his past loving wife.

"The verbal abuse, ever since I knew my abc's," I chuckled nonchalantly.

"The emotional abuse, ever since I could feel," I smiled faintly, aware that I was involuntarily breaking Lia's heart. She wiped a tear with her index finger and cleared her throat for me to continue. "The physical abuse, well.."

I stared at the window, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat.

"That would be all my dear," Lia nodded her head, her tone signalling that the information I had given her was enough.

"If only Michael had said something sooner, you wouldn't be here," She sighed with disappointment.

"He didn't know the extent of my problem. He is not to blame," I reassured her.

"You do know that the last time I heard his voice shake was when we found Haley's mother in a disturbing situation," Her disapproving blue eyes didn't go unnoticed. If only she knew that I was aware of what situation she was talking about.

"You know young lady, you are extremely special to Michael. He is not one to get involved in people's problems, especially not domestic violence. He needs to maintain his reputation, especially when he's trying to build a solid case to win Haley over," Her hand gestures were very dramatic.

It's interesting to understand human behaviour, and how something as tiny as expressing yourself with your hand movements, could be a reflection of your personality.

I shut my eyes, as she spoke the last words, enabling the guilt to wash over me.

While I was too busy scolding him, he had been trying to save his daughter from harm, trying to protect me from entering a foster home.

We heard a knock and Lia automatically stood up, holding her notepad close to her chest.

"Everything alright?" Michaels eyes twinkled when they fell on me.

It was like an instant recognition on an unconscious level. Like our souls knew each other.

"Now I'm 100 percent sure you care for Haley as much as you care for Aster. Proud of you Michael, even though she never had deserving parents, you replaced both in one," The old lady smiled, as she tapped Michael and waved me goodbye.

Unaware that her words had shot bullets straight through my heart.

Michael didn't even tilt his head to say goodbye. We heard the door close but he remained still.

I looked at him in despair, as we communicated telepathically.

His lips were firmly straight.

The weight of her words lingered heavily between us.

"She's right,"

We could never be seen as equals.

Michael pinched the tip of his nose while I waited patiently for what was to come.

"Is she Aster?" It wasn't rhetorical.

"Have you ever felt close to someone?" I stated, remembering the quote I had read on a poster somewhere in the romantic section of the library.

"So close, that you can't understand why you and the other person have two seperate bodies, two seperate skins.."

I lay my head back on the pillow, not breaking eye contact. Both mutually agreeing that this is as far as we will go, for now. In this time and place.

He scooted closer and bent down to rest his forehead on mine.

"Yes," A tear trickled down his face.

I rested my cheek on his palm and began to sob silently.

-
this was short, but the next one will be longer :)  it's still not the end!