June 23rd, 1991
Dear Diary,
Work has kept me busy for the past few weeks, but I couldn't be happier about it. I missed the hospital so much. Kyle finally got to go home after everything he's been through, and the goodbyes were quite painful. I was happy he was going home, though. I miss his little face already, but I really hope he won't come back there ever again, unless it is to show me how strong he is. Carl and I succeeded in our mission to heal him, and I couldn't be prouder of the work we accomplished.
I'm not the only one to work a lot, though. Michael has been running everywhere for the past couple of months. From the nightly studio sessions to some business meetings here and there concerning the upcoming release of his first single, the planning of Liz's wedding at Neverland... we were barely able to see each other. The loft looks like a flower shop because of the many bouquets Michael sends a week, but I'm not complaining. It shows that he misses me probably as much as I miss him.
But today is finally the day I get to finally see him again. Not at the loft, not at the ranch... at Hayvenhurst. Am I freaking out? I am. I know it sounds silly since I already met Michael's parents, but Michael decided to tell them about us, and I am nervous about that part. I know they like me, but I am still scared that something is going to go wrong. Am I being pessimistic? Yeah, I mos definitely am.
Talking about family gathering... Grams and I are still barely talking. The only time we managed to talk ended up in yet another fight concerning my relationship with Hayden. She doesn't like the fact that he is taking so much place in my life in such a small period of time. She's probably afraid that he is going to replace her, at some point, which is complete non sense. I just wish we could be a family, like normal people.
I still wasn't able to tell her about me and Michael either. I don't even know if I should tell her or not, to be honest. She's made her point clear about me helping him in the—
As I was about to finish my sentence, I received a pillow right in my face, which caused me to scribble my last words down. When I looked up with confusion written all over my face, Carl was standing at the doorstep of my room with Alice hiding behind him and looking over his shoulder. My boss crossed his arms on his chest and gave me a look.
"There she goes, we finally managed to catch her attention," Carl told his girlfriend, and I frowned some more.
"What the fuck did I do to deserve that now?" I asked, throwing the pillow back at them, which Carl caught in his hands.
"Breakfast is ready, now get your ass downstairs. We've been calling you for the last five minutes, are you deaf or something?" he asked me, and Alice giggled at her boyfriend's question.
"Sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts, I'll be down in a few," I apologized, putting my journal down on the window seat where I was sitting.
"Hurry!" Alice added before they both disappeared in the stairs to go back downstairs.
"Are we in the army now?" I yelled across the room. "Jeez, chill my dudes," I said to myself this time, and tied my silk robe around my waist before leaving the room.
When I arrived in the kitchen, the smell of coffee and pancakes invaded my nose. I was quite amazed by the display of food that was on the table: croissants, pancakes, fruits, and even waffles. I looked from the garnished kitchen island to both of my friends who were looking at me with beautiful grins on their faces.
"Guys, what's all that? Did you do that for me?"
"Yes ma'am," Alice answered as she she took my right hand in hers. "We wanted you to start the day with a consistent breakfast because we know how stressed you are for today."
"Exactly," Carl chimed in, as he wrapped one of his arm around my shoulders. "I also made some of my waffles you love so much."
"You guys are the best," I smiled sincerely, as they both hugged the hell out of me for no particular reason. "Oh well, oh-kay," I laughed, as I rested my head on Alice's. "You're particularly loving this morning. Is there something you need to tell me?"
"While preparing breakfast we just realized that we were thankful that you were alive and well, and that we were glad that the happy and healthy version of yourself was back," my best friend told me, and I held her tighter. "We missed you."
"And we also have something to tell you," Carl added, and I knew this was coming. I could feel there was something they needed to tell me. "Alice and I decided to take some vacation away from the city, and I'm going to need you to run the service for me for a few days. Can you do that?"
"Why do you ask? Of course I can," I accepted right away, as they let go of me. "Where are you guys going?" I asked, as I sat down and took a bite in one of Carl's waffles.
