Two days later, Ana peeped surreptitiously through her apartment windows for the hundredth time, trying futilely to wait for the phalanx of paparazzi to subside. Her whole building was surrounded by those leeches, like hounds being unleashed on some defenseless prey.
Not that she was without armor. Her malevolent cover was protection enough against anyone with baleful intentions. Yet, she was stashed in her apartment, struggling to make herself unobtrusive feeling very reticent to face the media after her disastrous farewell with Dev.
As for her career going downhill like Aimee had been so worried, everything was finally sorted out. Jennifer had changed the whole dynamics of the story by masterly transforming it into an epic love story. Photos of their heroic exit had been deliberately provided to serve as ammunitions for backing up the forfeit fairy-tale. Not that she gave a damn. She was no longer concerned about what the world thought of her – she just wished they would leave her alone.
With the experience she had amassed in the industry, she knew there was only one way to achieve that – she had to face them. Not at all media-shy but not mentally prepared for the confrontation, she gave herself a prep talk before going upstairs to get ready. Not that she was vain but she refused to face the vultures with her Tweety PJs.
The moment she stepped out, a crowd gathered around her, invading her personal space and bombarding her with unlimited questions. From time to time, when she had the time to catch her breath, she responded with side comments being very cautious to skip the juicy details and skipping to Jennifer's version.
There was no point denying her association with Devin Crighton, not after the dirty past had been exposed. Besides, who did not have ghosts in their closets nowadays?
Ana was on the verge of congratulating herself for having succeeded when a question was thrown out of nowhere and she did a double take, unable to mask her surprise.
"So, can you please tell us why Devin Crighton is moving around with your friend? If we didn't know better, we would have been certain that they are actually dating."
Scandalized, Ana managed a grim smile fiercely glad that she had had the sense to wear her sunglasses before coming out of her hiding. "You would find a story in a dead leaf," she replied with frost in her voice, showing that she was not appreciating such vile comments without displaying how affected she actually was.
"We're all friends and they're hanging around. What's the harm in that?"
It was uttered with so much conviction that she would have congratulated herself for her outward composure had she not been in such a turmoil inwardly. Dev and Aimee?? Was that true? Had Dev finally decided to move on with someone else, searching for his long-lost happiness with another woman?
Once planted in her mind, the burgeoning seeds of doubt found a life of their own, refusing to dislodge. How much did she knew about Aimee McKenzie anyway? She'd only known her two years ago, when the latter had been a struggling fashion designer. What if she was Devin's girlfriend from the beginning and they had both set out to deceive her?
With a heavy heart, she reached the office, giving herself a mental shake to clear away her stupid thoughts. What did it matter anyway? She'd been crystal clear the other night that she was done with Devin, and he could have any other woman he wanted. So why was her heart feeling like somebody had just plunged a knife right to the center?
Nobody noticed her wretched state as she was too used to project an indestructible façade. Besides, nobody in the office actually cared about her, nobody except Aimee. Pissed off with her for having plotted behind her back with her enemy, Ana had rebuffed her friend for the past two days giving her the cold treatment.
Should she break the silence between them? Her ego was not allowing her to make the first step, especially not after the malicious gossip ingrained in her brain. When she spotted Aimee near the coffee machine, the latter did not even spare a glance her way, which irritated Ana even more. Where the hell was all that concern she was displaying only two days ago when she was supposedly worried for her career?
Unable to concentrate on work, Ana felt like she was shamelessly spying on her friend, thoughts of Dev and Aimee together tormenting her. Irked with herself for losing her self-control, Ana peeped another time in her friend's office and was surprised to catch in the act of wearing her coat. A glance at the clock announced lunch time, and unable to resist, Ana grabbed her coat and darted after her friend.
It was time they had an open discussion otherwise she will become insane by the end of the day.
All thoughts of a one-to-one fled as she spotted Dev's grey Bentley in front of the office building, and she made a quick detour to the parking lot. Within no time, her Mercedes was roaring to life, and following them was a piece of cake, as her white car blended perfectly in the dense traffic.
Adrenaline kicked in as irascible anger took control of her raging emotions. It was no longer a hunch – they would be caught red-handed. Why would they lunch together if there was nothing romantic between them? And when did they even had the time to build a relationship? Those past two days where Devin was supposedly mourning her loss? As ruminations filled her mind, she became even more certain that the liaison between the two must have dated way back.
When Dev's car entered an underground parking of a famous shopping mall, Ana followed through looking for a faraway parking to avoid being seen. Stalking felt as cheap and derogatory as it sounded. But it was one of those bad habits which once started was difficult to quit.
