Chapter 46

"Why haven't you been picking my calls?" was the first thing Ana heard when she answered the phone.

She had just woken up to the phone ringing and she had answered without even bothering to check who was calling. It was obviously Landon anyways.

"Hello to you too Landon," she said tiredly, stifling a yawn.

"No. You had me worried. I though something happened to you," he said and he sounded really worried that Ana felt bad.

Besides, he was right. Something had happened to her. Maybe not physical but it had almost fucking broken her.

"I was asleep," Ana explained, wanting to ease Landon's mind.

"Oh. I'm sorry for overreacting then," he said and Ana shook her head even though he couldn't see her.

"It's okay. It's nice to know someone worries about me," she said with a small laugh. Jack didn't share her humor. He knew from the way she was talking that she wasn't fine even though she didn't want to show it.

"What's wrong?" Landon asked. He was always straightforward and today of all days, Ana didn't need it. She just wanted to sleep the day away and forget all that had happened.

"Nothing Landon, you worry too much about me," she scolded lightly, hoping he was going to take the bait and stop worrying. Or at least, stop sounding worried.

"Ana I'm being serious. What happened?" Landon asked again and Ana sighed. That was obviously too much to ask of Landon.

"I.. I went to see Dorothy Knight today," she confessed in a small voice, knowing how angry that was going to make Landon.

"Ana!" he exclaimed angrily, "Why did you do that? Why didn't you tell me? Don't you know she is a danger to you?"

Ana sighed and the tears that she though were over started flowing again. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to know.. I just wanted us to be on good terms. I love Jack. I don't want to be at loggerheads with his mother," she said tearfully.

Landon sighed. It was normal. But it hurt. He didn't want to imagine what that despicable woman had told Ana for her to be in such a state.

"If you're ever going to do something like that, let me know," he said gently, wishing he was there to hold her in his arms and comfort her.

"Oh rest assured. I will never do something like that again. She clearly affirmed to me that she was the one who sent that man," Ana revealed making Landon clench the arm of the chair he was sitting on.

He wanted to burst out in anger. But he got the feeling that it wasn't going to help anything. If anything, it was going to make Ana cry even more.

"Did you record or anything?" he asked calmly, his tone belying his mood.

"I– no. I didn't even think of that," Ana said sounding upset with herself.

"Hey it's alright. Don't beat yourself over something like that. Just let me take care of things." As an afterthought, he added, "Does this mean you are not going to take down the case?"

"It definitely means that," Ana said in a sing song voice, trying to make Landon chill out. It worked. He laughed. Then they said their goodbyes and he hung up.

Landon's eyes went dark in anger. He knew what Ana wasn't telling him. He knew that she had called Jack and he had probably rebuffed her. That was why his name had not really figured in the conversation.

But he was going to make Dorothy Knight pay. He had to. Even if it was the last thing he did.

***

Jack was staring out into space. As usual, he felt bad about the way he had treated Ana. But he couldn't help himself. All that was going through his head at that moment was the pictures. Ana kissing her best friend, holding his shirt.

It pissed him off. He knew he should give her the benefit of doubt but at that moment, there was really nothing he wanted to hear.

That was why when she called him the previous day, he had been so brittle. And when he heard her say I love you, he couldn't help himself. He had to hang up.

He couldn't concentrate. So he had called his pilot to prepare the jet. He had to go back home. He had to meet Ana and ask her what exactly had fucking happened.

He looked out of the window, the file on the screen of his laptop seeming like gibberish to him. He couldn't fucking think straight. The only thing he was seeing was Ana, kissing her friend.

He shut the laptop and looked away. It was fucking hard because now he kept on thinking of all the times that he had been skeptical of their really tight relationship. He had been jealous sometimes even.

In some part of his mind, he was convinced Ana could never do something like that to him. She was much too pure of a person to betray him.

But the other part was condemning her. The other part had already concluded she was a whore. The other part had already confirmed that the baby was not even his and that she was just trying to secure her bag of money.

She had loved Landon all along but she wanted to live like a queen. So she chose him, after their meeting at the club. He still didn't know how she had known he would be at the club. But she had managed to get him to sleep with him inebriated.

Jack suddenly felt ashamed of his thoughts. He knew Ana, he had spent so much time. And he knew she wasn't capable of any of the things he was thinking about. Ana was pure and he knew she was innocent but those pictures kept fucking up with him.

Before he realized it, the pilot was already announcing that they were landing and to fasten his seatbelt. Jack fastened it absently.

A few minutes later, he was getting out of the jet. He didn't even notice the woman who gave his briefcase to his assistant. He walked hurriedly to the car that was waiting for him and got into it.

"Ana's apartment," he said, then rolled the glass up. He loosened his tie and threw it on the chair, not caring that it was a silk tie and it was stupidly expensive.

He removed a bottle of Scotch and poured himself a class then drank it in one go. He was stressed out and he knew he was going to stay this way unless he met Ana and spoke with her. And apologized to her. Yes. Maybe she was actually on the wrong. But the stunt he had pulled was wrong.

He reached the apartment complex and walked briskly to the entrance. He was a fixture in the complex so the security officer didn't bat a lash when he walked in.

Jack walked to the elevator and got in, hoping that the elevator didn't waste time. Or that no other person got in so that he reached the apartment quickly.

As soon as the elevator opened, he practically ran out and went to Ana's door. He knocked frantically. He was pretty sure any one who saw him would think he was mad.

He knocked again and waited, leaning his head on the door. It was around 8 pm so he knew Ana was already home. She was probably in her apartment and she knew it was him knocking so didn't want to open the door.

He knocked again, growing worried this time. One of Ana's neighbors walked to her apartment, looking at him strangely.

"Um excuse me miss. Have you see the person who lives in here?" he asked, not caring how crazy he looked.

"Um, no. I'm sorry," she said them opened her door quickly, like she couldn't wait to just ditch him. He knew he looked crazy but all this was worrying.

He turned and went back to Ana's door and knocked again, hoping she was in. It would be better than her not even being in the apartment. After what had happened the other day, he was incredibly cautious.

He sighed and knocked again. And as he was about to knock again, someone held his hand. He looked up and saw Landon, Ana's best friend.

"It's of no use. She's not in there," the man said and Jack frowned, a little affronted.

"And I guess you know where she is?" he asked, and the man looked haggard as he shook his head.

"I've called her job but they say she left at 5 pm and I have no idea where she could be now," he said worried.

Jack grew alert. "You think–," he started then swallowed and continued, "You think she's hurt?"

"I– I don't know. After the stunt of last time, I have no idea what could have happened to her," he sighed.

Both of them stood there. Both of them who loved Ana and who were used to getting what they wanted. Both of them completely lost.