"I've got a lake house, not far from Saint Jose. I once promised Alice I'd take her there, and I'm keeping my promise," he told me, giving a smile to his girlfriend who was looking at him with heart shaped eyes.
"Well I'm sure you'll have a great time there," I smiled at the both of them. Seeing my two best friends happy together was one of the best sight to exist for me. "When are you guys leaving?"
"Tonight. I planned the whole week's schedule for you, don't worry. We'll be back on Friday, we don't want to miss your birthday," he wiggled his eyebrows, and I rolled my eyes at him. I hated birthdays. "Will you be okay without us?"
"I will, don't worry about me. As you said, I'm happy and healthy, nothing can happen to me," I grinned before I took another bite of my waffle. "I'll probably have too much work to even realize you guys are gone."
"Or you'll be too busy jumping Michael's bones in each and every room of this place while we're gone," Alice seriously said with a smile, shrugging. Of course, all she earned was a pointed look from her boyfriend. "What? I would if I was her!"
"I wish, but I guess we're way too busy to even think about that," I sighed and stuffed a raspberry in my mouth. "And stop being so obsessed with my sex life, you weirdo," I told her, and threw a piece of grape in her direction.
"I just can't wait for you to tell me if Michael uses those hips thrusts of his in bed as well. I'm curious!" she raised both of her hands, fainting to be innocent. "Can you blame me for being curious?"
"I'm right here, you know?" Carl told her, and she burst into laughter. "So you think it's funny, huh?"
"I'm sorry babe, I'm just joking," Al apologized, and kissed her boyfriend to make it up to him. Doing so, she winked in my direction, and I rolled my eyes at her. She really was something else.
"Weirdo," I muttered under my breath, chuckling, as I walked to the ringing phone in the kitchen. "Hello?"
"Hey, it's Andy!" the little one excitedly said. "How are you today?"
"Oh hey there bud, I'm great! What about you? Is everything alright?" I asked, slightly alarmed by the fact that Andy was the one calling.
"I'm good, daddy didn't want me to call because he didn't want me to bother you on a Sunday morning, but I just wanted to tell you that I missed you and I wanted to know when you'll be coming back?" he wondered, and a smiled decorated my face at his question.
"Aw, I miss you too, buddy. I'll come by to see you guys as soon as I can, I promise. I'm quite busy these days, but I promise I'll manage to come see you."
"Cool! What are you plans for today?"
"Someone very important invited me over for lunch, I'm so nervous! Do you get nervous too, sometimes?"
"I do, just before a test, or when I did something bad and that I have to tell daddy," he confessed, and I smiled at his words. "We're going out to eat ice cream today! I can't wait, I love ice cream!"
"Oh that's amazing! I'm sure you will have a great time, then."
"I will for sure," he giggled, and I couldn't help but giggle with him. He was such a happy kid, even though he had to grow up without one of his parents. "Will you call me when you have time?"
"I will for sure. You can count on me," I promised him sincerely. "Tell your dad I said hi, okay?"
"Okay. I have to go now, bye Auntie Brit," he said in this little voice of him, and the sound of this new status of mine made me melt inside.
In a couple of months, I had the chance to spend some time with Andy and Hayden, and I couldn't be happier about it. I got to know the little boy, and be the female figure he probably missed in his life. Andy was a very intelligent little guy. He would talk for hours about space and planets, thing I was fascinated by when I was his age. He reminded me a lot of myself back in the days, and this was probably he reason why him and I bonded that fast. Being around the both of them was always a breath of fresh air.
***
I looked at myself in the rear mirror of Alice's car, and finally got out, hoping that my legs would support my weight. I was a nervous wreck at that point, and there was nothing I could do to make my nervousness go away. I dusted my yellow sundress a bit, and walked to the front door of the beautiful family house with the bouquet of flowers I bought on my way there in my hands. Deep inside of me, I hoped Michael would be here already, but knowing him and his predilection to being late, I assumed he wasn't there yet.
