119 The Voice from the Darkness

His voice shocks the beejesus out of her. She squints in the half-darkness. "Miguel?"

Miguel steps into the light, his face drooping with indescribable sadness. "What is it, Claire? Why are you doing this to me?"

Claire gazes at him, steeling her resolve. She feels something, a sense of danger. Sure, this is Miguel Tan, a normally level-headed person. But he seems different now. He seems in so much pain, and she only has an inkling of why it is so. And yet, she can't do anything about it. She can't give in to this show of pain or sadness or whatever this is. Gabriel's love is at stake, and she would never want to compromise that.

"I don't understand, Miguel," she mutters. "I already made it clear so many times. I didn't want to hurt you, but you're doing this. You're the one who's hurting yourself. You know I'm…I'm in love with Gab."