Michelle

Chapter Nine: Distancing

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(REVISED VERSION)

"Hey, are you alright?" Kevin asked, noticing the distant look in Michelle's eyes.

Michelle flinched and looked around the room, realizing she was sitting at the dining table with Kevin. "I'm fine," she said unconvincingly.

"You don't look fine," Kevin said, his concern evident in his voice. "Why were you sleeping in the bathroom this morning?"

Michelle bit her lip and looked away, feeling embarrassed. "I didn't want to wake you up."

Kevin shook his head, his expression turning serious. "That's not the whole story, Michelle. I found you shaking on the cold bathroom floor. What's going on?"

Michelle's eyes widened in shock. "You saw me in the bathroom?"

Kevin nodded, his voice tinged with anger. "I had to carry you to your bed. I'm your brother, Michelle. You can't hide things from me."

Michelle felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she remembered the reason why she had ended up in the bathroom in the first place. She had been assaulted and threatened by someone, and the fear had driven her to hide in the bathroom.

"I'm just feeling a bit depressed because I'm still jobless," Michelle said, trying to cover up the real reason.

"Don't worry about that," Kevin said, trying to comfort her. "You've done so much for us already. I know you'll find a job soon."

Before Michelle could say anything, the doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation. She excused herself to answer it, only to find Nathan on the porch.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked when he saw her face.

Michelle's heart raced as she remembered the threats that had been made against her. She felt like someone was watching her every move.

"Why are you here?" Michelle asked, feeling defensive.

"Your brother texted me," Nathan said, his concern evident in his voice. "He thought I could help you."

Michelle pushed Nathan away when he tried to hug her. "Stop acting as if you care about me. You will never understand."

Nathan looked hurt and confused. "What happened, Michelle? Talk to me."

Michelle could feel the tears starting to well up in her eyes. "You'll never understand," she said before closing the door on him.

She knew she should have run after him, should have explained everything, but fear had taken hold of her. Fear of what Zach might do, fear of what Nathan might think of her.

She slid down to the floor, her back against the door, and hugged her knees to her chest. Her heart ached as she replayed the hurt and confusion on Nathan's face.

"Why am I so scared?" she whispered to herself, the sound of her voice barely audible through her sobs. "Why can't I just tell him the truth?"

But the truth was too painful to confront. She couldn't bear the thought of reliving the assault and the threats that Zach had made. She couldn't face the possibility of losing Nathan, the only person she had ever felt truly connected to.

For what felt like hours, she sat there, lost in her thoughts and consumed by her fears. Finally, she forced herself to stand up and make her way to her room, where she collapsed on her bed, still sobbing.

Zach sat in front of his laptop, his eyes fixed on the screen as he watched the scene unfold. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. It was crystal clear that Michelle was under his control, and he relished the power he held over her.

He leaned back in his swivel chair and gazed up at the ceiling, lost in thought. As much as he knew what he was doing to Michelle was wrong, he couldn't help but feel that it was fair. After all, he had spent years pining for her, following her every move, and all for nothing.

He had tried to make her see his worth as a lover, to recognize the effort he had put in, but she never even gave him a second glance. He had tried to move on, but no matter how many flings he had, he always found himself hopelessly in love with her.

"Damn it, Michelle," he muttered under his breath. "If only you knew."

For now, his only objective was to eliminate all the people who stood in the way of him and Michelle. He would stop at nothing until she realized that she belonged with him.

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