"Anna, dear. Don't be so upset," Leticia murmured anxiously. "What happened? Stop crying, tell me! I can't look at you like that without understanding anything!"
"It's okay, Leti. Leave me for a while, go sit with the boys. I'll come out to you soon," the only thing Anna could mutter in response.
Leticia, after a moment's hesitation, obeyed and left the room. Anna was alone with her thoughts. She tried to sift despair from hope. Randall... How she had waited for that simple phrase and gone to such lengths to hear it. Did he mean what he wrote?
Closing her eyes, Anna seemed to read the messages over and over again. She tried to figure out where the mistake was, what was wrong. Those were the most welcome words of her life, but when she finally got Randall's confession, she didn't feel that relieved.
She dreamed that if he told her he loved her, everything would finally fall into place, they would be together again, and the story would have a happy ending.
The reality was that the confession didn't ease the pain of his cheating, that Teo and his story with Anna didn't just disappear like a second's worth of memories, that the awaited phrase didn't restore her pride and peace, and she didn't rush her back into Randall's arms.
She could not find an explanation for the reaction. But she felt this wild, unbridled joy, this misplaced exultation, this sort of triumph that she had got her way.
"What's to be done about it?" a voice called from the doorway.
"Huh?" the question took Anna aback.
"Attires." Teo nodded toward the scattered dresses and was horrified to see that Anna's eyes were red. "Are you crying?"
"No, no, Teo. I just—I just..." no quick answer came to mind. "I was just washing off my make-up. Then I got a little distracted, that's all. I will wash it off quickly and come out to you. I'm just tired of wearing false eyelashes all day."
Deciding that the excuse had worked and not daring to subject Teo's reaction to scrutiny, she slipped into the bathroom and turned on the water as loudly as she could.
"Ay, no! Phone!" she slapped her forehead and, hastily washing off the last of her makeup after a long sob, ran out to shower Teo with more explanations.
He was standing at the door, and as soon as she came out, he motioned her into the hall. He had a phone in his hand.
Anna swallowed, expecting a scandal.
YOU ARE READING
NOT GIVING UP ON FOREVER
RomanceOne woman. Three men. One of them should surely be The One. When Anna's heart is shattered by betrayal, she embarks on a journey to heal her broken heart. But when she meets two handsome suitors while traveling, she must decide between them and lea...
