They stood there for minutes Anna didn’t care to count, and she sighed before she began to talk. “You’ve been here for long, right?” She didn’t know why she felt the urge to ask him that. It felt peaceful here, with her in his arms, her aching heart and a soul that needed nothing but closure. She didn’t know him, hell, she didn’t even want to know him. And she would always be thankful to him even if all they would share with him will be this fleeting comforting moment, she would certainly cherish it forever for he was there for her when she needed someone the most.
He hummed, and she knew that meant yes. She continued, “I’ve been dumped by my boyfriend, brutally at that.” She chuckled sadly as her tears began to accumulate more in her eyes. She didn’t mind stopping them, thinking that she was in the arms of a total stranger, what would he think of her? That didn’t bother her. She had to pour her soul out to him and somehow, she knew he would surely listen to her without interruption or him getting fed of her.
“I loved him. He was my first love and probably the last, because he made sure he crushed down all the hope I have in love. It’s getting clear to me now, all the flags he had been showing me, all the signs that it was a dangerous love for me, but I went ahead and loved him deeper over the years. We’ve been friend with him for a year before I confessed my love and we’ve been in a relationship with him for three years now. Well, I’ve been alone in the relationship all along, he met someone last year, on our anniversary when he made me believe that his Mother was sick, and he couldn’t visit me in California.” She chuckled, which gave way for her tears to roll down her cheeks.
“I should have known, right? He refused it blatantly when I wanted to visit him instead. He has never introduced me to any of his family members. He was always rude, only acts lovingly at me when he wants something, which was hardly ever. That’s why I thought he was really going to propose when he was all loving to me when I visit him day before yesterday. I…” she choked on her tears, feeling as a fresh new wave of pain overwhelmed her heart. Things she had done for the love she was certain she would never have, funny’ how she thought that love was hers to keep. “I even took a garlic sauce despite knowing I’m allergic to it, because I didn’t want him to feel bad and he told me he loved garlic, so I added the spice in our sauce.” She was crying harder now, remembering how he had acted when she had called him that day. Why didn’t she saw that coming?
He began to rock her, as though to tell her that everything will be fine even though he tried no attempt in interrupting her. Her voice came out in hiccups as she continued, and he tightened his hold on her waist, “I called him after I woke up that night, because he didn’t even call me to see if I came back fine, and this was the man I spent my whole day with. Wasn’t it basic humane act for him to call and ask if I had come back to the hotel okay? And every other boyfriend would’ve told me how much he had missed me, right?” She smiled sadly, feeling as the edges of her lips painfully carved her cheeks while they ebbed deeper.
“Do you know what he told me? That I should die for all he cares! He told me not to ever call him again just because I asked him if he didn’t care about me, I began to figure out that he has always been like that, he has always never cared about me.” At this point, she broke down completely, her shoulders shook, and her lungs were trying to suffocate her due to so much. Why was she completely oblivious to whatever Nate had done? If only she had realized later.
“I should have known from those words he had uttered to me that he doesn’t love, he has never loved me. But I kept on pestering him with calls and texts. And I wanted so bad to go back home with a ring, a ring that will signify me as his fiancée so that I can proud my Mother wrong about him. But instead, he broke me…” she couldn’t talk now, and Jack knew it had reached the point that she felt completely hopeless and broken, worthless even. He clenched his eyes shut; he didn’t know what he felt but he knew this back hug wouldn’t be enough to soothe her aching soul. And meticulously, he turned her to face him, without her face lifting up to see his, he placed her head to his chest, and she broke into even more painful tears.
He felt the way she wrapped her hands around his waist as she cried, with their height difference, he easily placed his head on top of her hair and slightly rocked them to soothe her heart as he drew some soothing circles on her back. “Shh…it’s fine. You’ll be all right, okay?” She shook her head on his chest and cried even harder. Phew, that was close, he thought she would recognize his voice, but she didn’t. It hadn’t even occurred to him the possibility of her doing that until after he spoke, all he had in mind was how to console her. And the jerk that he was, he added more salt to her wounds.
“I would never be alright again. They told me that I’m undeserving of love and I actually believe them. No man will ever love a spoilt brat like myself, and in their words, a bossy bitch and disgusting human…” The words were so painful on her tongue and she ended her words in a painful whimper as she held tightly onto his jacket. Jack brought her closer and hugged her tighter, he knew he was the other man when she referred to them as ‘they’ and on god, he felt horrible. If it were Willa, he would have done whatever he could to make sure that the men that turned her into the mess Anna was, were taken down to their knees. But then he was among these men, and she wasn’t Willa, the best thing he could do to her was this.
