Chapter 10

Her phone rang endlessly as she picked it up from the cab. It was Rico and it was more likely he was calling her a few times already. Anna was about to answer the phone when the call ended. She immediately went to her call details and saw a total of twenty-two missed calls coming from her boyfriend and five from her nurse-manager.

She also had a plethora of text messages from Rico asking her if she was alright, at the same time apologizing for how he froze during their confrontation.

"I should've been braver for you." The text read. "I should've hugged you and—"

Another incoming call popped out of her screen; it was her manager. Anna took a deep breath, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't sure what to explain to her manager.

"Hello, Ma'am Eria," She began. "Sorry if I wasn't able to—"

"Are you alright, Anna?" Her manager immediately asked. "I called Rico after you didn't respond and he told me, you had a big fight?"

Anna hesitantly agreed. She got caught off guard with her boyfriend's alibi. He could've told her manager about her current situation, but that could end up badly for her. All her life, she had always wanted to become a nurse. She wanted to help the poor and take care of the sick. It took her a lot of hard work and sacrifice to finally realized her dream; and she wasn't ready to give it up just yet.

"Y-yes, it was a big one." She sighed. "I apologize if I wasn't able to tell you right away, Ms. Eria. It was just… I was too overwhelmed for the both of us." Anna added.

She could her manager verbally nod over her lie. "I understand. You never opened up to us about your problems with Rico, so I thought he was just the perfect guy!" Ms. Eria commented. "Well, every relationship has its ups and downs. I just hope you can come to work later tonight. The workforce will be too crippled if you don't."

It was clear how Ms. Eria viewed her alibi. She understood it, however, it shouldn't be a reason for her to be absent from work. She knew her manager well. At one point she might be the kindest person you'll know, on the other hand, she had a passive-aggressive tendencies to those who wronged her. And Anna thought she might've shaken her threshold.

"Y-yes, I will be there later tonight!" Ann answered.

"Are you sure?" Ms. Eria asked. "I mean, I could put you on another leave, although it might be a bit difficult to explain the personal reason on paper." Her manager jabbed at her.

"Of course!" Anna answered immediately. "I will be there, 7pm sharp!"

"That's what I want to hear." Ms. Eria answered. "Then, I will see you later." She hung up the phone.

Anna placed her phone back on her bag and continue her way back to her apartment. She closed her eyes and checked the time; it was already five minutes past twelve noon. Her stomach grumbled, but it wasn't the violent grumbling that plagued her days ago. This time, she was just hungry, a sensation which was too normal, it was off putting.

"Can you take me to the XM mall instead?" She asked the taxi driver.

The driver nodded and changed their route. It was already an hour past when she finally arrived in the mall. She paid the driver and went out of the cab, heading directly to the food court to find some food to eat. She went into a few stalls and finally selected her lunch.

A good serving of pork sisig, salmon-belly sinigang and some pork barbeque was her go to meal. After getting her food, she immediately sat down on a vacant table and started to devour it. Surprisingly she was already full before she could finish the sisig. Anna in disbelief, tried to eat some more of the other food on the table, stuffing her mouth with a spoonful of sinigang and a few morsels of barbeque pork. Unfortunately for her, it made her uneasy. She wasn't able to finish her food, and left her table baffled, but at the same time relieved.

Her stomach ached from the amount of food she ate and not because her bestial appetite wanted more. She walked around the mall for a few hours and brought some more food from the food stall, trying to test if she would still be hungry after walking, instead she remained full and satiated. She forced some more food, but her stomach protested. She rushed into the bathroom cubicle and hurled the contents that she ate.

As she vomited some more, as her feelings slowly overwhelmed her. She cried inside the cubicle, relieved that her crippling appetite was finally quelled. She sobbed for about five minutes before going out of the cubicle reborn as a new person.

Anna washed face and fixed herself before heading back out. She brought a few things inside the mall before heading back home later that afternoon.

It was around 3pm when she finally returned home. Looking at the time, she spared an hour to clean up the mess she did with their apartment. She folded the scattered clothing on the floor and placed them at the hamper. She also took the time to scrub the muck and blood scattered all over their bedroom windows and floor. After an hour of cleaning, Anna laid down on her bed and closed her eyes for a short nap.

It was a peaceful, dreamless sleep; a feeling Anna thought she could never feel once again. The past few days to her was torture. A living nightmare that she wanted to end has finally ended. She woke up from her nap and took a long warm bath.

It was already six minutes past six when she was done preparing for her night shift. She looked at her phone and saw two missed calls from Rico. She still didn't have the heart to speak with him after everything that just happened. She placed her phone back on her bag and went out of their apartment hoping that tomorrow would be better for the both of them.

She took a deep breath and said her short prayer like she always does before she goes to work. After doing that, she locked her door and went to work.