Anne sat on a bench outside the hospital, feeling a sense of grief and distress. She had thought that seeing Carl would bring her some happiness, even if he was unconscious, but the doctor had forbidden her from visiting him. Anne felt hopeless knowing that she couldn't do anything to help Carl or even see him.
The morning sun was slowly rising above the horizon, bathing the sky in a pale yellow light. However, despite the beauty of the scene, Anne couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness, knowing that Carl was just a few blocks away, but out of her reach. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the feeling of the sun on her skin, but all she could think about was Carl.
As Anne sat on the bench, her thoughts turned to the night of Mr. Ross's birthday party. She remembered dancing romantically with Carl under the chandeliers, their eyes locked on each other. Anne remembered every single moment like it happened yesterday.
Back then, everything was beautiful and perfect. She wished she could go back to that night and stay there forever but reality had hit her. She was here alone and heartbroken knowing that she could not see the man she loved. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. She wasn't crying out loud but the tears kept falling, like a river.
Anne felt like breaking something, to feel anything else other than the overwhelming sadness that was threatening to consume her. But all she could do was sit there, her body shaking with silent sobs, feeling crushed. She couldn't wait for this nightmare to end so she could be happy again.
Shortly, Anne reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, turning it on. She thought of calling her brother to vent but before she could dial his number, she saw a text message from Treasure. The time of the text came earlier in the morning but she was just seeing it now because she had left her phone turned off.
As a businesswoman, Anne was used to receiving calls at every hour of the day, but she decided to take a break from baking and delivering her pastries till Carl recovered. After all, it was through a delivery that she ended up being kidnapped and got into this horrible situation. She needed some time to focus on her mental health and take a break from this hectic business of hers.
Anne wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand as she read through Treasure's text
'What's up, Anne? I've been trying to reach you, but it looks like your phone is switched off. I know you must be feeling really sad right now with everything going on with Carl, but I want you to know that you have my support. I believe that he's going to get through this and come out stronger than ever. And if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you. You're my friend and I care about you. So please, hang in there and stay strong'
As Anne read the text from Treasure, she felt a sense of gratitude for her friend's support. The message was filled with compassion and understanding, and it touched her heart. She felt lucky to have such a kindhearted and thoughtful friend like Treasure.
Anne was about to reply to Treasure's text but then her phone rang. She saw that it was her brother calling her and she felt a sense of relief because she was about to call him too. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes before answering the call. She didn't want Dexter to suspect that she had been crying so he wouldn't get worried.
"Hello Dex, how's it going at work?" Anne said on the phone. She hoped her voice wouldn't betray the emotions she was feeling.
Meanwhile, Dexter was walking down the hallway of the office building, phone pressed to his ear. "Work is going well sis. Thanks for asking. Did you get to visit Carl today?" he asked. Though his voice was casual, he could sense something was wrong.
Anne inhaled deeply, trying to remain calm and then she felt a lump rise in her throat. It was getting harder and harder to keep her emotions in check. She tried to stay strong but she couldn't pretend anymore and she broke down in tears and started sobbing uncontrollably. The pain and grief she had been trying to suppress finally came pouring out, and she couldn't hold back anymore.
Dexter froze in his tracks when he heard the sound of his sister's sob over the phone. He felt a thorn in his chest as he realized how sad she was. Even though they weren't face to face, he could sense her pain and sorrow as if it were his own. This was one of the reasons he had been overthinking lately. Anne's depression was taking a toll on him mentally, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it.
He was at least glad that he had called, even if it was to hear his sister's cries. He just wanted to check up on her.
"tell me where you at, I wanna come to you," he said.
"No, don't bother," Anne's voice cracked as she spoke. "I don't want you to take time off work just to see me. I just need a moment to pull myself together,"
"Tell me why you're crying. Is something wrong with Carl?" Dexter asked, hoping that nothing terrible had happened.
"They won't let me see him," she sobbed, her voice barely audible through her tears.
Dexter felt his heart breaking at the sound of his sister's grief over the phone. It was painful to hear her so upset, and he was struggling to keep his own emotions in check. He was trying as much as possible not to tear up too because if he was weak how would he comfort his sister? He knew that he had to be strong for her, just as Treasure had advised.
As Dexter stood there, he noticed Audrey in the distance, staring at him with a look that could kill him. But he wasn't affected by her glare. He had bigger problems to deal with.
"I bet it's Carl's grandmother who's keeping you from seeing him," he said to Anne on the phone "Are you still at the hospital?"
"No, I'm just outside," Anne replied, glancing around her.
"Anne you need to leave there right now," he said, feeling frustrated and worried.
"Why do I have to go? I'm just sitting here," she replied, not understanding the urgency.
"Don't you realize that your life is still in danger? The police still don't know where Dr. Ken is, and until they do, I'm not comfortable with you wandering around alone," Dexter said in a firm, serious tone.