I rang the doorbell, and soon enough the big wooden door opened. In the door frame was one of Michael's brother – whom I totally forgot the name – which surprised me a little because I had no idea that one of his brother would be there. I thought only Katherine and Joseph would, which didn't help me relax.
"Ah, good morning! You must be Hayley, am I correct?" he gently asked me, and I nodded shyly. I was so nervous that I could barely open my mouth to talk. "I'm Randy, Michael's younger brother, and the sexiest Jackson of the family," he introduced himself, and I smiled a bit at his presentation. "Pleased to finally meet you," he said, taking my hand in his to shake it. "Please, come in."
"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too," I said with a smile, trying to keep my voice steady and confident.
I stepped inside the big and beautiful house, and my feet his the marbled floor. The entrance was magnificent. You had spiral wooden stairs leading to the second floor, and a little round table with the biggest bouquet of flowers I had ever seen. Everything was immaculate, you couldn't guess that someone was actually living in there if you didn't know.
"We're still waiting on Michael. We all bet that he would be the last one to arrive, and it looks like we won," he chuckled. "We are all here."
"All?" I mumbled to myself as I could hear different voices in the distance. Now I was panicking inside. "Hopefully he'll show up soon," I chuckled nervously, which caught Randy's attention who stopped walking. I gulped.
"Come on, you seem all nervous. Relax, we're just regular people," he gently said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Plus, you already met my parents, you did the biggest part of the job," he reassured with a chuckle. "Come on, let's go."
I nodded slightly, and breathed out to release some of the pressure I had on my shoulders. When we reached the room where the voices came from, I recognized Michael's sister Janet, who was talking with who I guessed was LaToya. On the couch was Joseph, who stood up as soon as he saw us enter the room. A small smile appeared on his face as he walked closer to me.
"Hayley, I'm happy you could make it!" he exclaimed happily, as he gave me a short hug.
"Good morning, Mr. Jackson," I smiled while hugging him back. "I'm happy to be there as well. Thank you for the invitation, I really appreciate it."
"Don't mention it. Michael told us you were very busy at the hospital these days?"
"Yes, indeed. This is what happens at this ti²me of the year. Since the weather allows it, kids spend their time outside, and come home with broken bones, cuts or bees bites allergies," I explained, and Joseph simply nodded in understanding.
"So now you met my younger son, Randy, let me introduce you to my daughters," he said, and called Janet and LaToya from across the room. They visibly didn't notice I was there, it was a big room. I still didn't know where Katherine was, though.
"Are those for Katherine?" he asked me, referring to the flowers I was holding.
"Oh, yes! I hope she likes peonies?" I wondered, and Joseph smiled at my question.
"She loves them. Here, let me bring them in the kitchen so that she can put them in some water," he offered, and I gave him the bouquet. Joseph was particularly happy today. "Would you excuse me?" Joseph excused himself, and I nodded. He disappeared in another room after that.
"Hey, you're Hayley, right?" LaToya asked right after her father left.
"That would be me. It's very nice to meet you," I sincerely said, as I shook her hand. "Both of you," I added, as I shook Janet's hand as well. "Michael told me only good things about the both of you."
"I surely hope he did," Janet spoke in her sweet and soft voice. "He's probably going to kill me for saying that, but he can't shut up about you. I feel like I'm reliving the Tatum years."
"Tatum?" I wondered.
"Tatum O'Neil was Michael's first love. He was head over heels for her," LaToya narrated. "We already know you guys are together. Poor Michael couldn't keep the secret any longer."
"Oh, I—I uh, I didn't know," I embarrassingly said, rubbing my forearm. "Are you the only ones to know?"
"Yes, Michael only confides in either Janet or myself. Well, probably more in Janet if we're being honest, those two are like twins!"
