Chapter 12

Anna stepped into her two-bedroom apartment, taking in the blue walls and chic interior. Although the break was fun she had missed the solitude that living alone had entailed, or so, she thought.

Her apartment still faintly smelled like the lemon air freshener she loved, she thought as she dragged her suitcase into the living room. She ran a critical eye over the medium-sized living room, mentally taking note of what needed to be done. She had left her apartment in pristine condition, just the way she liked it but a thin sheen of dust had settled in.

So she set herself to the task of making everything gleam, as usual, opting to clear her head in the process. Cleaning had a therapeutic effect on her, and she needed all the help she could get to clear her head.

Anna went towards her bookshelf, running her fingers through the spines of her beloved books, she felt like curling on the floor with a good book and a glass of her favorite wine, but she couldn't and she didn't want to dwell on the reason.

Armed with a duster, broom, and rag, she entered her living room determined to get done with everything she had to accomplish. It took her an hour to return her living room to the former splendor before moving on to the next task.

Exhaustion seeped into her system, but she stubbornly continued to tackle everything head-on. Feeling thirsty, she opened her fridge in search of something to relieve her parched throat, also noting how empty her fridge looked. The next thing on her list was groceries, she needed groceries to survive.

Walking into her beige-colored room, she spotted her purse on her bed and went towards it, but as she sat down on her bed, the only thoughts running through her head was to take a nap, just a short one before she continued her chores.

Anna jolted awake, momentarily confused as to where she was, before realizing she was in her own room in New York. Her stomach growled, alerting her to the reason why she was awake.

Her fridge was almost bare, save for a few foodstuffs and an open bottle of white wine, her favorite, too bad she couldn't take alcohol again, it was one of the downsides of being pregnant, that and loss of caffeine and the inevitable weight gain. She settled on making a pasta dish, complementing it with salad. Salad makes everything healthy.

She missed cooking for two or more now that she was single and alone. There was no one to set the table with, share her meal with, or even squabble with. Has her house always felt this empty? But of course, there was no one there to witness her internal struggle except herself and her unborn baby.

She had roughly seven months before her baby would be here to keep her company, the brunette thought placing her hand on her stomach.

She couldn't imagine having a toddler crawling in her apartment with the glass center table in her living room and the vase that was kept strategically, giving her apartment a modern chic look. She would have to remedy that and make it baby-proof to avoid future mishaps. Maybe she could start shopping for baby things, or was it too early for that?

Just as the thought came in her phone rang, bringing her back to reality. It was an incoming Skype call from Nicole. Her friend had mentioned going to visit her parents after dropping her off at the airport. Setting her unfinished food to the side, she received the video call on her laptop instead.

She put the laptop down, adjusting the camera so they could see her well. It seemed like Nicole and her mom were arguing about something, it was quite normal for them to be arguing, thankfully the argument didn't appear heated.

"Hi Janice," she said to get their attention.

"Anna dear, how are you doing?" The older blond greeted back, focusing her attention on the brown-haired girl.

"I'm fine thank you, and how are you and John?" Anna asked referring to her husband.

She sighed in mock exasperation, "he's fine, cranky but alive."

"I feel so left out in this conversation." Nicole pouted.

Anna grinned, her friend was always one for the dramatics, something she inherited from her mother, "I saw you a couple of hours ago, so I know you're well and alive. You look good, going vegan must be good for you because you look at least a decade younger." She said referring to Janice.

Obviously pleased by the comment the older blonde beamed at her, "I know right? Those yoga classes are really paying off and trust me going vegan is one of the best decisions I've made in a while," she put her hand on her waist, striking a pose to emphasized on her lithe and slim physique, "I only wish I could convince John to join me." They all laughed at that, acknowledging the fact that the senior Sander loved his meat.

"Since none of you want me here, I'm going to sit with dad, at least he wouldn't ignore me." Nicole huffed. She wasn't angry at all, only leaving because she knew that her friend would need some quality time with the woman she equally considered a mother.

"Extend my love to John," Anna called out as her friend blew her a kiss.

