Anna was fast asleep when she heard a hubbub outside, and she wondered what was going on today. It had been only two days and she couldn’t say being married to Jack was a bad idea even though she still hatred him and resented him for playing the kind of game he did on her. Maya came by yesterday as they brought her other belongings which she had requested for and she told her she was going to catch the next flight back to Spain. She groaned and sat upright on the bed, she was glad when Jack respected her decision of wanting to stay alone in her room even though she always cringed whenever she remembered which house they were and what happened in this house. She hadn’t forgiven him yet for what he had done but she was deciding too. Maybe if she gave him up until the time for the real wedding celebration and he still didn’t give her any reason not to.
The yells were coming even louder now, and she knew she had to go and check it for herself. She got down from the bed, wore her flip flops and didn’t even mind to look at herself through the mirror because she knew her hair must’ve looked like a bird’s nest. She walked to the living room but there was no one there. And when she checked the kitchen, something was sizzling on the pot and she nearly chuckled if not she wasn’t in a sour mood today. Jack knew how to cook? Or perhaps he had gotten a maid for them? Because for the two days they had been husband and wife, he either bought food for them or she ordered. She didn’t feel it in her to cook for a man like Jack.
She walked out when she had noticed that the yelling was coming from the entrance and when she opened the door, all eyes turned on her. At first, she thought they were paparazzi, but she later realized it was no one but...Nate?! What the hell. She dilated her eyes and turned to look at Jack that was obviously furious as though she wanted him to confirm to her that it wasn’t just her eyes. What she was seeing was true, Nate exchanging furious words with him one what though? She wanted to know as soon as she could.
She came outside and closed the door behind her. When she laid her eyes on Nate again, he tried to smile at her but the look in her eyes stopped him from doing so. “What are you doing here, Nate?” She asked with a cold look in her eyes as she walked beside Jack and stood by him. She was aware of the look he was flashing her through her peripheral view, but she tried as much as she could to focus on Nate. She knew Nate was no close to being as harmful as Jack was to her life, but she had to do as much as she could to show him that valued Jack more than him now. At least he was her husband now.
Nate lifted his eyes up in exasperation as though he was trying to calm himself down, “I heard that you got married.” He said, and even though she wondered where he knew, she didn’t let that show on her face.
“Yes, I did. I saw your wedding pictures on Instagram a few months ago, I was so caught up with work to send you a congratulatory message. Congratulations, Nate.” She smiled brightly at him and when she spoke again, she knew it was her time now to revenge. “I wonder where you’ve heard about the wedding even though it was just a small wedding in a hospital, but of course, I'd send over an invitation when we’re going to officially celebrate our marriage.” She looked up at Jack and smiled warmly at him before she slowly entwined their fingers.
“Anna, you know I'm not here for you to tell me about your plans for your wedding, right?” He was beginning to get angry, how he always acted whenever he wanted her to disgrace herself by apologizing to him until he made sure he had exhausted her heart. Before, the moment he began to get furious she would get back to her senses even though she might be boiling in rage and she’d begin to apologize, her heart shaking because she hated anything that will come between her and Nate.
But today, she smiled. Glad that she was able to rile him up with just simple sentences that were nothing but a fact. “If not that, why are you in front of my matrimonial home, Nate? Or maybe you’ve visited someone closely you happened to see Jack there?” She lifted her eyes up with a smirk as she asked Jack, “Darling, did you tell him that were married?”
Darling? She had called him darling and acted as though they were a couple filled to the brim with so much love. He decided to act up with her as well, because if he can help him and add more salt to her wound when he broke her apart in a restaurant in Florida, and when she was his wife, he’d have to help her put him back in his position. He lightly kissed her lips and smiled charmingly at her, “Oh, Love. I didn’t want this to wake you up, but it seems like you’re already awake because of his yelling. He just knocked and demanded that he sees you, of course I won’t allow a total stranger anywhere near my beloved wife.” Jack tightened his hold on her hand, and they were all aware of the way Nate’s eyes had wandered to their entwined hands and it was evident on his face that he wanted to kill one of them. Which they all believed was Jack.
“How dare you call me a stranger?! I'm not a stranger to Anna, right darling?” He said furiously and turned to look at her, but how Anna threw her head back and laughed was enough to tell him that he had no chance with her anymore.