She cried bitterly on his cried and he rocked them silently until she wasn’t crying anymore. It didn’t pain less, but she knew she felt lighter even though her heart felt as though it were a stone. When Jack was sure that she was not crying anymore, he turned her back, meticulously and swiftly that she didn’t take a glimpse of his face and all thanks to the darkness. He hugged her from behind and wrapped his hands around her waist as she placed hers on top of his. He leaned his head closer to her neck and gently spoke.
“You certainly will cry over him because of the love you have for him, but a jerk like him doesn’t deserve your tears anymore. Don’t let him crush your self-esteem as well, you’re much more than you think you are. Breath, surround yourself with nature and positivity and try as much as possible to let go. You can do it only when you try, it will feel as though it’s impossible now, but try it. It will feel like hell now, but then later on it wouldn’t even matter anymore. None of this will matter something, everything will be fine.” He didn’t know from where these words came from or the fact that he didn’t know her enough to know that she was better than what she thought she was. But somehow, he felt that she needed someone to tell her that everything will be fine.
She was silent, only nodded her head as they stared as the sky above them, the glowing moon and the stars that adorned the sky. Occasionally they drifted back their eyes on the busy road down there until Jack was certain that even if she would cry again, it wouldn’t be on this rooftop anymore. He slowly released his hold around her waist and took a step backward. “Goodnight, I pray you heal from this wound.”
Anna felt his absence the moment his hands left her waist and she wondered what that was. Maybe it was an emotionally attachment because she was grieving and the only person that occurred her comfort was him. She wanted to turn to take a look at his face, but she was contemplating. She didn’t want to ruin things by knowing what he looked like, maybe tagging him as the unknown man she had met on the rooftop would be better than knowing him as a person. She heard the sound of his footstep on the staircases and she turned, he had left already.
Staring at the door she was sure he passed through, even though she knew if she ran to the stairs she could meet up with him, she shook her head as if to tell herself that she did the right thing by not knowing who it was. A slow smile graced her lips as she whispered with a croaked voice, “Goodnight to you too, and thankful for the man that you are to me tonight. Thank you for the comfort.” He didn’t make everything better, but at least, he made it less painful.
❦
Anna woke up and felt as though all the mountains in this earth were places on her chest, she heaved silently and tried so hard until she opened her heavy eyes that were pumped up by the amount of tears she had shed. She had spent the entire day yesterday in her suite as she cried and grieved as Mom advised her to do. And even though it didn’t heal her completely, she felt less terrible than she did yesterday. It was time to go back to California, time to go back to the life she hated living, but ironically, Anna wondered if she wouldn’t find the solace she needed at this point of her life in her boring routine.
Before, a day in Anna Brayden’s life was like hell to her. She hated the meetings, she hated the staff that gave her that respect, those bows and everything saying yes to whatever you ordered around. She hated being the CEO of the multibillion-dollar company, Brayden. Inc. But now, she wondered if she wouldn’t have to hide in that life to be able to forget about Nate, Jack and everything that will ever remind her of Florida and the pain she had to endure.
She sat upright on the bed just when Julia’s message came through. “The jet has arrived since yesterday at night, Ma’am. We will be at the hotel by 10am, you have a meeting by 2:30pm with Mr. Bruno.” She sighed but instead of the usual displeasing groan that always escaped her lips whenever Julia sent her a message about her daily schedule, she smiled today.
“Finally, let’s go back to living as Miss Brayden, not this emotionally starved and pathetic Anna.” She got up from the bed and directly went to the bathroom to have her dinner. She quickly got ready, unlike the Anna that made sure she spent enough time even though she didn’t have anything to do. She got her bag packed and walked out of the suite without minding giving the suite a one last look. This time around, it didn’t remind her about Nate, where she had kissed him first. Yes, even their first kiss was initiated by her. It reminded her of the pain she went through in her life, of Nate breaking her, of him confessing that he had never loved her in his life.
When the elevator got down, she smiled brightly at Emily when their eyes met, and she walked over to the deck as they shook hands. “Are you alright, Anna?” What Anna realized was, Emily was now more of a friend than a stranger she had met in a hotel lobby.
“Does everyone have to know I’ve been dumped?” She whispered with a sense of humor and Emily didn’t find that funny, she was so serious about it.
“Mark was so worried that he had be put eyes specifically on you, thank god you’re alright. When next you come back, we’ll talk about how to break his bones and maybe castrate his useless d—” Anna didn’t know when she gave out a giggle.
“Not that, we should live well, that will hurt him more, don’t you think?”
“You’re right. Make sure you’re always happy, okay?” She nodded and they exchanged more few words before she walked out and met Julia waiting for her together with Mark. She sighed as Julia collected her bag and slipped into the limo. Back to being Miss Brayden, being happy and living a good life.