19 The Victim and The Liar

Anna's clothes had soaked through her skin. She had been sitting in the rain at the park. 

A few passersby gave her a strange look, but as people usually do, no one paid that much attention to her, nor did anyone try to offer her an umbrella.

But even if someone did, Anna would have ignored that person and let herself shiver in the cold.

The sky was empty. It was devoid of the usual twinkling stars that blanketed it on a regular night.

Anna stared at nothing. She felt numb inside. 

The tears that should have come cascading down her cheeks like the steady rainfall around her did not come as she had expected. Nonetheless, she could not get herself to walk back into her condo. She can't face the inevitable fact that she'd been played.

The pain must have numbed her to her core that no tears spilled from her eyes. The downpour went on for several more minutes before, eventually, it came to a stop. 

It was only then that Anna got up and began the long walk back to her workplace, where her car was still parked in the parking lot on the ground floor of the building.

Soaked all over, Anna's body began to betray her. The rain had soaked her through that even her undergarments were wet. Her black-heeled shoes were slippery.

After almost losing her balance, Anna absent-mindedly removed her shoes and continued her pace barefoot.

With her sense of direction partly gone, Anna was surprised she made it to her black BMW. It was her grandmother's gift for her birthday last year.

Briefly thinking of her beloved grandmother, Anna could put a faint smile on her lips.

When she was about to look for her keys, it was only at that moment that Anna woke up from her stupor. Realizing her stupidity, Anna slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand.

She had left her workplace after receiving the break-up text, leaving her purse behind. 

Their office was most likely locked at this point, and Anna would need to walk to her condo as she had nothing with her but her soaked-ass self.

"Great," Anna mumbled, letting herself sit on the asphalt, the heat coming from the cement floor warming her up a little.

"Anna?"

Feeling weak and defeated, Anna slowly raised her head and looked at Ryan Adams, a co-worker she hardly associated with as he was in a different department. But they say hi to each other from time to time.

Anna remembered feeling embarrassed at that time. However, whenever she thought of that day now, she regretted ever meeting him when she had felt so vulnerable.

He was a snake, and he had crawled his way to Anna's life, gaining her trust and then breaking it when the time came for him to do so.

He was a liar, and Anna hated herself for allowing her emotions to turn a blind eye to the warning signs she should have noticed right from the start.

Sadly, it was a little late when Anna learned that Ryan had played like he was the victim after Anna had left the company. 

It almost made Anna vomit, thinking she had always found him sweet and yearned to hear his voice every day.

Ryan was sweet. But he was two-faced, and Anna regretted ever trusting the guy and welcoming him into her life. She regretted showing him her vulnerability.

And now, Anna was fuming mad that he had the audacity to drop by her place. After what he had done to her, he had the face to show up there.

But maybe Anna was also to blame. 

If she had listened to Nikki about moving to a different place, she wouldn't be in this situation right now.

'I should really listen to Nikki and find a nice place to move in.'

"Anna, I know you are in there." Ryan blew out a sigh.

Anna scoffed, clenching her hands into fists. She was contemplating whether to open her door or not. She could not think of anything good happening if she opened the door and heard him out.

What was he doing here anyway? Anna mused. Did he somehow miss her after seeing her the other day or two? Anna scoffed for the second time around.

"Anna, come on. I just want to talk."

Anna eyed the viewing screen. She had nothing to talk about with Ryan. For her, he was nothing but a mere part of the past she did not want to remember.

She was about to ignore him when she saw someone else coming towards Ryan, taking the latter by surprise as he grabbed him harshly by the arm, punching him in the face right after.

In an instant, Anna bolted her door open and halted Kristofer Almodiel from fully hurtling Ryan across the hallway. 

Even though Anna would have cared less if that had been the case, she couldn't afford the two guys to cause any commotion and the other people coming out of their units.

Trying to hide her shock, Anna pulled Kristofer Almodiel away.

"What are you doing?" she said, not even caring that she was still in her bathrobe and had no trace of any make-up. 

Her hair was in a messy bun, and she probably would regret coming out looking like that later on.

"What do you think?" was Kristofer Almodiel's cocky response to her query. Anna slapped her forehead for the second time.

"What are you even doing here? Are you stalking me?"

"You two know each other?" Ryan Adams remarked before Kristofer could give Anna a proper explanation.

Anna and Kristofer turned towards Ryan, who was already on his feet, wiping at the blood on his lips with his thumb.

"No."

"Yes."

Anna harrumphed and exchanged incredulous stares with Kristofer Almodiel. The latter smirked but looked away after a few minutes.

"No," she repeated, turning back to face Ryan again. "And you," she paused, giving him the deadliest glare she could manage.

"Go to hell."