“Really, Nate? How could you stoop this low to refer to me as Darling?” She chuckled and hid the pain that engulfed her mind when she recalled how she would have to beg him before he would tell her that he loved her. But today, Nate was the one that was voluntarily calling her darling. How funny the world was. “Of course, Jack is right, you’re nothing but a stranger to me. Aren’t you?”
He clenched and unclenched his fist, but she knew she had nothing to worry about because before he made any rough move, Jack would have to sure that he made a pudge with his face. “What are you trying to do with those fists, Nate? Don’t tell me you're still the person I've known? It’s been how many months? Almost a year, isn’t it?”
He sighed and the sad look in his eyes looked even more prominent. “Look, Anna, I know that I've hurt you so much, but I'm so sorry. I’ve realized my mistake and I want to rectify anything...” She didn’t even let him finish what he was trying to say.
“Hold that to yourself, it might be useful to you someday, not to me.” She took a step forward, her hand still into Jack’s as she stared deeply into his eyes. It felt good to know that she no felt anything for this worthless man. If someone had told her that a day would come when Nate would be apologizing to her and it was evident he wanted her back, she would never believe him. “I'm sorry but I can’t allow you neither you nor your wife into my home. You can leave now, please.”
He looked at her unbelievably, he cleared his throat as if to sound serious so that she might at least believe him. “We’ve been divorced with Lancy a month ago.”
She dilated her eyes and feigned to be sorry for him, “Already? Oh my god, that’s so sad, though. There are tons of girls in Florida, aren’t there? But I thought Lancy was the woman you loved and want to spend the rest of your life with?” She chuckled, “Anyways, that’s the least of my worries, as you can see, I'm married.” She lifted her hand up and showed him her ring before she continued, “And even if I'm not, I doubt if I'd be of any use to you. I'm afraid that you’d have to be disappointed if you came to me as a friend to tell me what’s bothering you now, but I'm not a trained therapist, as you must’ve known already. I can offer to pay for your sessions for as long as you’d like to take them.”
He took a step toward her with a sad expression in his eyes, but she lifted her hand up to stop him as she shook her head, “Not even a step more, Nate. Can you please leave? We have something important to attend to with my husband.”
“Anna...” He began, but the anger she had been trying to tame down resurfaced in her heart and she yelled at him.
“Now! Get away from here, Nate!”
He was about to take another step because he believed that he still had a chance with her when Jack shook his head at him and moved Anna behind him, “I thought she made it clear to you that she doesn’t want you here? Leave or else I'll call the police.” Nate stared at them for a few minutes and before he left, he fixed his eyes on Anna’s furious ones and spoke.
“He’s going to break you apart, mark my words.”
“I believe that should be the least of your worries for someone you don't care whether lives or dies, Nathaniel.” She walked into the house without looking back at him and went directly to the kitchen. It reminded her of Henry, and she wanted to pluck her heart out due to so many reoccurring memories in her mind. She didn’t know what she would have to do, she just sat on the kitchen island and placed her head on the table in front of her as she closed her eyes, trying to calm down her raging heart.
She heard the sound of his footsteps and wondered if he would be able to look into her eyes, because she knew he must’ve remembered all he had told her on the day Nate dumped her for Lancy. She heard the sound of the mixer and didn’t know what he was trying to do until he placed the cup in front of her.
“An orange juice, it will calm your nerves.” He uttered and went back to the cooking gas. She opened her eyes and stared at the cup that looked seductively at her, with a smile, Anna gulped it down until she knew if she added one more gulp, the hunger that was beginning to rise in her stomach would hurt her. So, she folded her hands around her chest as she stared at him without even blinking her eyes.
He looked athletic, his physique so tantalizing that she knew she would never be tired of staring at Jack, not even in her next life. How he worked, so all this while this man knew how to cook? The aroma that had filled the kitchen already made her smile and the way he expertly worked. “Have you ever worked in a restaurant before? You do it so perfectly.” She pointed out with a hint of smile on her face, a single normal conversation wouldn’t hurt, would it?
He turned to look at her, he had been wanting to strike a conversation between them, but he didn’t know what to say because of what had happened and he certainly know what she must be thinking of. The ends of his lips were twitching to the beginning of a smile and he rested his body on the kitchen counter, “What? Don't tell me you were drooling all this while?”
She frowned her face, but he knew it wasn’t because she was truly angry, “Drooling over what? The meal boiling in that pot? oh yeah! And I'm starving, can this sexy meal be done with, please?” She gave him the best puppy eyes and Jack threw his head back and laughed. Oh god, he didn’t know what he felt for this girl but everything she did looked amazing on her.