Anne could hear her brother's frantic voice through the phone. She couldn't be more grateful for his concern and care. Even though she was technically older than him, he sounded like the older and wiser sibling at that moment. It was reassuring to know that she had someone who had her back when she needed it the most. She may not have many friends, but the ones she did have were worth more than a thousand acquaintances.
"Anne? Are you still there?" Dexter asked after a few moments of silence.
"yes, I'm still here," she said softly.
Meanwhile, Audrey started walking towards Dexter. She saw that his focus was entirely on the conversation on the phone. She couldn't hear what the other person was saying, but she could tell it was important from the look on his face. And from what she could gather, he was talking to a girl. Perhaps the same girl she had seen him kissing earlier.
Audrey felt a surge of jealousy, and a need to confront him about what she'd seen.
"I want you to be safe no matter what," Dexter told Anne on the phone "I'll figure out a way for you to see Carl, I promise. Now go home and take care of yourself. And make sure you text me as soon as you get home okay, I love you,"
"I love you too," Anne replied, and with that, the call ended.
She took a deep breath, feeling a sense of calm after talking to her brother. His words had soothed her, and she felt a sense of hope.
With a lighter step, she headed home.
Audrey gave Dexter a sly look. "Was that your girlfriend on the phone? Or is it just another girl who you manipulated to fall for you," she said bitterly. It was killing her on the inside as she heard Dexter saying "I love you" to someone else. She had no idea that Dexter was talking to his sister.
"Good morning Audrey, what's it to you?" Dexter replied calmly to her. He had no desire to engage in a petty argument especially now that he wasn't in the right state of mind. His sister was suffering, and it was messing with him.
Dexter looked sad but Audrey wasn't seeing it. She was only concerned about confronting him because of how jealous she was.
"I saw you making out with some chick outside the company," she said and Dexter raised his brows at her with surprise.
"Yeah right. You must've really liked her a lot to not be able to control yourself even in public," she said.
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Audrey knew it was a petty and childish thing to say, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't want to confront Dexter like this but the moment she saw him, she had a fierce desire to confront him.
"And how does that bother you?" Dexter said nonchalantly and it stung Audrey's chest like a needle.
"It doesn't bother me at all," she lied. "I'm only curious why you chose her over me! I mean look at her, she's not even as pretty as me, yet you had to embarrass me by picking her over me? What a shame" Audrey scoffed feeling frustrated.
"Hey, I am not going to stand here and listen to you talk shit about my girl," Dexter warned
"Your girl?" Audrey narrowed her eyes
"She won't be your girl for long when she finds out that you're a playboy who leads people on and ends up breaking their hearts. Our relationship might have not been a defined one but somehow, you made me feel special till I got carried away.
How dare you play with my emotions like that when you felt nothing for me?" she said, her voice rising. She was trying to remain composed, but the anger and pain were bubbling up inside her.
Dexter heaved an exasperated sigh. He was so frustrated with Audrey's accusations that he felt he was going to fall sick. "look, Audrey," he said. "I have a lot on my plate right now, and I can't keep standing here and listening to your BS. You think I led you on, but to be honest, I was only nice to you. I never EVER flirted with you!"
"…but"
"LET ME FINISH!" Dexter cuts in before Audrey can say something meaningful.
"And about the kiss we shared," he continued. "I only let it happen because I didn't want to make things awkward between us if I pulled away. But now I wish I had because you were clearly just a friend to me,"
Audrey stared at Dexter, her lips slightly parted as she listened to him. Her heart was beating anxiously but he wasn't done yet.
"I don't wanna argue about this anymore and I don't think we're gonna resolve this right now so let's please leave it and go our separate ways," he said and walked away from her.
Audrey stood there, shocked and dumbfounded. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, like a knife twisting in her heart. The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over, rolling down her cheeks as she fought to keep her composure.
Dexter had never spoken to her like that before. He had always been so kind and gentle with her, but now he seemed like a different person.
It's all that girl's fault! Audrey thought, referring to Treasure as the girl who has changed Dexter.
Audrey has hated Treasure from the first day she set her eyes on her. But now, the feeling she has for Treasure is more than hate. She was envious of her. She blamed Treasure for causing her all this pain.
Little did she know that Dexter was dealing with a lot of stress at the moment, and it has made him more short-tempered. Also, Dexter has had enough of Audrey acting like she owns him just because of her feelings for him.
Audrey wiped the tears in her eyes as she thought of what to do next. She has to find a way to make Treasure pay for what she has done.
But then she stopped herself. No, she thought. I won't give her the satisfaction.
She is not going to chase Dexter anymore rather, she'll make Dexter chase her. Her plan now is to ruin whatever relationship he has with Treasure so he'll come crawling back to her.
Audrey started to feel a little bit better as she plotted her revenge. She still felt heartbroken but at least she had a plan. She took a deep breath and resolved to put her plan into action. She didn't know exactly how she would do it, but she was determined to succeed. She refused to let Treasure win.