Anna feet stomped hard on the frosty lawn, as she ran away from the house. She managed to put on an orange jumpsuit, with a big, dark coat on her body, as she hurriedly gathered the little, she had, and ran out of the house, hopefully, out of Mister Truce's life.
She didn't care about her diagnosis anymore. Matter of fact, this was the perfect time for her to disappear from the face of the earth. The chill of the Christmas morning air, slapped her face, but she didn't feel it. Her mind reeled and her heart was numb. So much for the perfect Christmas gift. So much for realizing life could be good, with the perfect man. It was as if he wanted her to find it, to know the truth.
Her thoughts swirled in her head as she ran, tears blurring her vision. How could he do this to me? Had he been lying all along? What would he get from their union anyway? A pet dog by the side to watch them revel in their blissful 'friendship'?
The memories of their time together now seemed tainted, false. His laughter, his thick locks, his cool CEO strides, with those pale blue eyes staring intently at her, their evening walks, their dance, the kiss… was that all for nothing as well?
She didn't dare look back, scared of what she might see. Instead, she focused on putting one foot in front of the other, her breath appeared like fog, visible in the cold air. She burst through the gate, onto the deserted streets of Southampton. She remembered the route they took when she escorted Cliff to the bus station, it was a few miles away.
But she didn't stop. She kept on walking, her feet carrying her on autopilot, while her mind wrestled with several thoughts flying across it. The streets were empty, save for a few people and the occasional cars that passed by, but she heard sounds of cheers and jubilation inside the houses that lined the streets. Family… something she would never have. She wiped another tear from her face. Cliff was right, she didn't meet a better person after all. Did he lie to me as well? she shook her head in dismay.
When she reached the station, she realized she left the estate without a penny, Panic set in, but she fearlessly pushed it aside. No matter what, she wouldn't go back to that house.
She approached an old man, with kind eyes, and cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry to ask, sir, but I need to get out of here. I don't have any money, please help me." Anna said, her voice shaking.
The old man looked at her with surprise, then nodded. "It's Christmas, child. I'll pay your fare."
Anna's eyes welled up in tears as she thanked him. After a while, she boarded the bus, finding a seat near the back and waited for it to get filled. Then the vehicle rumbled to life, and they set off to Boston. Anna checked the time on her phone, it was eight minutes past twelve; however fate had other plans.
Halfway through the journey, the bus sputtered and came to a halt. Some people began panicking as murmurs flew about them, wondering what had happened. The driver, an elderly man with white, short hair, went down to ascertain what the issue was before coming back up to inform them that they had a faulty engine and would be stranded for the next two hours, waiting for a replacement bus.
Groans and murmurs escalated, and spread through the vehicle. "I need to be in Brookline in four hours to be beside my baby!" one woman, wearing a red hat cried out, and another round of uproar began, everyone echoing their plans for the day and the inconvenience.
Anna stepped down from the bus, joining a few others outside on the side of the road, and walked a short distance ahead, lost in thought. Her life was now turned upside down, she didn't feel this way when she was told about her diagnosis, or her breakup with Sam. This was worse than any betrayal she ever had in her life, and she was hurting deeply. Like a nightmare she was unable to wake up from,
As she stood there on the side of the road, a black car screeched to a halt across the road. Her heart thumped as she thought Mister Truce had finally tracked her down, as he normally did. To apologize and explain, so that everything would go back to the way it was. She didn't know why she hoped he would come save her from the mess he created.
The car's driver's window whined down, and a familiar head popped out instead. "Oh sweetness, look what I found…" Anna's breath hitched in her throat as she peered unbelievably at the familiar short haired, smoky eyed, red liped, head, that popped out of the window,
Talk of the devil, Sam Foxx.
Anna never believed in coincidences, and she didn't like this one very much. Her instincts screamed at her to run, get away from him, but her legs felt heavy, and rooted to the spot. Surprise was an understatement to describe what she felt and her body seemed to flow with it.
"Anna? What are you doing in the middle of nowhere?" his scratchy voice was laced with surprise. Anna hinted at how many bottles he had consumed. He was the last person she expected to see in her escape journey. Is my life running in circles now?
"Duty calls… or, are you running away from your boyfriend?" Sam asked rhetorically, when she didn't say anything. He didn't remember how beautiful she looked before, and secretly thanked the heavens for bringing him such luck on Christmas.
When Anna finally gained control of her voice, she stammered. "Just… waiting for the bus." She looked away again, the sea wind blew her hair across her face, revealing how uncomfortable she was.
Sam's eyes narrowed in concern, "get in. I'll give you a ride."