Looking For A Companion

Chapter nine

The days that followed were unbearable. Her mother refused to speak to her. Her father ignored her entirely. At school, she was the target of endless ridicule.

Ethan tried to comfort her, but even he couldn’t shield her from the relentless cruelty of their family. One night, he knocked on her door, his expression filled with concern.

“Mimi, I’m so sorry,” he said softly. “I’ll talk to them. I’ll make them see—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Mimi interrupted, her voice hollow. “They’ve already made up their minds about me. They always have.”

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re not alone, Mimi. I’m here for you.”

But even his words couldn’t reach her anymore. The walls were closing in, and she felt like she was suffocating.

The final straw came when she overheard her mother talking to a family friend on the phone.

“Yes, it’s been a nightmare,” her mother said. “I honestly don’t know what to do with her. Sometimes I wish she’d just… disappear. It would be easier for all of us.”

Mimi’s heart broke. She pressed her hand to her chest, as if trying to hold herself together, but the pieces were already falling apart.

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That night, Mimi sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the knife on the fruit tray. The whispers in her mind were louder than ever, telling her she was worthless, unloved, and unwanted.

She picked up the knife, her hands trembling.

“This is it,” she whispered. “This is the only way to make the pain stop.”

But before she could go through with it, the door burst open. Ethan stood there, his face pale with panic.

“Mimi, no!” he shouted, rushing to her side. He grabbed the knife from her hands and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, his voice shaking. “I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay.”

But Mimi didn’t believe him. She didn’t believe anyone.