Hidden Desires - Family Secrets-Chapter 190 Michael’s door closing? Part2

"Michael’s gone, I heard the door close when he left..." Betty explained, her eyes tinged with sadness.

Upon hearing Betty’s words, I quickly got out of bed and opened the door.

Michael’s shoes were no longer at the entrance, and his bedroom door was open, the room empty.

His bedding was neatly folded, and on his desk lay a note: "Mom and Dad, I’m leaving, take care of yourselves..."

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"How long ago did Michael leave?" I glanced at the clock; it was 6 AM, about half an hour earlier than when Betty and I usually woke up.

"He left about half an hour ago..." Betty said, her head bowed in thought.

"Why didn’t you wake me?" I couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Had Michael run away from home again?

Remembering his demeanor last night, something seemed off.

"I... I..." Betty stammered, finally sighing in resignation, her expression filled with helplessness.

I quickly grabbed my phone and called Luna; she was the only one who could find Michael now.

When the call connected, Luna calmly informed me that Michael had returned to her place and was actively participating in therapy.

He planned to study abroad after his recovery.

Relieved, I hung up, my emotions a mix of relief and complexity at the news of his impending departure.

After getting dressed, I took Betty out of the house.

I found an excuse to leave her for a moment to go back and dismantle some temporary equipment at home.

After removing the equipment, Luna’s people came to collect it.

I rejoined Betty, and after lunch, I went to work while she went home.

In the afternoon, Luna called me urgently to her villa, her tone laced with worry and urgency.

I was puzzled; had something happened to Michael, or was it something else?

I suddenly remembered the surveillance equipment I had removed that morning.

Had it captured something?

Honestly, I had slept well last night and had checked Michael’s room when I removed the equipment; everything seemed normal, so I hadn’t bothered to review the footage.

The urgency of leaving Betty to return home and my own surveillance setup meant I didn’t need to check theirs.

Luna’s call had me wildly speculating.

Had something truly "unexpected" happened last night?

Unable to focus on work, I asked for leave from my boss and, under the watchful eyes of my colleagues, I left for Luna’s villa.

Upon arrival, Luna was working in her study, surprised to see me.

I entered without speaking, just looking at her, waiting for an explanation.

"Come take a look," she sighed, perhaps noticing the tension in my gaze, and stood up from her office chair.

I sat down unceremoniously next to her as she opened a folder containing several videos.

As she clicked on one, it began to play.

The video, edited to omit irrelevant footage, showed Michael last night.

Instead of lying down to sleep as I had imagined, he sat on the edge of his bed in his pajamas, staring blankly, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by a somber one.

He sat there for a long time, then moved to his desk and continued to stare blankly, this time at a photograph on the desk—a familiar photo of Betty and him.

His eyes were full of memories, but his expression remained calm and detached.

"Is this normal for him?" I couldn’t help but ask as I watched him lost in thought.

"Revisiting old places, it’s normal to feel this way. He’s very familiar with this scene, and it inevitably brings back a lot of memories..." Luna responded after a brief pause.

Hearing Luna’s explanation, I nodded in agreement.

It wasn’t just Luna making excuses for Michael; if I were in his shoes, I too would be flooded with memories.

We continued watching the video in silence.

After a long period of staring blankly at his desk, Michael glanced back at the closed door of his room.

By then, the living room lights were off, and Betty and I were already in bed.

Michael sighed deeply, got up, and returned to his bed.

But instead of lying down normally, he sprawled face down, burying his face in the sheets, his expression hidden.

Was he trying to escape something, or was he smelling something?

Was he searching for traces of Betty and himself in the sheets?

After what seemed like an eternity, he got up, turned off the room light, and finally lay down properly.

The room plunged into darkness and silence, broken only by Michael’s occasional sighs.

The video fast-forwarded automatically, likely due to preset editing, and nothing unusual happened until morning.

Michael lay quietly in bed, restless and seemingly sleepless.

It seemed I was the only one who had slept soundly through the night.

Michael had left his room just once, for about twenty minutes, which isn’t unusual since people often get up during the night.

But after this nighttime interruption, Michael returned to his room with even more sighs.

Perhaps in the bathroom, he encountered more memories worth revisiting.

By morning, Michael was up early, sitting on his bed lost in thought.

After half an hour, he sat at his desk again, eventually writing that note.

When he dressed and left his room, he paused at the door, looking back at his room for a long time before closing the door behind him—just at the time Betty mentioned he had left.

"You called me here just to watch these?" I asked after viewing all the videos, relieved that nothing dramatic had occurred, despite my worries.

"Yes, you’re a journalist, sensitive to details. I wanted you to see if Michael’s behavior was abnormal. Can you guess what he was thinking all night? Was his reaction good or bad?" Luna asked, watching me intently.

"Is that all?" I felt there was more to it, as if Luna was holding something back.

"Additionally, I wanted to see if, after watching these videos, you’d be willing to let my medical team handle his case. After all, Michael is your..." Luna’s eyes flickered uncertainly, seemingly reluctant about her actions.

"There are no secrets here. For Michael’s future, let’s hand this over to the medical team for analysis. Perhaps the psychiatrists can uncover something..." I said, standing up from the chair and heading towards the door.

Luna followed me as I checked the time, realizing it was almost time to leave for work.

I stepped out of the villa, greeted her, and headed home.

What I really wanted to know was what the medical team would find.

There were things I hadn’t shown.

From last night’s videos, it was clear Michael still had burdens weighing on his heart, but thankfully, he showed no signs of hatred.

Knowing this was enough to satisfy me.

When I got home, Betty had dinner ready.

Although she masked it well, I could tell her burdens had grown heavier.

She acted as before, but something was different.

It seemed not only Michael had revisited old haunts last night; Betty and I had too.