"We are, it's even weird a times," Janet giggled.
"Hayley!" Mrs. Jackson's voice echoed through the room, and I turned my head in her direction. She was walking slowly in my direction, the same limping as usual. "Joseph just told me you were there. Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful. I'm so happy you could make it, dear."
"Hey Mrs. Jackson, I'm happy to be there too," I sincerely said, as I gave her a hug. "How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been good. Please, have a seat," she offered, showing me the couch. "Can I get you something to drink?
"A glass of water would be fine, thank you ma'am," I thanked her.
"Mother, sit down. I'll take care of it," LaToya gently offered, and Katherine nodded, sitting down on the armchair in front of me.
"Michael mentioned that he had something to tell us, do you know what it might be about?" she asked curiously.
Shit.
"I uh—I'd rather wait for Michael to get there. What I can tell you is that there's nothing to worry about," I reassured her the best I could, and she just gave me a faint smile.
As if on cue, we heard the front door open in the distance, and soon enough I recognized the sound of Michael's penny loafers hitting the floor. A few seconds later, my boyfriend, looking good as ever in his tight black jeans and his black and red CTE shirt, came into the room with the brightest smile on his face and a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hands.
"Dunk? Oh my God, I didn't know you'd be here!" he exclaimed as he hugged Janet tightly. "I'm so happy to see you! W—Why didn't you tell me you were coming when we spoke on the phone?"
"I wanted to surprise you, and it looks like you are surprised, Applehead," she giggled, and they broke their embrace.
Applehead?
"I am," he grinned again, and then proceed to greet Katherine. "Mother, you look beautiful," he softly told her as he pulled her in a warm hug as well. "Here, I brought you some flowers."
"Aw, thank you, Michael. Let me put them in a vase just like I did with Hayley's. I'll be right back," she gently said, rubbing her son's arm before disappearing out of the room.
"And now," Michael said, looking around the room. "Hello to you, beautiful," he greeted, looking deep into my eyes. He put his right hand on my cheek and laid a little yet electrifying kiss on my lips.
"Aw, look at you guys," Janet said in awe, clapping her hands quietly. "You're both glowing," she said, and I I could have sworn she was moved. "Anyway, I'm sorry, I'll leave you some privacy," she giggled, and disappeared in another part of the house. It was just Michael and I in the living room at that point.
"Hey handsome," I answered with a grin, before I laid yet another kiss on his lips. "I missed you."
"I missed you too, Tickles," he answered, using his new nickname for me, as he nuzzled his face into my neck. "I'm sorry for being late. How long have you been there?"
"Fifteen minutes, I'd say. Don't worry, everybody was very nice with me. They're all adorable."
"Did Randy behave?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He did. Why wouldn't he?"
"He is a real flirt. You'll notice that, sooner or later," he chuckled.
"Michael!" LaToya's voice came from behind us, and Michael and I pulled away from each other. "It's been so long!" she complained, and took her brother in her arms. "I'm so glad that you're here."
"Hey Toya, I'm happy to see you too," he smiled, rubbing his sister's back slightly. "Where's Jack?"
"Oh um he—he's working on something," she evasively answered.
"Here he is!" Randy then arrived in the room, closely followed by Katherine and Joseph. "Guess we were right, Jacksons. Michael is late, as always," he shrugged, and I laughed at the truthfulness of that.
"Okay, I see. Even you agree with that?" he asked, looking at me with his perfect eyebrows raised. I shrugged as a response, and started chuckling again. "Come on now! I'm not always late, I happen to be."
"Yeah, whatever big bro," Randy snorted, and gave a hug to his brother.
Michael finished by greeting his father, and when he was done greeting everybody, we all gathered in the living room and sat on the couches. A maid brought a trail on which were different beverages, including my glass of water that Janet gave me.
