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(REVISED VERSION)
AS they arrived home from their morning routine, Michelle led her mother to the sofa and they both sat down. Martha wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Exercise in the morning is good, but I'm exhausted Michelle," she said.
"Mom, the doctor said that you have to exercise regularly," Michelle replied.
Martha didn't respond and remained silent. Kevin walked downstairs with his backpack, interrupting the silence.
He approached them and kissed their cheeks. "Take care of mom, okay? I chopped some fruits earlier and made some fruit shakes. They're in the fridge."
Martha's eyes sparkled with happiness, though she wasn't smiling. "Thank you, son. I'm really lucky to have you and your sister."
"Anything for our mother. Before I go, don't you have work today, Michelle?" he asked.
She shook her head. "It's my day off today, so I can take care of Mom for sure."
"That's good. Well, I should go to school because I'm late."
Martha beamed and held his hand, squeezing it lightly. "Be careful at school, okay?"
He passed her an assuring smile and replied, "For you, Mom, I will. See you later, ladies."
As Kevin left, Michelle chuckled. "He can light up the mood."
"Just like your dad," Martha said.
The silence that followed was heavy. Martha bit her lip and looked at her daughter with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry," she said, giving her a warm smile. She changed the subject by asking, "By the way, do you still remember your childhood friend? What's her name again?"
"Mom, I haven't had any news from her since we left Canada fifteen years ago," Michelle said as she stood up and headed to the kitchen.
Martha followed her and saw Michelle pouring some fruit shakes into glasses.
She handed one to her mother and sat on a stool. "Her name is Golden if I'm not mistaken. We were like siblings when we were ten."
As Martha sipped her fruit shake, memories of Michelle's childhood friend flooded her mind. She suddenly smiled to herself when she remembered that Kevin had a crush on the girl when he was just five years old.
However, since they moved away, they lost touch with Golden. The girl's mother was strict and made it difficult for Golden to leave the house without finishing her chores.
"Are you okay, Michelle?" Martha asked, noticing her daughter's distant look.
Michelle snapped out of her thoughts when her mother waved her hand in front of her face.
As she nodded, Martha sighed and finished her fruit shake.
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Michelle decided to go to work for the next three days since Kevin was there to take care of their mother. As the elevator doors opened, she strode towards her desk, only to find a pile of papers waiting for her. Emitting a long-suffering sigh, she began to sort through them.
While on duty, her coworker Zach approached her desk, flashing a smile that would make any woman weak at the knees. Michelle forced a fake smile and averted her gaze.
"Hello, Michelle. I heard your mother is sick."
She nodded without looking at him and continued working. Zach sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to play up his concern.
Michelle remained silent, knowing that he was trying to hit on her. Even though she wanted to scream at him to go away, she held her tongue. Zach and Michelle had gone to school together, and he thought she was playing hard to get, but in reality, she was irritated by his arrogance and sense of superiority.
Zach placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to glare at him. "Look, Michelle, I'm just concerned about your family. You're very important to me, which is why your family is important to me too," he said with sadness in his tone.
"Why don't you leave me alone and focus on your work?" she snapped back.
Zach shook his head and squeezed her shoulder softly. "Michelle-"
She brushed his hand away. "Can't you see that I'm busy? I have piles of papers to finish."
Zach sighed and raised his hands in defeat. "Fine. But I'll come back later when you're finished with your 'busy' hours."
As he walked away, Michelle finally felt some peace and continued working. By 8 pm, she had finished all her tasks and grabbed her bag to leave. However, she stopped in her tracks when she saw Zach standing outside with his car parked in front of him.
Her lips straight-lined, and she strode past him, but his rough hand around her arm pulled her back.
"What are you doing?" she asked sternly.
An arrogant grin made its way to his lips. "I told you to expect me when you're done with your job."
"Did I ever accept your stupid offer?" she retorted.
When he didn't respond, she rolled her eyes and removed his hand from her arm, shooting him a sharp glare.
His jaw clenched when she ignored him and walked away, and he balled his hands into fists. Rage seeped through him, and he chased after her, violently grabbing her arm again and forcing her towards his car.
"Let me go!"
Once they were beside the car, Zach pushed her hard against the door and gripped both of her shoulders with his lowered eyebrows and squinted eyes.
Red blotches appeared on her face. "Why don't you stop bothering me?!"
"It's because I love you! I ignored all those other girls for you, but you never appreciated what I've done!" he yelled.
Michelle furrowed her eyebrows. "I never asked for that, Zach! Why don't you find someone else to bother? Stop chasing me around!"
She pushed his chest, but he slammed her against the car door once again, gripping it so tightly that he didn't realize he was hurting her.
"You expect me to move on that easily?! Come on, Michelle! After all these years, my efforts will go to waste just because you want me to find someone else to bother?!"
"Yes! Just go away and leave me alone!" she shouted.
He only tightened his grip on her shoulders, causing her pain. "You're hurting me! Let me go!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
Grabbing her petite arm, he pulled her away and opened the door, attempting to force her inside.
She fought and screamed, "Somebody, please help me!"
Terrible thoughts flooded her mind, imagining all the horrible things that would happen if he succeeded in kidnapping her and spending the rest of their lives together. She knew he had lost his temper and was fed up with her attitude.
"You're crazy! Let me go!" She saw his hand on her arm, so she leaned in and bit it as hard as she could.
He screamed in agony, causing her to push him away from her. She was about to run when he grabbed her hair and pulled her back to him.
As he tried to shove her into the car, a man appeared behind him and clasped his shoulder, causing Zach to turn to him.
"Stop hurting the woman and let her go," he said calmly.
Zach gave him a sharp glare and slammed his finger on his chest. "Who are you to tell me what to do? I'm her boyfriend, so stay the hell away from here!"
Michelle's eyes widened at what he had said, and she shook her head. "Don't believe him! He's not my boyfriend! He's trying to kidnap me!"
"If that's the case, please stop forcing her-"
The man didn't have a chance to finish his sentence because Zach punched him hard in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. A wound and bruise began to form on the side of his lips.
Zach pointed a finger at him. "Stay out of this, you son of a bitch!"
He then turned his attention back to Michelle and shoved her inside the car, closing the door behind her. He was about to leave, but the man stood up and attacked him.
They grappled and punched each other with unbridled ferocity, their limbs flailing and sweat dripping from their foreheads. Michelle watched in horror as the two men exchanged blows, each determined to come out on top.
With a final punch to the face, the man overpowered Zach and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Nathan left Zach lying there and strode over to Michelle, opening the car door for her. "He's out for the moment, but he'll wake up soon," he said.
Michelle stepped out of the car, her heart pounding in her chest. "Thank you so much for helping me."
He offered her a small smile. "No problem. Are you okay?"
She nodded, still shaken by the encounter. "I'm okay, just a little shaken up."
Nathan extended his hand. "Well, I'm glad you're safe. I'm Nathan, by the way."
Shakily, Michelle took his hand. "I'm Michelle."
Nathan gestured to her car. "You should head home now, Michelle. He might wake up soon."
She nodded, grateful for his concern. "Thank you, Nathan. I'll do that."
With a final wave, Michelle hopped into her car and sped away, desperate to leave the scene of the attack behind.
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Author's note: Thank you so much for reading chapter two! Vote and comment if you liked it.
-creepy_stalker199