She had never been weakened by pain until today. She felt so tired and in so much agony to the point that breathing itself was beginning to become a hardship of its own. She had sent away all the maids that tried to bring her food or ask if she was okay. It was night already, maybe even getting to midnight and Jack still didn’t come to find her. Not that she knew he would, he wouldn’t, she knew. It was even her fault to believe that just because he had been lovely for a few days he was changed or rather, he was now a good man whom she wouldn't love to loose. She knew him better than anyone, didn’t she? The bad side of him that had outweighed the good in her life.
She had left her phone in the living room and she was certain that that would show him she didn't want him to look for her. Maybe he would be worried about where she was, or maybe he would shrug his shoulders and they would have the best time of their lives today, now that she had given them the whole house and the privacy they didn’t think was matured enough to ask for. Her eyes were even heavy for her due to the amount of tears she had shed and how much sleep deprived she felt.
A knock came on the door and she tiredly looked up at the door, “Can you please leave me alone?” She spoke weakly. She was glad that Mom wasn't home because Anna knew if she noticed she had been crying for the whole day, she would have freaked and no matter how she wanted to keep this to herself, Mom will push her into telling her everything and that would certainly burst her bubbles because she was busy planning for a wedding which Anna knew at the rate things were happening, she doubted if the wedding could take place.
Kate walked into the room with a tray in her hands and Anna sighed before she looked away from her, the last thing she wanted to be forced into was eating something, she felt nothing in her mouth. And when Kate sat down beside her on the bed and placed the tray between them, Anna spoke in a muffled voice, “Please, Kate, not now.”
Kate shook her head, “You have to eat no matter what happens, Anna. I'm not saying you have to speak to me about what’s wrong with you, no. You can do that anytime you want and anywhere feels okay for you. But for your health, eat.” Kate had to force her into eating even though she had no appetite for eating, she even threatened that she was going to call Mom and inform her.
When she was done, she stared into her eyes and flashed her a comforting smile. “Now, I'll ask the driver to take you back home, Anna.”
As though she said she was taking her back to a dungeon, Anna immediately shook her head. “You can’t do that, Kate. I'm not ready to go back to that house yet, but I will when I'm okay. Before Mom arrives.” She figured that if she intended on hiding this away from Mom, then she would have to leave before she came back home and it didn’t matter how much she wanted to stay at home, she had to go back.
“Will you be fine until then? She’s coming back in a day or two, we aren’t sure yet.” The way Kate spoke softly to her had somehow eased her mind and she was glad for having such a beautiful woman in her life.
“I will, Kate. Even if I'm not, I know you’d always be there.” Just like a baby, Kate lulled her into a beautiful sleep before she walked out of the room, all the time thinking of what would possibly be hurting Anna to the point that she would come back home and would spend a few days to do what Kate knew was meditate her aching soul. She truly loved Anna and she didn’t want her to be in pain, but it seemed both her and that Jack of a guy need to figure themselves out.
❦
The next morning was a beautiful one, well, until she opened her eyes and all the things that happened yesterday came back to her mind and she felt a soul crushing agony trying to overcome her sanity. She sat upright on the bed with tears already spilling out of her eyes. Yesterday was gone, Jack didn’t look for her because she had finally given him the chance to be with his beloved just like he wanted and today was here, and sadly Anna knew it would be the same story.
She cleared her tears and walked to the bathroom; she had promised herself yesterday that she wasn’t going to cry over him ever again. Even though she knew that was a fake promise as she knew what she felt and how she felt it. She got her bathe and when she checked her wardrobe, nothing matched her mood. She had to look for faded jeans and a cotton t-shirt that wouldn’t hug her body so well before she roughly got a comb into her messy hair and walked out of the room. Maybe if she ate, things wouldn't be so bad.
It was already past noon, and all the maids were done with their works and had gone out on their usual businesses. Some of them were back in their chambers as they waited to be called if there was something. There was never too much work unless Mom was home and this will feel as though it were work free days for us. At least until Mom came back. She walked to the kitchen to see what was there for her to eat, silently hoping that Kate didn't make breakfast with her because it would’ve gotten cold by now.
She saw her already working on the veggies she was going to use for lunch and Anna smiled at her. “Good Afternoon, Kate. Don’t you rest like the others do? The work will be too much on you.” She sat down on the kitchen island and Kate looked up to her with a smile.