I was glad that I wasn't the center of attention, I didn't like to be. Everybody was treating me like a random member of the family, and I couldn't be happier about it. However, I knew that, at some point, Michael's siblings would start asking questions to get to know me, and I was okay with that, completely. I couldn't wait to get to know them as well. For now, the discussion was revolving around Michael's upcoming album, and how it was going for him. You could see how passionate about his work Michael was, and I could hear him talk about it for days.
"And what do you do, beautiful?" Randy asked me, which got Michael's attention even though he was still talking with Janet and Katherine. "Do you sing, too?"
"Oh, no, not at all! I'm a—"
"Shhh, don't tell me, lemme guess," Michael's brother asked, raising one of his fingers. "You're a stylist, am I right?"
I chuckled at this, and shook my head. "Nope. Try again."
"An actress, maybe? Or a film director?" he asked, tapping his chin in thought.
"Nope, neither of them. I'm not in the film or music industry."
"Oh, I know! You're working as a model!" he clapped his hands, thinking he found the good answer. "I'm so dumb, I should have figured! You're very pretty."
"I appreciate the compliment but, I am not a model," I chuckled, and Randy's demeanor changed. He went from excited to confused. "I'm a doctor. A pediatrician, to be exact."
"Beautiful, kind-hearted and smart, huh? You're quite a catch," he wiggled his eyebrows, and I laughed at him. Michael was right, he really was a flirt, but he was funny.
"Excuse me everybody," Michael, who was seated just next to me, asked for everybody's attention, and I turned my head in his direction. "Since I've been hearing my baby brother using his flirtatious ways on Hayley, I think it's time for me to let you all know that—" he paused for a moment and turned his head in my direction to smile down at me, "—we are together. And by together, Romeo, I mean that Hayley is my girlfriend, so you better stay away," he advised his baby brother, which I found pretty cute. I put my hand on his knee, and addressed him one of my most beautiful and sincere smiles. I was happy that his family finally knew about us.
"I knew you were too perfect to be alone," Randy told me as he crossed his arms on his chest, with an exaggerated pout on his face which I found hilarious.
"See, I told you!" Joseph exclaimed, talking to his wife. "I told your mother that I knew she was your girlfriend at the minute this woman looked at you. I knew it!"
"I'm happy for the both of you. I know you will be able to make the other happy. You're both glowing. I can see how happy this one is thanks to you, Hayley," Katherine told me, and I felt my cheeks heat up. "How long has it been?"
"It's been three months now," Michael happily said, as he wrapped his right arm around my waist. I scooted closer to him, and put my hand back on his knee and rubbed it tenderly as I looked up to my handsome boyfriend, who was already had his sparkly eyes on me.
"You're really cute together," Janet chimed in as she grinned at us.
"They are," Katherine verified, and I felt myself blushing at their compliment.
"Thank you," Michael said, followed by his signature high-pitched giggles. "Mother, do I have some time to show the house to Hayley before lunch?"
The matriarch looked down at her watch, and approved. "Sure. Make sure to be back in twenty minutes."
"We will," Michael assured her, and grabbed my hand.
We left the house by the front door, and he dragged me across the property until we arrived in front of a door. He opened it, and we both came in. It was a little recording studio. It was way smaller than the Westlake studio Michael invited me to, but it sure had history. I could tell just by the atmosphere that this place had history.
"Welcome to the Laboratory!" he said with glee, as he switched the lights on. "This is the family studio. We recorded many demos in there, during the Jacksons' days."
"I love it," I said, touching the little mixing console. "Did you record some of your own demos in there as well?"
"I did. I recorded the demo of Thriller here, which was initially called Starlight," he informed me, as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "And I also recorded some of the early demos from the Bad album as well."
"Hence the name Laboratory," I understood, shaking my head. "This is where it started, where you were doing your experiments to create your songs. I love that you call it that."
