"We could. I mean. . . . . we should have."

"What?"

"It is all ruined now. You are not the only one who is mad. I am too. I had documented plans and ways to tell you how I feel about you." He said somberly.

"What did you just say?"

"Remember when I told you that I have someone else I was interested in? That person was you Gweneth. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

I have been filling like this for a very long time. You are not aware of it. I avoided you like a disease so you wouldn’t know. So it wouldn’t show. I knew it would not be good at the time because I was still with Maddy. When she left me, I found that the feelings for you were still there and that they never left. So I got close to you again. I was the happiest I have been in a long time when you told me that your wedding was off. I wanted to tell you my feelings today in the car. I wish I had. But I was scared that you might hate it.

I wanted to enjoy us being comfortable the way we are a little bit just incase it leads to that." He pauses to breathe nosily.

"And now I am getting the feeling that I lost you before I even confessed." I go totally silent because I didn’t know what to say. The whole confession at a time like this took me off guard. "Gweneth? Are you still there."

"I thought it too." I acknowledge. "Laurel spelled it out and put it in my head they day she saw us at the pantry. I am glad that you did not confess. Even if what happened did not, I still would not have accepted you. I told you I am steering clear off relationships for now."

"You are scared of being hurt again. I know. But I can be different." He said assuredly. That statement made me almost laugh. How many times have I experienced people saying and acting like they could be different when they are the bigger wolves. Jumping into another romantic relationship so soon would make it seem like I never learnt anything.

"Does she knows that you are making this call? She just ruined a perfect wedding for you and you’re speaking to me like this?" This is so damn unbelievable.

"I know this is crazy complicated—"

I hang up on him. I tried, spending minutes to listen to his bullshit. Let us say I look past my ’no dating for now’ resolve and accept him, what is he going to do with her? I rest my head against the seat and close my eyes. I ignore my phone ringing again thinking it is Raymond calling. I mistakenly glance at it to see that it is my mom calling. I quickly pressed receive. "Hello mom?"

"Hi baby. Where you busy?"

"Yeah. I was in the shower." I lie. "Have you got your phone fixed, or did you get a new one?"

"The fall was impactful this time beyond repair. Guess who came by to see us yesterday and got me a new one?"

"Who?"

"He also told me about what is happening between you two."

Her words made my brow raise. "Who are you speaking of?" It cannot be who I am thinking.

"Neil. Who else would I be speaking of?" Her words hit me like a splash of water. "Neil? What was he doing there?"

"You said everything was fine between you two when I asked the other day. Listen honey. I know he cheated." I can’t believe any of the things that is happening this evening. "But it takes guts and sincerity to be able to come clean and admit it."

"Wait, I still haven’t got it straight. . . he what?"

I silently listen to Mom speak pleadingly on my ex fiance’s behalf. Telling me he is the best out of all the others I have been with and reminding me that I am at the age to settle down and that is all that matters. "Are you done?" I ask when she stops talking. "If I remember correctly, you went batshit crazy and turned into a stalker just on a mere suspicion that Anthony was cheating on you with a woman who later turned out to be a criminal. But I caught that bastard fucking another woman and you are telling me to let it go like he merely wasted an expensive lotion of mine."

She took time off from her job to follow Anthony around because a friend of hers told her that she had seen Anthony’s car parked outside a woman’s house a few kilometers away from our house. What the woman failed to mention was that he had been in the car with binoculars doing a stakeout to find criminating evidence tying the woman to a crime.

"You don’t understand. That doesn’t matter since he loves you enough to come to explain himself to me. Have you forgotten how old you are this year? Jennifer, the dentist’s neighbor daughter got married last month."

"To her third husband? That is a great picket fence mom." I state ironically. Just look at who she is comparing me to. Someone who ran off to las Vegas with her boyfriend and got married when she was just a highschooler. "This is not a joke Gwen. What about the wedding, are you going to cancel it now?"

"Of course. I am even planning to print annulment cards to notify the people I told about it."

"You can’t just break it off because he is cheating. All men cheats." A beep comes in signifying another call. "Bye." I said curtly and end her call. All men can cheat—yes. I want one who would apologize when I catch him at it instead of blaming it on me. In fact he should be smart and respect me enough to hide it from my knowledge and sight. That is the only kind of man I would marry. A subtle cheater. My gist mood collapses when I hear Annie sobbing on the other end. Fear instantly feels me. "Annie? Annie, are you okay? What is going on? Annie talk to me!" I declared forcefully when she just keeps crying. A thousand worst case scenarios comes up in my mind. She is not one to be frightful and cry easily. Is she being chased by a killer?

"I . . . . I . . K... Killed him."

Trepidation shoots up as the line disconnects. I tell the driver to step on it and get me home quickly. Even offering to pay an extra fee. Raymond’s incessant calls made me feel like sending a slap to him. For some dumb network problem, Annie’s line kept saying unreachable. I didn’t wait for the driver to spot before I hurry out like I was being chased. The damn elevator was stuck on repair so I had to take the stairwell. Fear and adrenaline was at a high level that I practically levitated up six flights of stairs. In that I was still trying her number and the damn electronic voice kept saying the same damn thing—unavailable at the moment. I rush into our apartment after typing in the door code. Annie was seated on the couch. Hugging her knees and rocking her body like she had seen a hideous monster and the evil entity from The Nun movie at the same time. I quickly run to her on the couch, asking what the hell is causing her to be so frightened. And there are stains of red on her skin and clothes "Gwen.... what am I going to do?"

"About what?" I asked in an equally scared voice.

"I swear it was an accident. I didn’t mean to do it." She was in a bad, obvious state of delirium. I almost did not understand her in the scared manner that she is speaking. Whatever she had seen is undoubtedly horrible to cause her to behave like this. Hysterical. "Speak out loud! I can’t hear you. What happened? What are you saying you did?" She sharply holds my hand and led me to the kitchen. She stops at the doorway and points inside. I look in the direction. At first no reaction comes out of me when I see the object on the floor—it was just my brain trying to reduce what I was actually seeing. On a more definite stare, I see it. I blink my eyes rapidly but I cannot un-see it. I feel my skin crawling. Along with a more deeper sense of dread. It is actually there. On the floor, there are flowing trails of liquid red around it. That cannot be. . . I go closer to inspect. I grew deathly cold. My legs gave out and I fall to the floor right beside it. A hand pressed to my lips to make the scream I was about to scream silent. It would pierce through this entire building and the other tenants would be aware that something is wrong. Terribly wrong.