Chapter: 6: The Secret in My Brother-in-law’s Room
1855 Words
I retrieved the strands of hair I had found on Michael’s bed. “Honey, I was cleaning Michael’s room today and found these on his bed.”
There was no way I was telling him about the delivery package or the phone call, so I could only show him the evidence that I had collected instead.
“These hairs obviously belong to other people. Look at the length of this blonde one — it must be a girl’s! Michael is too young…”
As soon as Matthew saw it, his expression changed. He seemed furious.
“Mike is just a boy! What are you saying, huh? The hell is this? Are you so bored now that you have to stir things up? Throw them away right now!”
In his sudden rage, he did not see my point, so I brought out the pantyhose and placed it before him.
“I found this in his closet! He took my things! And I have more underwear missing…”
Matthew pushed my arm away.
“Are you done? Are you f*****g done? I can’t believe, after working all day, I come home exhausted and I still have to listen to your nonsense! You think I don’t know what kind of person my own brother is? And you do, do ya? Y’know what? I think you’re just sick of having an extra person in the house. You can’t stand Mike here! Making up all this bullshit drama to kick him out—if you want him out, just f*****g say so! No need for this... goddamn song and dance!”
I felt so wronged, shocked into momentary silence. I burst into tears.
“That’s not… not what I was trying to do… I’m just… worried about him…”
My words fell on deaf ears. Matthew whipped off his shirt and threw it on the bed.
“I'm taking a shower!”
I hid under the covers and cried for a long while. I never expected my husband to be like this! So that was what he thought of me! It was a bitter pill to swallow.
No, I had to find proof! When I went to Michael’s room earlier, he had thrown something in the bin! That was definitely suspicious!
I’d show them tomorrow morning! I could hardly sit back and accept this slander!
The next morning, I made breakfast for both of them. While they were in the dining room, I took the chance to sneak into Michael’s room.
Where was the bin… the bin!
Oh my god! It was filled with used tissues!
I opened one with trembling fingers… something sticky, transparent… oh my god!
I drew a sharp breath… and had a shocking thought!
This tissue, could it be, Michael…
I quashed the thought before I could complete it. In any case, this tissue was proof!
Let’s see them talk their way out of this one! Blame that on me? No way!
These tissues were proof enough that there was an issue! I refused to continue being maligned!
I headed to the dining room with one of the other trash bins in the house. They were still having breakfast.
“Michael, I’m going to take out the trash. Could you bring me the trash from your room? I’ll take them out together.” I looked at him with a smug smile, waiting to see how he would react.
He looked different than usual. He lacked any vigor and even coughed a few times with a hand over his mouth.
He must be feeling nervous! I thought.
Soon, Michael came back with the bin from his room.
“Oh, Michael, why are there so many tissues? Why, the whole bin is filled with them! What have you been doing?” I asked in feigned surprise.
He made no reply, his face slack and listless.
“Hmph! Cat got your tongue?” was what I was about to say when Matthew interrupted my grand speech.
“Bring Michael some cold medicine. He’s been feeling sick since last night!”
Huh? I was stunned.
Michael said in a nasal voice, “Ciara, I bust have cod a cold frob yesderday. By dose was ruddy all nighd. But I… feel a liddle bedder dow… achoo!”
Then… the tissues had been filled with…!
My hands shook as I put the bin down.
“Ah! I'll bring the medicine right away!”
I was in a state of shock and my mind was scrambled!
How did it turn out like this! Impossible, impossible! Things could not be so simple. I kept mulling over the chain of events, but I drew a massive blank. Even when I left for work, I was still in a daze.
I had wanted to avoid heading out at the same time as Michael, but he caught up and walked with me on his way to school.
“Hey Ciara, did something happen recently? I feel like you haven’t been yourself!” Michael’s voice after catching a cold had taken on a particularly manly timbre.
I smiled awkwardly. “It’s nothing! Just… pregnancy, perhaps!”
“Am I being a bother by staying here?” Michael’s voice sounded somewhat dejected.
I stopped walking and explained in earnest, “No, of course not! I would never think that! I’m just worried you were picking up some bad habits, since you’re so young!”
Michael, who was a head taller than me, looked at me like a whipped puppy.
“Ciara, I always thought of you as my real sister!”
