What lies within... Chapter three

Michael was perplexed by the words that came out of Grace's mouth, the girl he had professed his love to couldn't make that sacrifice for him.

"Try to understand me, if your folks find out about us, they'll only end up embarrassing me and I won't be able to take that from them", she said pausing a little, "also I don't want my parents finding out about us, I don't even know what my dad would do to me".

"She only cares about her image and not about you, you are nothing to her" the voice inside said in a low tone.

"Is it because my brothers don't like you?" Michael asked.

"It's not that" she answered, "but why don't they like me?".

"Williams doesn't like the way you act around him, he feels you are fake, and John thinks you are using me" Michael said, he never told Grace a lie before and he never liked hiding things either.

"Well they aren't liars" said the voice.

"Do you?" she asked.

"Do I what?".

"Do you think that I'm only using you?" she asked looking him straight in the eyes.

"Of course, such a stupid question" the voice yelled.

"Of course not" Michael answered.

"Okay then", she said scooping another spoon and then feeding it's contents to Michael again, "About that night, were you alone when you called?".

"No, John was there too".

"Oh!" she sighed.

Suddenly there was a turn in the atmosphere as silence came upon the dining room, "There's something I want to tell you, it's been eating me up for sometime now and I haven't told anyone before" Michael said lowering his head in guilt.

"What is it?" Grace asked concerned.

"I'm not a good person, I've done some really bad things in my life that I'm not proud of and it still haunts me" Michael said.

"Just tell me, I'm all ears" she said paying more attention to him.

"Don't you dare say a word!!!" the voice screamed.

"The reason I told you I wasn't a good person and also the reason why I didn't want to have sex before marriage is because I've had sex before when I was eighteen" Michael said.

Grace chuckled and said, "That doesn't make you a bad person", she paused for a few minute and continued, "I have a confession too".

"This is it" the voice said in anticipation.

"Michael!" she said taking both his hands in hers, "I cheated on you with two other guys, and one of them was your friend Collins, but I've broken up with him".

"And that's meant to be okay?", the voice asked as Michael's heart froze, "Didn't i tell you all along but you didn't even listen".

"I'm sorry, that's why I blocked your line the other night, I couldn't stand lying to you and I didn't want to hurt you anymore, I was just trying to find myself, it's okay if you hate me but please forgive me" she said with tears running down her cheek as she squeezed his hands tightly.

Michael couldn't cry from the shock, he hadn't even recovered from the tears of that night. "Say something you fool!", the voice ordered, "kill her!!!".

"Do you still love me?" Michael asked.

"Yes I do but we can't be together right now, I can't live with breaking your heart" she said hugging him tightly, this was first time they had had such contact since their relationship began.

"Please forgive me, don't tell your brothers about us breaking up, I don't want them saying that they were right all along. If I had known that this would happen this way, I wouldn't have said yes, I only wanted to show you that not all girls were the same, not all girls want money" she pleaded.

These words ram through Michael like electricity. "Now you see that no one can ever truly love you", the voice said.

"I don't want us to end" Michael said rubbing his forehead against hers like animals do, sharing each breath with each other as they embraced, and then for the first time, they kissed.

"This is her goodbye to you, I'm really disappointed in you" the voice said.

Their lips broke contact as she said "l'm not a virgin either, I don't even know if I can make heaven, but I do know you can find someone better than me, you are a good guy, can we just be friends".

"What a typical break up, now she wants you in the friend zone".

"Okay!" Michael said and stood up to take his leave, not looking back.