Ann’s POV
The door opens, and I hear the shuttling of feet before it stops right in front of the bed. Even though I am not asleep, I don’t open my eyes to see who it is because I am not curious or interested in talking with anyone.
I have been this way for over a week now.
I’m grieving, but I don’t want to believe it is grieving. Maybe this is all a dream, and I will wake up from this nightmare soon.
Mother didn’t deserve all that happened to her. She was such a sweet woman until she met that monster and married him.
She was my only backbone after my father died. She worked two jobs just to ensure I was ok. She gave me life and always assured me that everything would be ok one day.
But she fell in love with the wrong man. And he ruined us. He ruined our relationship. Ruined our lives. And finally killed her.
If there is anyone I want to desperately stab in the chest severally, it is Isaac. When my mother told me over the phone about Carter’s death, I was shaken and sad. He wasn’t good to me, but I felt terrible about his death.
Now that I think of it, I don’t want to sympathize with him or anyone anymore.
I can’t help the hatred in my heart, alongside the sorrows that come with the mourning.
No matter how hard I try to deny it, I know this is the reality. No matter how many days I spend behind closed doors, the deed is done already. No matter how long I have my eyes closed to the rest of the world, just because I want to wake up from what I assume is a nightmare, my mother will still be dead.
The funerals had been performed. I couldn’t go.
I was balling my eyes out here, while Vicente took care of everything on my behalf.
Perhaps, I should have gone. Maybe if I had seen her body being lowered to the ground, the reality would have sunk deeper into my system that she was gone forever, and I wouldn’t be here, hoping for a miraculous turnaround.
A cry almost breaks free from my mouth.
“Ann? Annette?” The familiar voice I know calls, making me shut my eyes tighter.
My mother calls me Annette, and everyone else calls me Ann. She calls my full name. Having Vince call me Annette is bringing tears to my eyes again.
He pulls away the duvet wrapped around me before sinking into the bed, his hand touching my arm. “Ann?”
I don’t respond.
I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to talk to him. I just want to remain this way. I just want the world to move on without me.
“Ann?” Another voice calls, making me flutter my eyes open slowly to meet Tessa’s face.
I haven’t seen her since my mother died. Fernando told me she was back in New York and he had informed her immediately it happened.
She called, but I couldn’t bring myself to pick up.
Having her right here in front of me with that look on my face makes me lose it again as I start to cry, whimpering hard until it turns into a scream for Mother.
Tessa hugs me, patting my back slowly while I cry it all out. She doesn’t tell me to stop crying or force me to listen to her. She continues to pat my back until my eyes are dried out from crying, and I am hiccuping.
This is when I realize Vince is out of the room already.
Tessa pulls away finally, stretching a package at me. I look at her with swollen eyes before taking it from her.
Carefully, I unwrap it to see the box of chocolates inside.
My favorite chocolate.
A chuckle leaves my mouth, and another tear slips down my face. A lone tear.
Tessa smiles. “This always has a way of making you smile so I thought to bring ‘her’ along.”
She calls it her because she considers this my best friend and not her.
I laugh again shortly. When I sober up, I remain silent, staring at the box of chocolates.
“Are you going to take it or should I help you eat your best friend?” She demands with a serious expression.
I haven’t had any real food in days. I don’t have the appetite, but this is tempting.
Also, I don’t intend to share my chocolates with her so I open it and stuff my mouth with almost everything. Tessa watches me with delight and a mixture of pity.
Without offering her any part of it, I finish it up and smile at her. “Thank you.”
“You are so selfish, you couldn’t share ‘her’ with me?” She feigns annoyance.
“Never!”
Silence falls, and she opens her arms for me to come in. I embrace her tightly.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it earlier. The weather was so bad, my flight got delayed twice. I was so frustrated and annoyed. If Fernando wasn’t one understanding boss, he would have sack my pretty ass…”
“Fernando?” I raise a brow. “You call your boss by his first name? Is that a rule or something?”
I catch a flit of surprise on her face as her mouth drops before she closes it up and looks away.
“Wait? You have a thing with Fernando?”
Instead of replying to me, she shut her eyes, rubbing a finger over her forehead.
“Wow!” I can’t hide my surprise. I didn’t even suspect a thing.
In a whisper, she warns. “Don’t tell your husband, please.”
“Really?”
She nods with a pout. “We want to keep it a secret, considering how closely we work and you know all these stuff of no employee-employer rules of a thing.”
“How long has this been going on?”
She sighs deeply. “To be honest, for me, since the first day we met. You know, the day he and your husband rescued me.”
“Vicente is his name. You keep saying your husband and it sounds weird.”
She opens her eyes wide. “Well, he is your husband, isn’t he?”
“Wherever.”
We stare at each other for a while before she mentions it. “Your mom. I’m sorry about what happened.”
I nod. “It’s fine.”
Finally, I am accepting the reality. Perhaps, it is time to let go already.
“Heard there is going to be some sort of party tomorrow night,” Tessa informs me, making me raise a brow in surprise.
“I never knew,” I respond calmly. Well, I wouldn’t have known because I haven’t stepped out of this room for a while, and I barely speak to Vince these days to find out anything about a party that I am supposed to organize. “Did Fernando tell you that?”
She nods. “He also told me you were supposed to be the host but since you are…”
“I don’t think I can. I am really not in the right frame of mind to do something like that. I might act like everything is fine for a while but not for long, Tessa. It still hurts. Not just her death but how she died and the years I have wasted without her by my side.”
I am beginning to feel emotional again. It’s going to be really hard to get over this.
“I understand. It’s fine. You don’t need to go anywhere but I just want you to know crying won’t bring her back. What you should be focused on is working together with Vicente to find that monster who killed her. Fernando told me they haven’t stopped searching for him…”
I sniffle. “Yeah. I suddenly feel bad for shutting Vicente out. He rescued her. If only Isaac hadn’t shot her from above, maybe she would still be alive.”
Tessa pouts with sympathy written all over her. When a tear drops, I hug her again, seeking comfort in the embrace.
After a while, she pulls away. “I just remembered something.”
“What’s that?” I wipe my tears.
“Ryan,” she mentions. “He sends his condolences and I think you should do the same.”
Confusion takes over my expression. “Do the same?”
She nods gingerly. “His mother died too. He thinks Isaac Rossi is responsible for her death.”
The words sink in slowly, making me think back to how Ryan was so edgy and giddy about the threat to kill his mother.
“What?!” I exclaim softly.