Michael’s touching words almost made me cry.
“And I think of you as my real little brother. I was just overthinking things…”
Suddenly, Michael grabbed my hand.
His hand was large, with well-defined joints; it was clearly not the hand of a child. His grip was warm, manly, and gentle.
My heart skipped a beat.
It was like I had returned to the summer of my eighteenth birthday, when a gaze from a boy was enough to make my face red and my heart pound.
“Michael…” I tried to take my hand back, but the attempt was foiled.
“Don’t move!”
The gentle gaze of this adolescent boy held a special kind of charm. I felt my core shudder and even forgot where I was.
God!
No! I was his sister-in-law! This was wrong! If only we were not related in that way…
No! He was still a child!
My cheeks were on fire, my mind blank, and I had forgotten how to even breathe.
The spell was broken when he placed my hand on his forehead.
“Ciara, does it feel like I have a fever?”
Huh?
So that was what he was trying to do! Had I imagined things? Or was Michael doing it on purpose?
Goodness! This kid was going to scare me to death!
“Nope, you don’t have a fever!”
I smiled tightly and shook my head. Then I started walking again.
“We’re going to be late, let’s hurry!”
Michael lagged behind and kept touching his forehead.
“It’s not hot? But I feel like it’s kind of warm! Why can’t I have a fever? If I had a fever, I could stay home and take a day off…” Michael mumbled to himself.
“I already said you don’t have a fever! Take some medicine tonight and you’ll be fine! Don’t walk around half naked next time. No wonder you fell sick!”
I paid him no more attention and picked up my pace.
This morning had truly been full of twists and turns.
The mysterious person was not Michael, then? He was nothing more than a child, after all. I had gotten it all wrong! Lost in my contemplations, before I knew it, I had arrived at my office.
There was a familiar person in the reception lounge! An insuppressible feeling of dread rattled against the gates of my conscience.
It was him!
What was he doing here?!
Dr. Rainn! He was sitting on the sofa with a cup of water in hand. It looked like he was waiting for someone.
Had he come for me?
I shuddered as I recalled everything that happened before, the desires I was unable to control. It had all been real, especially his fingers that had touched me everywhere!
I took a few steps back, afraid that he would see me.
I struck upon a great idea. There was a silk scarf in my bag — if I wrapped it around my head, he would be unable to recognize me! I could wear sunglasses too!
Ho, ho, ho, perfect!
After putting on the disguise, I walked forward casually, all the while wishing to leave this cursed area as fast as possible.
Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm.
“Ciara! It is you!”
My heart plummeted! I strained to turn my head as little as possible, trying to stay inconspicuous, as if caught red-handed in a crime.
It was the company’s assistant, Ashley Reid.
“I thought it was you!” Ashley’s voice was a little loud and it seemed she would not let me go anytime soon.
“Almost time for work, Ashley. See you upstairs?” I desperately wanted to leave.
“Still early, isn’t it? You know, Ciara, this look is so fashionable! Super pretty! As expected of our top designer! You’re such an inspiration!”
I snuck a peek at the doctor. He was looking over! Oh my god, what do I do? With so many people around, he wouldn’t dare do anything, right?
I linked arms with Ashley like we were best friends.
“Aww, why don’t I let you try the scarf on, I mean, once we’re upstairs? I feel like you’d look stunning in it, too!”
“Okay!”
We hastened into the elevator.
My heart could finally relax. What did that doctor want? Was that phone call from him? Was he the one who sent that package?
He was someone who knew my address and my phone number, from the hospital records.
But that package… just thinking about it seriously spooked me!
Just before the elevator door could close, a hand shot out and blocked it.
Dr. Rainn stepped inside, his eyes locked on me, a creepy half-smile on his face.
Chills ran up my spine.
I tried to remain calm and pretended not to know who he was.
After entering the elevator, he did not press any buttons. He just stood behind me.
As the elevator got more and more crowded, I felt someone pressing up behind me.
I caught a whiff of a masculine scent mixed with the faint smell of antiseptic.
It was him!
The doctor was sticking to me on purpose. Heat spread all over my body, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. I felt incredibly antsy.
A hand touched my butt and my entire body stiffened!
The hand didn’t stop there, it kneaded and squeezed firmly but not roughly.
My heart leaped into my throat.
- Writer