Taking the automated stairs to avoid them in the elevator, Ana was stunned to discover when they entered Tiffany & Co., one of the most prestigious jewelry shops in the US. The green demon of jealousy surged its head in her mind, all kinds of thoughts creating havoc in her normally rational state.
It got her thinking. What could they possibly be doing in a jewelry shop if they were not a couple? Unable to sustain the suspense, Ana marched right into the shop and was shocked to see the salesman showing them diamond rings. Thankfully, they had their back to her, and she jumped out of the shop with a repressed shriek.
Rings? As in engagement rings? Were they getting engaged?! How were they envisaging to pull that off without her intervention? Or did they think her too demure to oppose to their reunion? Would she? She was hardly the type to create a scene to stop two people from being happy, but the anguish which gripped her heart was proof enough that Dev was still her Achilles' heels.
Still debating with herself over whether to confront them, she was about to make another entry when she was saved by the bell. Well, figuratively speaking as her iPhone in her purse buzzed loudly making her jump. Frowning at the unknown number, she scattered a few shops away and answered the call.
It was from Rochester Clinic informing her that her sister was severely injured in an accident, and that they had informed some of her friends who'd refused to come. Shocked, Ana darted towards the exit, muttering an "I'll be there as soon as I can" to the device before punching other numbers to deal with the emergency.
It took her one endless hour before she could liberate herself from any immediate action, and by the time she reached the hospital, she was in quite a state. Hair disheveled, clothes crumpled, and mind in complete chaos. Panic had started to settle in, her earlier misgivings about Dev and Aimee dissipating with the new problem which had just cropped up.
"Where is she?" she mumbled wildly to the operating nurse, who must have been used to handle such delicate situations because after some minutes, Ana collected herself enough to take in the bad news. Melissa was in a critical condition, and was currently in the ICU under operation.
Trembling under the shock, Ana crumpled down on the nearest seat, her eyes prickling with unshed tears as terror crippled her mind. Melissa was her only family left – she couldn't afford to lose her as well. It no longer mattered how cruel her sister had been to her in the past, Ana only knew that she could not die on her.
"How did it happen?" she finally asked the police officer who came to investigate the case.
"All that we know for the moment is that she was speeding but we are still waiting for the results to see if she was under influence of any substance. Thank God there was no other victims as she crashed against a wall," the burly officer commented gratifyingly, not really diplomatic considering the situation.
Ana knew that they all considered both spoilt brats who blew their father's money in all directions without any regards to society. In her case, it was completely far from the truth, and she did not know Melissa personally enough to pass any judgements. Piqued with the officer's comment, she refrained from any further questions, no longer interested in addressing the disparaging man.
After much hustle, she was finally given a verdict. Melissa was beyond danger but there was a real possibility that she might never walk again. Flabbergasted, Ana could only contemplate how to break the news to her sister without flummoxing her.
Even if Melissa had been more privileged than her, she had not been spared the voracious nature of their parents. In fact, she'd been influenced by so much evil that any good side of her must have been suppressed at an early age.
How could someone so young be struck by such a tragedy? There was no point in dragging up the past – she was her sister after all.
Ana refused to give up on her.
One week later. Ana was still managing with a few hours of sleep, disentangling herself from her office life by paying regular visits to her sister. Eventually, she moved her over to one of the best clinics in NY where she was better able to juggle her time between her professional and private life.
A hectic schedule she adored because it inhibited her from paying much attention to the gossips about Devin and Aimee, which seemed to have taken a high amplitude. Both were becoming desperate to bag a meeting with her, most probably to announce their good news, and Ana had so far managed to dodge any confrontation. Once in a while, her eyes would glaze over the gossip columns where a picture of both of them would be conspicuous. Nobody would ever know that she had bought the magazines and read every content, scanning every details and absorbing every word.
It was a weakness she was not ready to show the world yet.
So, she reserved all her dedication to her sister. "Hey, Melissa. How are you doing?" she chirped casually trying not to flinch at the sight of her sister looking so haggard against the white sheets. Blessed with an exceptionally flawless skin ever since childhood, Melissa now looked like someone who had been battered, purplish tinge marring the perfection of her face so that her physical beauty was inexistent. The rest of her body was carefully hidden under the hospital blankets, and the doctor had warned Ana to let it remain concealed for the moment.
It had been terrible enough the day Melissa had wanted to look at her face in the mirror and had screeched in horror at the deplorable sight.