"I'm disappointed you didn't come to visit us," Janice said cutting straight to the point.

She averted her gaze from the older woman, "I wanted to but something came up."

Janice raised her brows at this, "I'm guessing that something has something to do with the reason Nicole has been acting somewhat shady?"

Something was holding Anna back from blurting out everything, she didn't want to disappoint Janice, someone who had raised her as her own even when her mum failed to do so.

The older woman looked at her with warm brown eyes, the same eyes her daughter inherited, eyes filled with patience and kindness. Anna felt her throat clog up with unshed tears as the reality of everything came crashing down to her.

"Are you alright? You don't need to tell me if you want."

Her lips wobbled, "I'm fine, I want to tell you, I just- I just need a moment to get my emotions under control." Her eyes were wet, she used the back of her hand to wipe her tears.

"Take all the time you need baby."

It was then her tears became sobs, the kindness of the blonde woman was her undoing, and so she did. She told her everything.

From how they met, to how impressed he had been when he discovered she was the exhibit designer that put together the exhibition, she told her of the late-night calls and their first date, of how attentive he had been in the beginning, and how she gradually but surely fell in love with him.

She explained how she felt, reminiscing on the good times. She talked about when they fought about minor things, and how they made up- she didn't get into much details about that.

She confessed how scared she felt when she realized she was in love with him, how she couldn't wait to tell him, and the moment she did the way he withdrew from her.

Anna told her of how heartbroken she felt when she uttered those three little words that became their undoing, how he averted his gaze from hers when she said I love you and made a silly excuse about work before leaving her, in the middle of the night.

She confessed how she had hopefully waited for him that night, scared she pushed him away with her love, and hoping he would come back and confess the love she was sure she had seen in those steely grey eyes.

She told her of how disappointed she was when he didn't show up that night, and how he had disappeared for two weeks before showing up again like nothing happened and how she accepted him back with no question asked.

Anna explained how withdrawn he was when he returned and how lonely she had felt, even when she was in his arms. How she often ran her hand on one of his strong, dark eyebrows when he was asleep, the only time the perpetual frown marring his forehead disappeared.

Then she told her of the fight, how he went to shower after they made love, and her picking up his phone as she arranged the clothes they had discarded in a rush. She told her of the text and how she had stood there trying to make sense of it until something in her snapped.

How she desperately tried to hold on to her composure but failed, the words they exchanged, the ones she wished she had said and the ones she wished she hadn't, before his final departure from her home and inevitably, her life.

Anna explained how relieved she was when she left the city, and how free she felt after crying with Nicole. How she fell sick, and what she felt when she found out she was pregnant.

She retold what happened the previous night, how she had been shocked when their new friend, Bianca extended his engagement invitation to her, how she threw up after seeing his picture and how she still felt nauseous anytime she thought of him.

Throughout her explanation, the older woman kept a neutral face, the only thing betraying her emotion was the subtle raise of her eyebrow when Anna declared she was pregnant.

"Wow, when you told me you were seeing someone a few months back, I had no idea it was serious. But have you contacted the father since you found out you were pregnant?" She asked tilting her head.

In a small voice, Anna whispered, "I can't, I don't want to see him again, I want no ties with him."

Vehemently shaking her head, the older woman moved closer to the laptop, "Anna, don't say that, remember it takes two to tango and you shouldn't be alone in this, are your parents aware of this?" Janice asked.

"Not yet, I'll tell them but not now." She licked her lips, tasting the salt from her tears.

After getting over her initial shock, Janice seemed to have bounced back to her usual self, joking about everything and trying to make Anna laugh. She had even yelled her husband's name in excitement proclaiming she was going to be a grandma.

Anna checked the time realizing it was late, they had talked for two hours straight, her dinner must be cold by now.

"I'll leave you to break the news to him, I didn't realize it had gotten so late."

"You're right, it's almost time for my meditation, don't forget to eat well, eat for two or more as the case may be, and don't forget to schedule an appointment with a gynecologist as soon as possible."

"I've done that already, it's scheduled for Wednesday."