LOVE IN THE SHADOW

Summer's eyes fluttered open, and she sat upright on the bed, her mind foggy. She groaned quietly, the memories came flooding back, and her eyes widened in panic. She took in her unfamiliar surroundings, her gaze darting around the room in desperation.

She quickly scanned her body, relief washing over her when she realized she was intact and untouched. But her relief was short-lived, as she sprang out of bed and stumbled around the room, her confusion and fear escalating.

"What's going on here? Why am I here? Was I kidnapped and brought here?" she gasped, her voice trembling with terror. "Oh no," she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears. She rushed to the door and started banging on it, screaming for help at the top of her lungs. "Let me out! Help!"

Her cries echoed through the hallway, and Miguel, who was in the living room with his family, heard her frantic screams. He rushed to the door, followed by his family, and flung it open. Summer fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around his legs and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Please, let me go! I didn't do anything wrong. Please don't kill me. I don't know the person you're talking about. I'm just a harmless doctor who means no harm. Please let me go, I beg you."

Her words tumbled out in a desperate rush, her body shaking with fear. Miguel's expression softened slightly as he looked down at her, taken aback by her sudden action.

"What do you think you're doing?".He asked, and she recognized the voice and loosened the grip on his leg.

As she looked up and saw his face, her eyes widened in shock, and she pulled away quickly, reeling backward.

"Y...you," she stuttered.

The family watched the scene unfold.

"Well, I guess this is not going to end well," Andy whispered to the others.

"She's not quite used to big bro, she looks frightened to see him," Clara said, her voice low.

"Miguel must have scared her," Nelson added.

"Are you okay?" Miguel asked, his eyes locked on Summer's face. She was disoriented, her gaze darting around the floor as if searching for answers.

Her mind seemed to be racing, and she didn't seem to notice the other family members observing from behind them.

"Am I dreaming?... No, I'm not, I just woke up," she muttered, lost in thought.

Miguel squatted in front of her, closing the gap between them.

"Summer, Summer," he called softly, trying to snap her out of her trance. As realization dawned on her, she looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. "Are you okay?" he asked again.

Summer quickly pushed him away.

"Get away from me!" she yelled, scrambling to her feet. Her questions tumbled out in a frantic rush. "You... why are you here? What am I doing here? How did I get here? Where on earth am I? Who are you?"

Miguel tried to calm her down, but she was beyond consolation.

"What's going on? Just a moment ago, I thought I'd never see you again. You came... Did you send that guy to attack me? Did you have me kidnapped and brought to this godforsaken place? Who the fuck are you!"

Her anger and fear boiled over, and Miguel's expression remained calm, though his eyes betrayed a hint of concern.

"Can you just calm down and listen?" he asked, but Summer was beyond reason.

"Why will I calm down and listen to you...?".Her words trailed off as a sudden realization dawned on her. "Y...you were the one who shot him, it was you, right?" she asked, her voice shaking. "You killed someone, you shot him right there in front of me," she accused, her eyes welling up with tears.

She grabbed his shirt and started raining punches on him, sobbing uncontrollably. Miguel sighed, knowing her tiny fists wouldn't hurt him.

"You're a murderer! You killed him," she cried. He grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place.

"Pull yourself together and let me talk," he said firmly.

"He's right, let him explain everything to you."Mrs Martha said politely from behind.

Summer noticed their presence. She pulled away from Miguel, staring at them, Mrs Martha move to her and placed a warm arm around her shoulder.

"Come, child, you must be tired and hungry. You should eat, and everything will be fine".

As Mrs. Martha led Summer away, and the rest follow, Nelson turned to Miguel.

"She doesn't know who you are, right?" he asked, and Miguel sighed tiredly, anticipating a long and complicated explanation.

Everyone sat down in the living room, trying to make the surroundings comfortable for Summer. Nelson and Miguel joined the gathering, taking their seats.

"Go on, child, eat," Grandpa said, his voice warm and encouraging.

"I'm not hungry, I want to go home," Summer said sadly, her gaze avoiding theirs.

"You can't go, it's risky out there," Miguel said firmly, his eyes locked on hers.