“Good Afternoon, Anna. How are you feeling today?” When Anna refused to move, Kate knew this was her way of demanding for an answer from her, and she chuckled before she answered. “No, I don’t get tired and I have to make sure everything is done on time, don’t you think?”
Anna nodded her head before she began to nibble on the fruits that were on the table. “I know, but you should also be resting, Kate.” That time, she spoke with Kate as she made breakfast for her, while she ate and even after she was done eating. Anna was persistent about cooking their lunch and she had to promise Kate that it was going to take her mind off things before she let them work together. She wished she hadn’t left her phone in that house, because she wanted so bad to speak to Maya even though she had spoken to Kate, but this was different.
As she worked, she kept on thinking about all the thing Kate had told her and she thought maybe that would be the final way out for her and her dearest Mother. It wasn’t until late in the evening when she packed more of her clothes because there were things she needed but always forgot whenever she came home. She took everything she wanted and while bracing herself to be stronger than she had ever been, Anna walked out of the house to the parking lot.
❦
He was playing a game on the tv when she walked into the house as she held her trolley. He looked unbothered, and even though she had braced herself for the worst to happen, it still stung to see the way he was. She didn’t expect him to be rolling on the floor as he bitterly cried just because the woman he married to in papers and the ring on her finger had left his house when she found him making love to the woman he loved, of course. She acted as if she hadn’t seen him and walked into her room. She looked for her phone in the room but there was no sign of her phone there and that forced her to go back to the living room again.
She saw the phone exactly where she had left it, it wasn’t even touched for her to know that he had tried to look for her and then he found out that she had left the phone at home. She didn’t even tilt her head to look at the way he was playing his game as though he had gotten everything in life. Well, maybe he had. Because who else would marry Anna Brayden and treat her the way he did? It was either him or Nate, and from the looks of it, Nate was more regretful than Jack would ever be.
She was checking her missed calls and her messages when a call came through, it was Julia. Oh, how she had missed Julia and work altogether. “Hello Julia?” She asked while she tried to plaster a beautiful smile on her face.
“Hello ma’am. Good evening.” They spoke with Julia for a shot while and he told her that she would send her her new address now so that on Monday, she would come here to get her as she was going to resume to work, she was tired of doing nothing already. He still hadn’t turned or even tried to acknowledge the fact that she was there in the room.
She walked back to her room and began to clean the mess she couldn't’ remember making, but when she thought about the possibility of Clara spending the night there, she quickly brushed off the thought and shook her head. Jack might be insensitive when it came to her, but he wouldn’t allow her to sleep in her room, would he? That wasn’t even the right thing to say, if she spent the night in the house yesterday, then it meant one thing, she would have to stay with Jack in his room.
She turned away all the feelings, all the guesses she had in mind and when she was done cleaning the room, it was eight in the evening already. She walked out to the kitchen to see the situation it was in and decided that she was going to hire for a maid, or maybe one maid from home will do. Just that she didn’t what will be happening in the house anymore for her to bring in someone from home who might actually be telling Mom about everything and Anna knew she would get herself agitated for no reason. She briskly cleaned the door and decided that she would order for what she would eat tonight before she walked out and then, her heart got broken again.
No, it wasn’t the way they were making out that irked her soul anymore, it was the gown on her body. It was the gown Jack came in in the boutique and found her trying to see whether it would look good on her or not. Who the hell gave this girl the effrontery to wear her clothes? What the freaking hell was wrong with the two of them? Furiously, Anna walked toward them and the next thing she did after she had yanked her away from Jack’s body was slapped her right on both cheeks and as though it were a miracle, she felt herself being slapped.
She turned, slowly as though she wanted to change what she thought had happened, and then there he stood furiously staring at her and Anna knew she didn't have to ask who had slapped her, it was him. “Have you gone out of your mind? What the hell is wrong with you, Anna?!” He yelled at her and she took a step behind to mentally prepare herself for the tantrum she was about to throw on both of them.
“Whatever the freak is wrong with the two of you! And mind you, don’t you ever think of yelling at me again!” Her palms were still on her cheeks that she didn’t even know what to say next. She roughly yanked Clara, “Your slut should get her filthy body out of my gown, now!!!” And another slap came, this time, it wasn't from Jack but Clara herself.