26. Her nth rejection

"I want to attend the party but how will it be engaging when you aren't around?" George's question interrupted Anna's thought but her response was unexpected. 

"You danced with Jessica at the bar. I wasn't there but you enjoyed yourself and loved it, am I wrong, Master George?" 

Even Anna couldn't believe that she could reply in such a manner. Was she so against George going to the party? 

George blinked after staying blank for a while. "I guess I can enjoy the party without you," he murmured but Anna heard him. 

"I'm not full yet, may I eat more?" Anna killed the topic but George was still interested in what Anna and the waiter talked about to make her smile. 

George, however, went on to feed Anna while he fed himself too. He just couldn't get the matter out of his head. 

"When is the ball party?" Anna abruptly asked, looking at his face.

"After my trip," he answered. 

"Meaning you'll come back to me on Friday morning?" Anna asked. 

"Yes, and I'll take you out…somewhere you'll love to be even though…" George stayed quiet. 

Anna looked away. "Don't you think you are being too close to me? And can I make something clear?" She suddenly seemed harsh. 

George looked between both of them and realized that he had to be that close to Anna so that he could feed her but it seemed like she didn't like the interaction anymore. 

"You want to make something clear?" George asked, recalling how Anna used to treat him. "Sure, I'll listen," he knew that whatever she was going to say was going to hurt him even if it was a little bit and he got that signal from the tone of her voice. 

'No matter what you say, Anna. I won't leave you just as I didn't in the past. But damn, it hurt so much' 

Anna saw that fear in his eyes. It was very obvious but she wasn't affected by his expression this time, she frowned and looked away from him. 

Anna's eyes landed on the table only for her to learn that they had finished breakfast. "I'm not interested in you as a man. If it was possible, I'd say that we shouldn't be friends. I just need you as an ally to help me with my plans and don't have those thoughts about me, George, stop it, attend the party, and move on, I am not for you and I don't think I'll ever love you, so stop trying so hard!" 

Anna looked into his eyes. "Because I'll never love you, George," directly into his eyes with no emotions whatsoever, Anna said to George. 

Oh, it felt so bad and his heart felt as if it fell from its cage because it became too weak to perform its function. 

George's eyes twitched and then his lips stretched into a smile, a fake smile. 

Anna saw the pain but she was strict about what she uttered. 'George will be my weakness if I allow him to get even closer to me. I need to follow my purpose and forget about having a man in my life' 

"Anna," George started by calling her name but he had to look away. At this moment, his hands were already shaking. 

'Why do I feel this way?' George asked himself. He was trying so hard to hold back the pain that stung his heart brutally. 

'Why Anna? Why can't you love me? You said it yourself that I am handsome and…why…why can't you just see me as a man and love me?' George sobbed internally but he held his breath and drank a gallon of water before facing Anna again. 

"I'll try my best to maintain such distance between both of us but as I've mentioned before, I am not taking advantage of the situation, I just won't leave you or let you do this alone, hm?" George answered Anna and didn't wait for her response. 

George stood up and paid the bills. "Let's go home before Doctor Zhao does," he announced and pushed Anna's chair out of the restaurant after thanking them for their service. 

The drive back home was silent. George spent the whole time thinking about Anna's statement and when he recalled the scene of her looking directly into his eyes and saying that she'd never love him, it did nothing but cause more pain to his mind and soul. 

George kept sighing as he drove back home. He couldn't communicate with Anna because she just rejected him again for the nth time. 

George decided to attend the party. Anna was right, he should move on because as she said, she'd never be his. 

George brought Anna to her room and not long after, Doctor Zhao arrived with a young man and a lady. They were in uniform. 

Doctor Zhao explained the test results and prescribed antibiotics and some other medicine for Anna. George stayed until everything was settled and when Anna fell asleep, he left to get the medicine she'd need. 

Anna's therapy would start the next day and she was excited about it. Anna was also happy to be in good health. She died in her past life because of the problem she had with her brain but that wasn't diagnosed in Anna's body. 

'Thank goodness. In a few months, I'll be able to walk. I believe that before Christmas, I'll be stable and I'll start to execute my plans the following year. That will be my new year agenda' 

George sat on the stool and watched Anna for a while, thinking about what she said to him earlier. 

"Why do you have to hurt me all the time, Anna?" George took her hand and stroked it. He smiled and took a deep breath in. 

"Gosh, it's so hard," he grimaced his face and lowered his head as if crying. He knew that remembering her words only caused his heart more pain but he just couldn't get it out of his head. 

"You could have just rejected me again. You didn't have to kill me by saying that you'll never love me. It hurt so much and I don't think you ever know how painful it is for you to toy with my heart but I still choose to stay with you like a fool," George let Anna's hand go. 

"Perhaps you are right," George said. "I should move on and stop hoping and clinging to you," his voice expressed how decisive he was. 

"You can't be mine and I think it is time I share this love with someone else," George uttered, stood up, and closed the curtains before leaving Anna's room. 

And she told herself that it was for the best. 'It is definitely for the best'