Going to her, he looks at her dinner and then looks at her as she just sits there, just turning a page in her book.

This is not new. When she's resting, she just wants him by her side at night when it's time to sleep.


"What's wrong with the food?" Michel asked, keeping her voice neutral, always hoping that she would look up at him and answer as if he wasn't a demon.

She was silent.

"How about some soup?" Michel bent down and stirred the spoon in the bowl, watching the hot steam rise from the plate.


Fanny set the book aside and pulled her legs up, now grabbing a pillow that she hugged tightly to her chest.

"I have already eaten."


"Lunch. This is dinner."

Turning to glare at him, she didn't exactly answer him, but instead made it clear how she felt about his constant concern.

Michel sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Fanny, you need to eat."

When she didn't react, Michel stepped closer and sat on the coffee table so he could face her directly.

"Fanny..."

"Can you stop?"

"Stop what?"

"Annoying me. You're bothering me. I'm not hungry so leave me alone."

Fany got up and went to the side of the bed, sitting down there to try to avoid him.

However, Michel is still not ready to give up. So, following her, he came to stand in front of her and drew in a steady breath.

"Look, I get it. I get it all. But it's just... you need to do your part to be better, ok? I don't expect you to return my feelings, but at least a little bit... I don't know... accept that you need to at least try to get better. I'll give you all the time you want, but just try."

As if in slow motion, Fanny turned to face him, her eyes nothing but two hot fires burning within him.

Just one look at her and Michel immediately knew he was going wrong.

"Do you understand?"

She got up and took one step at a time, approaching him at a snail space but with such anger that he knew she was seconds away from exploding.

"You don't expect me to return your feelings?"

One more step.

"You want me to try?"

Michel licked his parched lips.

Ok, he made the mistake of saying this.

Because he could never really get it. No matter how hard he tries, he will never be able to get it just because of the fact that he hasn't gone through the same thing as her.

Not that he had to face a monster over the course of four weeks, but it is unknown if he died of abuse.

"Fanny..." Michel stretched out his hand.

"You dare not touch me. How conceited can you be? Respond to your feelings. What feelings, Michel? You don't have them. All you feel is guilt. You don't. really feel anything but that. Because it's your fault. It's all your fault."

She pushed him away and ran towards the bathroom to slam the door behind her, leaving him standing there, feeling exhausted and desperate.

Their story didn't really go anywhere, did it?

---

"How's Audrey?" Michel asked as he sat in the office with Vengo, the two of them going through some open accounts.

"Panic. She was ordered to lie on the bed." Vengo leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath.

Vengo is usually very calm, although when it comes to his wife, he can't help but feel the need to worry constantly.

"I heard, that's why I asked."

Vengo nodded. "We even met the midwife you hired who is currently training Rosabella to assist her that day, but I don't know... I just don't feel ready."

Michel poured him some wine and slid the small glass toward him.

"I don't think you can do much but be there for Audrey," Michel comments dryly while drinking his wine.

Shrugging, Vengo hummed and closed his eyes for a moment. He just wants everything to go smoothly and safely, with no unexpected drama.

Opening his eyes again, he tried to think of something else to change and divert the subject away from him and his wife.

"So Fanny... how's it going?"

Michel's expression immediately turned bitter as he leaned forward with his elbows on the table, resting his head on his hands.

"I do not know." He answered honestly.

Vengo looked at him curiously. "So she still hates you but forces you to sleep with her every night?"

Michel shot him an annoyed look. "It wasn't sex, I just slept next to her."

He simply explained, not necessarily in the mood to discuss her waking up screaming and being able to sleep only if she was holding on to part of his clothes.

Vengo, on the other hand, had a different opinion. "Whatever you want to call it, Michel."

"What the hell. I'm telling you it's just..."

"Listen, this may be new to you but intimacy is more than just holding hands, kissing, making love, and moving on." He began, raising his hand to stop Michel from trying to justify himself.

"It's deeper than that. Those are the things that only you see and know from being around them when no one else is around. It's like knowing they're lying when they say they're fine but really feeling it's not. okay, because you know they wake up in the middle of the night looking for aspirin. Or when they say they drink coffee with only one sugar when you know it's really three types. It's things like this."

On one occasion, a stunned Michel fell into silence.

Vengo never really mentioned emotional things, but now that he did, he really felt that his former leader knew what he was talking about.

"So sleep next to each other and wake up together? It's intimacy... and you know these things, Michel." Vengo glanced at Michel and continued to explain without wavering.

"I love Audrey so much. I know that she loves me. And I know that no one knows me better than her. When you've found someone who sees your ugliest side and doesn't want to leave. That is love."

Reflecting on Vengo's words, Michel was silent for a moment. It's true, he doesn't want to leave Fanny no matter what he has seen or will see.