"Exactly," he smiled down at me, and cupped my cheeks with one of his hand. He grazed my thumb gently on it, and looked at my deeply in the eyes. "Also, I dragged you in there to make sure you're not feeling too oppressed by all of my siblings' questions, and to see how you're feeling. I want to make sure—"
"Michael," I cut him off, putting my index finger over his chapped lips. "Everything is perfect. I feel just fine," I assured him, putting my hands on his chest. "This is going to be a great day, I can tell already. But for that, I need to do something."
"And what is it, Ms. Thames?" he asked in a deeper voice, as he pushed some of my hair back.
"This," I simply said before crashing my lips onto his.
After I spent almost ten days without being able to kiss or touch my boyfriend, I had to admit that I had become quite needy. My hands were lost in his hair that was freely falling on his shoulders, as my mouth was glued to his as we exchanged one passionate and needed kiss. Michael's arms were tightly wrapped around my waist, tighter than they had ever been, as our body were so close that they made one. I could have stayed there for hours.
When I ran out of breath, I reluctantly pulled away from him, and pressed my forehead against him. I rested both of my hands on the back of his neck while Michael were gently rubbing my hips and the small of my back in a relaxing manner.
"You don't know how badly I wanted to do that at the second I saw you," Michael whispered, before he placed a kiss on my nose. "You look beautiful."
"You don't look bad yourself," I retorted, dusting his shirt off with a smirk. "But you'd look even better without it."
"Why would you want me to—" Michael started, confused, but when he realized what I truly meant, his eyes widened. "Oh boy, you're so naughty!"
"Ah, come on, now. I missed you okay," I pouted, as I played with the two first opened buttons of his shirt. "I'm glad you kidnapped me because I was really eager to kiss that mouth," I told him, pecking his lips again. "There's no way I'm letting you go back to Neverland tonight."
"Talking about that," Michael said, as he caressed my bare arms tenderly. "I have to be at Westlake Studios tomorrow morning, I'm meeting with Bruce and T—"
"That means you're coming home with me tonight?" I asked excitedly, looking up to my boyfriend with sparkly eyes.
"Well, if you're ok—"
"Don't finish that sentence," I cut him off once again, this time covering his mouth with my hand. "I get to sleep next to my man tonight!" I cheered, doing a little victory dance in front of an amused Michael.
"Crazy pants," he giggled, as he got me closer to him again. He then slid his hands all the up to my neck, and brought my face closer to his. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too, but I'm here now," I whispered on his lips, getting lost in the beauty of his deep brown doe eyes.
With his hands behind my neck, Michael led my face towards his, and in a matter of a split second, we were engaged in yet another kiss. This time, I felt it. I knew I put all my love for him in that one kiss, but I felt that he did, too. By kissing me slowly and ever so sensually, Michael showed me how he truly missed me, but above all, he demonstrated his love to me by his action. At that point, neither of us voiced the dreaded three words, but right at that moment, I felt like Michael told me he loved me for the very first time, and I felt it in my guts and in my chest. This fire burning inside of me was more present than ever, and there was nothing that could make it die.
***
With a hot cup of tea in between my hands, I watched Michael, Randy and Janet talking from afar. The smile on my boyfriend's face was the only thing I could actually see while the room was filled with people. The sight of his happy face brought utter joy in my heart, and I couldn't help but grin seeing him this way.
"Careful, you're staring," LaToya's voice said from behind me, as she sat back next to me. "I'm pretty sure I caught Michael looking at you the exact same way during our game of Pictionary."
"What does it tell you?" I asked, finally averting my eyes in her direction.
"It tells me that you guys are in love," she shrugged, giving me a little smile. "It's obvious. I'm pretty sure you're the first one he's ever looked this way."
"What about Tatum? You said he was the first girl he fell in love with earlier," I pointed out.
"Well, thanks to you I know it wasn't true love," she giggled. "You're really special to him, Hayley. Don't break his heart, please."
