She took another step back, her whole body shaking as she silently prayed to wake up from this bad dream. But it seemed that it was real, she wasn’t going to wake up from any dream and she had to accept the fact. But she wasn't ready to, she wanted Charles...wait, he told her that his name wasn't Charles, right? He was Henry and she was finding everything so hard to believe. She gulped down a lump in her throat and took a step forward. “Charles, this isn’t real, right? He was the Jack I told you about, there’s no way this is happening, am I right?” She was slowly shaking her head, she didn’t want this to be true, all she wanted to wake up from her slumber and find Charles by her side so he can reassure her that everything was fine, and it was just a dream that would never be true.
He tore her hands that were holding his arms and shook his head, staring directly into her eyes. “I'm sorry, Anna, but it’s the truth. In fact, I don’t live in California, I live in New York. This apartment was rented by him because he wanted everything to look surreal. It wasn’t hard getting a bodyguard job, by the way. And guess what? I enjoyed working with you, you’re such a lovely girl.”
The tears she had been fighting back were forcing themselves down until she let them roll down her cheeks. She wasn’t going to believe this, but with each breath she took, and each word uttered by Charles, no, by Henry forced her to believe so, and slowly crushing everything she had ever believed on in her life. “You can’t do this to me, Charles. You can’t break me to this point. I love you, and you’ve told me that you love me too! Didn't you? We spoke about our wedding, we had plans for the future...” She choked on her words and they all stared at her with amused expressions on their eyes. She wasn't even going to look at where Jack because she knew if she did, she was going to break herself to bits and pieces.
“I know I've said that I love you, but I don’t mean any of what I've said, Anna. I don't love you, the easier to believe this the better. You’ve hurt the ego of my best friend, and how do you think I'll let you without making you regret what you’ve done? In fact, I'm here on a break and my break will be due tomorrow. So, I'm leaving to the airport now, because if I had some more time, I would’ve played you for a bit more before breaking all this up. Have I ever told you? You’re so sweet and innocent...” He was dialing his hand through her hair and Anna didn’t know when she angrily swatted his hand away from her face, her tears intensifying.
“Don’t you dare touch me!” Her lips trembled, and she didn’t know the situation her heart was in. What was going on? Was this a nightmare? Did Jack begin to appear in her dreams? She used her thumb to clear her tears but more kept gushing down, “I trusted you, Charles...” He cut her off even before she continued.
“How many times do I have to tell you that my name isn’t Charles, Anna Brayden? My name is Henry Donald, damn it!” He yelled and she flinched, taking a step away from him. She was staring at him unbelievingly as she shook her head. ‘Please let this not be true. Please wake me up from this nightmare.’ She silently begged but it seemed nothing was working, she had to face her demons this time.
Before she spoke, he turned to look at Jack. “Man, I think I have to leave because this girl is seriously getting on my nerves. I've always thought she was the clinging type, but not this much.” He manly hugged Jack before he turned to leave but stood in front of her.
“Lest I forget, here’s your car key and thank you for cleaning my best friend’s apartment. He would have a good time with his girlfriend here, right, Jack?” He turned to look at Jack that grinned back at him.
“Yes, sure. Thanks Man, I'll call you when you’ve landed.” They shook hands and Henry placed the cat key in her palms before he walked out without staring back at her. Anna wanted to run after him but all the energy she had had been drained out of her and she lost all hopes she had in humanity. What was this? Were they humans? How could they play this bad game on her?
She slowly turned to look at Jack that was now seated on a sofa with his legs crossed as he smiled pleasantly at her. “How does it feel, Anna Brayden? Does it hurt a lot? Or because you’re so powerful it wouldn’t hurt as much? Oophs,” he palmed his mouth in a mocking gesture, “I have forgotten that you can easily have the pain suspended, couldn't you?” She was just staring at him with her eyes saying the words her mouth could never. Because she had never imagined that a day like this would come, not even in her wildest dreams. What was wrong with Jack? Did he have any idea how much this hurt her? How much it had crushed her, and she was certain she could never get herself back?
She opened her mouth but instead of her words to come out, she broke into tears, “Oh hey, baby!” He stood up and came to where she stood with her face in her palms as her whole body shook with her cries. Are you crying yet? But why? It’s just a boyfriend you’ve lost, isn’t it? I thought you’ve always fantasized about being in love with a bodyguard, didn’t you?” When she looked at him, he flashed her a knowing look and Anna knew what he meant. She had always told him that being a bodyguard wouldn’t look bad on him. So, this was his way of revenging on her, right?
