Annalise couldn't sleep, she spent the night tossing on her bed until the morning light streamed through her windows telling her she'd have to rouse up and face the man she called her husband, or not, she was sure she didn't have to.
She was still reeling from the shock of last night and Anna was sure she was going to for a very long time. How could anyone be so callous as to commit murder so simply and still come out with a smile on their face? She had thrown up as soon as they'd gotten home, and even now just the thought of it was making her want to retch out all of her stomach's content.
She could still see the man, the way his eyes seemed to follow her everywhere, it had been so uncomfortable but of course, she hadn't wished him dead, she could never wish that on anyone. Annalise shook her head, it was futile trying to make sense of any of these, she had known that her husband wasn't some goody two shoes but it had been better when the idea of all of his vile actions had just been something imaginative to her, she didn't need a firsthand experience.
Her phone by her bedside vibrated and on the screen, it read 'sister' Annalise took in a breath before swiping a finger on her screen.
"Hello, Laura." She said in a low tone.
"You fucking bitch!" Laura yelled from the other end startling Annalise.
"Is everything okay?" She asked worry etched on her forehead.
"No Annalise, nothing is okay because you did it, didn't you? You won again! You tricked me and won, he was supposed to be mine!" Her voice was louder now and Anna had to move the phone away from her ears, what in the world was Laura talking about?
"I thought he was some ogre, isn't that what they said? Where are the horrendous scars? The ugliness? Where is any of that?" She asked.
Annalise finally realized who it was Laura was talking about.
"Nicolás?" She asked quietly.
"Nicolás?" Laura mimicked mockingly. "You must think you're something now that he's married you, don't you? This is all your fault Papá! How could you do this to me?" She cried. "I am your daughter yet you gave the best Moreno brother to that outsider!"
Annalise froze at her sister's utterance. It wasn't the first time Laura was calling her that and had called her worse, she was reminded at the slightest opportunity that she wasn't truly an Armillo and would never be.
"You should be glad!" Anna heard her father's angry voice in the background. "Look behind his physical appeal, will you? He is a monster beneath all of that, so what if you feel he's handsome enough for you? With a heart so cold, you should be grateful we saved you from him."
"I don't care, I didn't ask you to do anything! He is the one I want, you should have let me decide for myself, now that stupid bitch is living my life and I get crumbs? The fucking loser of a brother who can't…"
Annalise hung up unable to hear anymore.
Her heart felt like it was being ripped off, and tears fell down her face. All her life, Anna has done everything to please the Armillos and to have a sense of belonging but yet, they always reminded her she wasn't one of them and that was one of the most painful feelings ever - to know that no matter how hard you tried, you were unlovable. She didn't want to be treated as special as Laura, she wasn't stupid to even think of comparing, but she wouldn't mind a fraction of the affection shown her sister's way showered on her even for a short while.
She went into the shower and let the hot water run over her body, it was jarring how much her life had changed in just a few days. Here she was in a stranger's home having a bath the morning after she'd been an accessory to murder.
Annalise froze, that was right she was Nicolás's accomplice and if he got caught, she was going to get arrested too after all they'd both been there. She had watched enough crime movies to know the police wouldn't believe she didn't have anything to do with it, not unless Nicolás said so himself and Anna doubted he would. Her head snapped around, she was scared witless, has the man's body been found? Were the police on their way here already? She stared up at the window, it was way too high to climb and she was going to break her neck if she attempted going through it.
She wrapped a towel around her body and ran out of the toilet, and as luck would have it, her small toenail hit the side of the bed, the pain making her tumble over.
"Cristo!" She cried, grabbing at it as tears pricked her eyes… What a beautiful morning it was turning out to be, her injured toe was bright red already. Annalise got up and headed out, she might be able to get a cold compressor at least.
With great difficulty to maintain silence and avoid her husband entirely, she made her way out of her room and walked down the stairs. After getting ice on her leg, she set on making coffee for herself. She had planned to go grocery shopping today and fill Nicolás's pantry with edibles but not anymore, not now that the police could be looking for her and her husband.
"I'm not a murderer, I didn't do anything." She chanted in a low voice to herself as she made her way back to her room, her eyes set on the large screen TV as she passed through the sitting room, and with a fast-beating heart, she grabbed the remote and turned it on.
A blonde, beautiful woman on the TV was saying,
"... Following the murder of one of the members of the senator of life last night, the police have now confirmed the arrest of a suspect accused of the gruesome killing of Sir Frederick D'Attillio…"
The mug fell from Annalise's hand shattering into a thousand pieces.