"Trust me on that, I won't," I dreamily said as I looked in his direction again. "And you, tell me about your husband! Jack, right?"
From what Katherine told Michael about him, she didn't trust him around her daughter. Since their marriage back in 1989, Katherine rarely saw her daughter. I remembered Janet reporting to her mother that LaToya and Jack seemed on bad terms, and that she seemed scared of him. Every since that day, Michael was quite worried about her knowing that she could be in an abusive relationship, but there was nothing he could do without any proof.
"Why would you want to know more about him? Did someone tell you something?" she asked, acting defensive all of a sudden.
"N—No, no one told me anything about him. I genuinely don't know him, and since we were talking about my relationship I just wanted to ask you about yours, that's all," I explained, as a frown appeared on my face. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, I just... I just don't like to talk about my marriage," she told me, not making eye contact with me. She was hiding something. "Jack is a good manager and a good husband."
"I believe you," I said, trying to sound convincing.
I didn't believe her.
"He's a bit stern at times, but I know he is because he wants what's best for me," she said, and she seemed to be convinced by her own words.
"So he's also your manager, huh? I had no idea!"
"Yeah. This is how we met, and at some point we ended up getting married in Italy," she narrated, and I nodded. "Nobody was there, we kind of... Did that on an impulse."
"Do you regret doing it that way?" I asked, as I noticed sadness in her eyes.
"Everyday. Marriage means a lot to me, I wish my family was there on that special day," she explained. "But I love Jack, and he's a good man."
The fact that she needed to repeat this kind of sentences alarmed me. Not only was she trying to convince me of Jack being a good person, but I felt like she was also trying to convince herself that he was.
"If you're sure about this, then everything will be alright," I forced a smile in her direction, and delicately put my hand on her wrist to show her my support.
At the contact of my hand on her, I surprisingly found myself being overwhelmed by many images going on in my head. They were excessively clear, just as the voices I could hear. The pain was there, it was strong, like someone was smashing my head against a hard surface over and over again. I couldn't wince, I couldn't move. Not now. I needed to act normal not to scare Michael's family.
But the images before my eyes caused my blood to run cold. I could see who I assumed to be Jack, hitting LaToya with force, asking her to do whatever he was telling her to. The fear in her eyes, the bruises on her face, the blood in her hair... It was horrible, a true nightmare going on in the back of my head. Another flash appeared quickly, this time a bit more unclear. But the voices got clearer, and they turned out to be even worse than what I saw.
"You'll read that, word for word."
"This is easy money, just do what I tell you!"
"Your family doesn't give a shit about you!"
Jack's voice was suddenly replaced by LaToya's, and every word she pronounced made me sick to my stomach. It was all clear to my why I was in such a pain and why I was witnessing LaToya's future.
"I cannot and will not be a silent collaborator in Michael's crimes against young children."
"Hayley?" Michael's voice brought me back to reality, as the pain was slowly leaving my head along with the flashes and voices. "Are you having a migraine again?"
"I—No, no, I just zoned out. Your sister was telling me about her husband being a good man, and I remembered that Carl was taking Alice on vacation, so that I needed to take of the service by myself," I explained, and put a smile on to try to reassure my boyfriend. "They're leaving tonight."
"Then we should probably go home. You're gonna need a good night of sleep if you're gonna be at the head of the service for a few days. The kids will need you at your best," Michael said with one of these little smiles of his.
Before Michael and I kissed for the first time, I used to have visions of him claiming his innocence, saying that he would slit his wrists before he would hurt a child. I remembered the statement he made about saying those allegations of child abuse being completely false. I thought that, like many things changed since Michael and I were together, we would avoid that part of Michael's future, since I didn't have any more visions about it since I woke up from my coma.
I was visibly wrong.
With what I saw about LaToya, I needed to be prepared to do whatever it took to keep all of this mess from happening. I needed to get her out of here and keep her from being manipulated by her abusing and greedy husband who would come after Michael's money.