“That why I gave you the chance to be in love with a bodyguard and I can assure of that of all my friends, no one can do the work as perfectly as Henry did. He’s a gem, I recommend him. He thought me of your plans, marriage, really, Anna? I thought that I told you?” He threw his head back and laughed at the painful expression she had flashed him, still crying as bitterly as she felt the pain in her heart. “Didn’t I tell you that no man will ever love you, not to even talk about getting married to you? Didn’t I?”
She slumped on the floor, the blow was too huge on her and she knew she didn't have enough energy to take up all his words while she was standing. “What was it you’ve always bragged about? My job, right? Go ahead, I won’t stop you from doing anything reckless, but just so you know, Anna Brayden, I'll break you more than I've ever broken a woman’s heart in my life.” She was now shaking her head at him and she could tell from the look in his eyes that he was enjoying every bit and pieces of this moment.
“I'll make you to crush your heart to the point that you’d hate to even hear a man’s word beside yours so long as he’s not Will Brayden. If you think being rich gives you the guts to say and do whatever you want in a man’s life, then I'd show you what it takes to be a man like me in a miserable life like yours, Anna Brayden.” She was just staring at him, she felt nothing, and her tears had stopped. It wasn’t until now that she believed whenever you cried so hard at something, then you weren’t deeply cut. She was now, and she didn’t know what her next action should be.
“Don’t you have anything to say?” She was just staring and even though her eyes were a shade of blood, no tear dropped from them. It was as though she had been frozen the way she was. “I've warned you, Anna, that I'm going to hurt you, didn’t I?”
When she couldn’t voice a word out, just staring at him, Jack hissed but there was a smile on his face that showed how relieved he was. It felt as though he had taken a mountain off his shoulders. He watched as she stood up, wordlessly, holding firmly to the key Henry had placed in her palms and she took her handbag that was on a sofa before she aimed at the door. She was about to walk out of the house when he held her wrist and pulled her back, “Where do you think you’re going?”
She turned to look at him with a cold look in her eyes and not enough energy from her body, “Where do you think I should be, Jack Roberts? You of all people should know that I don't have enough energy to speak to you, do I? And where I'm going should never be any of your concerns because I could die for all that you care. If you’d please let go of my arm.” She weakly took his arm off his and when she stared back at his face, she spoke. “And congratulations, Jack, you’ve broken me to the point that even if I'm ready to heal, I wouldn’t have any strings left to pull myself back.” She trudged toward the door until she was outside, and the blurry vision of her eyes was making it so hard for to her to see where she was placing her feet. She walked to the car, hopped in, and sat there.
Just staring ahead of her as she thought of all that happened. Not a single tear had dropped since when Jack began to speak, and the way she felt the heaviness of her chest increasing, Anna began to be afraid of what would be of her if things kept on going this way. The air she was breathing in suffocated her and she hit start button and drove out of the compound in a very high speed that she knew if she was sensible enough, she would’ve been afraid herself. But she didn’t understand anything anymore, she didn’t even want to live anymore.
She kept on driving without knowing where she was going for over forty-five minutes and all that played in her mind was what happened. She was getting to the outskirts of California and that was when her senses began to come back to her and she slowed down, parked beside the road before she came out to stare at the moon above. Maybe if she spoke to the moon, she would be able to cry and all this heaviness will leave her. She stood beside the railing she had seen, as though avoiding passersby from getting into the villages and she held the railing as tightly as she could.
“Charles...” She began, then she realized that everything had been a lie. Up until now, the love she thought she would be able to have had been nothing but a lie and she was but a fool that believed she could find the love she had never deserved in the first place. She clenched her eyes shut, silently begging the rock that was now her heart to soften a bit so maybe she could cry. Because if she hadn't cried, she would never be able to know how she was or even understand what was standing beside her.
“I don’t know what I should do...I’m feeling completely lost and I...” She felt the way her lips trembled as she spoke, and she wanted to rip her chest open so she could bring her heart out. But when she opened her mouth to speak again, the rush of tears she felt stopped her and she gagged at the way her tears convulsed out of her chest. Oh dear, it pained like nothing had ever pained before in her entire life.