"Why? Am I trapped here? Who the heck are you to tell me what to do?" Summer spat.

The family exchanged surprised glances, their eyebrows raised in astonishment. No one had ever spoken to Miguel like that before, and yet, he remained calm. Andy's eyes widened in shock, while Clara's mouth dropped open.

"Wow, she's got spirit," Nelson whispered.

Miguel's calm demeanor was unexpected, and the family couldn't help but stare at him in wonder.

"It's for your safety, we're just trying to protect you." Clara said smiling.

Summer's gaze returned to everyone at the table, her expression confused and wary.

"My big bro is just trying to protect you," Annabelle explained gently.

"Bro?" Summer asked, confusedly.

"Yes, he's our big bro, and we're his siblings," Emily said, her smile bright.

"I'm Andy, his younger brother," Andy added.

"And I'm Clara, his younger sister,"

"I'm his mother, you can call me Ma Martha," Mrs. Martha said, her eyes warm and inviting.

"I'm his grandpa,"

"I'm Nelson, a family friend and a best friend to him,"

Everyone introduced themselves politely, and Summer stared, unsure how to respond, her eyes darting from one face to another.

"I'm Miguel, Miguel Salvatore," Miguel said, his eyes locked on hers, "These are my family, and this place you're in is my house," he added, his gaze never leaving hers.

"Yeah, there's nothing to be afraid of, we mean no harm," Mrs. Martha reassured her.

"My grandson told us you were the one who saved him. We owe you a big thank you," Grandpa said, his eyes shining with gratitude.

"Do you want to tell us your name?" Clara asked.

Just as Summer was about to respond, she heard the cry of her cat. Her head snapped up, and her eyes caught sight of a man in a bodyguard suit holding the cat gently in his arms.

"Sophy!" she cried out, rushing to carry her cat out of the man's arms and hug her warmly, sobbing with joy. "I'm so happy you're alive," she whispered, her voice trembling.

"Wow, what a moment," Emily said, as everyone watched in delight at the reunion.

Miguel stood up and walked away with his men who had brought in the cat small smile playing on his lips.

After some minutes, Summer borrowed Clara's cell phone to make a quick call. She excused herself to the veranda and dialed Jane's number. After two rings, Jane picked up.

"Hello, Jane," Summer said, her voice a bit shaky.

"Hello, Summer, is that you?" Jane asked from the other end of the phone, her voice filled with concern and a hint of panic.

"Yes, it's me,"

"What the heck happened? I stopped by your apartment, it was locked, and your cell phone wasn't going through either. I was worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry, something came up. Can you come pick me up right now? I'll send you the location,"

"Sure, you have a lot of explaining to do, young lady. I'll be there soon," Jane said, her tone playful but firm.

They hung up, and Summer sighed, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She turned to go inside when she was startled by Miguel standing behind her, his arms crossed and his piercing eyes devouring her.

"Are you a ghost or something? Do you always stalk people like that?" She said, her voice unfriendly.

"You still want to go after my warning?" Miguel asked.

"And you think this is a better place for me to stay? Listen, I don't even know you that well or what kind of trouble you're involved with, but the last thing I'll do is getting myself involved with you... I agree you have a nice and lovely family, but with you involved, I just can't," She said rudely, and turn to leave. Miguel blocked her path, his eyes locked on hers

"Are you afraid of me? Do you think I'll hurt you?" he asked, And Summer rolled her eyes.

"I'm not afraid of you, what I'm afraid of is what you're involved with. I don't care to know...Let this end here, I don't want to be seen with you, my life is now a life-threatening because you came in. I was only being a good doctor that saves lives... I know the attack at my house is involved with you, and I'm not going to stick around to find out what else you're capable of. I still love my life, I'm the only child of my parents, and I don't want them to lose me yet when I have a lot of fulfillment in life ahead of me. I have dreams, I have plans, and I won't let you ruin them for me. Stay away from me, I don't know you, and you don't know me," she said, her voice passionate and determined, before turning to walk away.

Miguel let out a deep sigh as he stared after her, his eyes filled with a mix of emotions.