Chapter 8 · Dusk at Dawn

Chapter 8

That day, Michael took me to court. After that, James brought me straight from the courthouse to the Children's Home. It was such a long way, and I'd only walked it once, but somehow, my feet knew where to go.Maybe deep down, I wanted to see this place one last time while I was still breathing.And now, with nowhere else to turn, I found myself back here almost without thinking.All those years, Michael never liked me. But even so, after ten years, we were the only ones who had always been there for one another.I stood there, dazed, staring at the door.Suddenly, I realized there was no point in going inside anymore. But then, the door suddenly swung open. Michael must've heard me outside.The cramped apartment reeked of booze and cigarettes.On the coffee table were discarded instant noodle bags and empty bottles lying sideways. They were all the cheapest kind, the ones I knew so well.Maybe it was because of the smoke. I raised my head, and for quite a while I still couldn't see Michael's face clearly.It was the height of summer, sweltering hot. There was no air conditioning, and the fan was ancient and barely working.Michael had on a worn-out, dark gray T-shirt that made him look more gaunt than usual.Suddenly, I remembered how Emily used to tough it out with us back in the day.Back then, we'd eat at street stalls late at night, and Emily would gaze at Michael with such gentle, loving eyes. "Mike, you look good no matter what you wear."Emily's parents had taken her away, out of town. And now, I was about to leave too. After this, Michael would be all alone.It was fine to be alone, but surely he couldn't stay this broke forever.I gritted my teeth and took out the card. My hand slipped, and the card dropped to the floor.I picked it up and pressed it into his hand before he could protest. "Here, take it back. Anyway, I don't want your money, and I don't need you looking after me anymore."Michael looked at me in surprise, seeing I could barely hold the card, then looked at the card I had placed in his hand.He stood there, shocked for what felt like ages, until realization suddenly hit him.His eyes were bloodshot from the booze, and his face was ashen with anger.He snapped at me, his voice shaking with rage. "Look at you, Evelyn. Getting bold now. Now you're stealing from someone? Did I raise you to be like this?"No matter what, I couldn't let it go. Michael had spent years scraping 30 thousand dollars together. He worked himself half to death, ended up sick and worn out, all for that money.I pushed back, though my voice was shaky and stubborn. "It's not stealing. It was always yours. No matter what I turn into, it's none of your business. From now on, we've got nothing to do with each other."Michael's hand, gripping the bank card, trembled violently.His face dark with fury, he grabbed my arm in a death grip. "I never wanted to take care of you. It's always you messing things up."Sharp pain shot through my wrist, and I gasped, sucking in a cold breath.Blood seeped from my wrist, smearing across the back of my hand.Michael froze, his expression suddenly shifting from anger to shock.He pulled up my sleeve in a rush. His eyes locked onto the raw, angry scratches running down my wrist and arm.Those marks were from James, when he was furious and yanked me around in his office, scratching up my arm in the process.Michael's expression turned stormy, his eyes fixed on the angry scratches across my hand, refusing to look away.He scanned me from head to toe, his gaze finally landing on my forehead.When James yanked my hair, he scraped my scalp raw. There was probably a bruise or scratch on my forehead as well.Instinctively, I hurriedly yanked my sleeve down and, hands shaking, messed up my hair to cover my forehead.Michael clamped down hard on my shoulder, his eyes blazing red with rage.He fixed his eyes on me. "Evelyn, what the hell happened to you?"

Chapter 8