Even though her frequent visits, Melissa still bore her some kind of resentment, which was immediately obvious in her retort. "Is that question even allowed?"
While Melissa's words would inflict pain in the past, now all the high-pitch verbal attacks accomplished was extract pity from her.
"I've brought you some flowers," Ana replied serenely in guise of answer to her spite.
It was a daily occurrence, Melissa would throw snide remarks her way until she no longer had any energy left, while Ana would listen speechlessly until she was finished. Then, without a word, she would attend to her needs, and promised to come back the next day with white lilies.
Today was different though, it seemed that all hostility had been sapped out of her sister. Like she had finally acknowledged that any vituperativeness from her would be ignored.
"Thank you," she offered in a subdued voice, a first offering of an olive branch. "Why do you keep coming back?" she finally broke the silence, her voice croaking under the emotion.
"That's what sisters are for, right?"
Melissa's gasp resonated across the room, and Ana whirled back to face a defeated woman, eyes streaming down her cheeks.
"You still consider me a sister? After all I've done?"
It was a rhetorical question, one to which Ana had no answer but she instinctively moved to her side, commiseratively holding her hand in a gesture of comfort.
The consequence of her selfless gesture had the effect of a triggering avalanche, where Melissa crumpled into a watery mass, pouring out her misfortune to the only person present during her affliction.
After that, it felt like the ice melted around them. The relationship between the two sisters improved, with no close bond but a certain affiliation which grew stronger as days progressed. Never had Ana thought that Melissa would be an eye opener to her own life, her willingness to help had no ulterior motive.
Exactly three days later though, Ana entered the silent room on tiptoe prepared to find her sister asleep but was surprised to see that the latter had sat up on her bed, albeit she looked frail and distraught. Hiding her distress, she advanced with her usual greeting, and small talk of updating her sister about her life. It had become an unspoken agreement between them since the doctor had once forbidden Melissa to overtire herself, Ana had consequently taken upon herself to share small anecdotes of her life.
"How's Devin?" Melissa asked out of the blue, interrupting her as she was narrating one of her comical fan encounters. Taken aback at such an impromptu question, Ana stared back with a perplexed frown, royally ignoring the way constricted at the mere mention of his name.
"Has he contacted you?" she queried in a skeptical voice, unable to mask the worry. It had been days that Dev's secretary had been pestering her for a meeting and she had made it crystal clear that she had no such intentions. Even when Dev had approached her on the streets, she had walked on completing ignoring his pleas.
Frowning, she faced Melissa's expectant expression while she shook her head in a negative answer. Which puzzled even more. Why did Melissa bring up the taboo subject of that man catching her completely unawares?
"We're not together," Ana finally observed, keeping her voice light, as she arranged the lilies trying to pretend that the jackhammer which was beating inside her chest was not affecting her. What was it with that man that the mere mention of his name sent her in such a commotion?
She sensed the loud sign coming from the bedded patient more than heard it. The forlorn sound which emanated was unmistakable though and Ana braced herself for the breach of her private life.
"Why not? It's obvious to a blind man that you two are made for each other. When I saw him at Dad's funeral, I assumed that you were back together again."
"You're wrong," Ana replied, finally turning back to face her sister praying for her mask to be firmly in place so as to give even one inch. "I was just helping him get back something he'd coveted for a long time."
"Something Dad has stolen from him?" Melissa asked perceptively, and Ana realized that her sister was not as clueless as she'd let them believe.
Her question remained unspoken, the atmosphere thick with tension when Melissa finally let out a dry laugh. "I know everything. A dear friend of mine made sure I got every juicy details of our parents. To think I've always been so jealous of you – you were the ugly duckling and I knew that one day you would transform into the most beautiful swan."
Had there been any trace of envy in the way she'd enunciated that sentence, Ana would have immediately felt uncomfortable. But it was so wistfully articulated that she could not bear any resentment to her sister, not when she was finally being forthright.
"There's no need to be jealous. I'm no better off than you," she muttered, giving free reign to her misery when she finally allowed her mask to drop in front of the last person she'd envisaged to become her confident. "Devin was just after me because of a revenge vendetta, because of what father had stolen from him. There was never scope for anything else."
Melissa rolled her eyes at her. "Come on! The man's crazy about you."
Sitting down on the couch, Ana tried for a nonchalant shrug but failed miserably. "What's the point? He's not that different from father and I refuse to spend my life with such a heartless man."
Melissa gasped audibly. "What are you saying Ana?"
Now that the ominous words were out, everything poured out from her making her feel like she was vomiting the story. Ever since her tiff with Aimee, she had not realized how important it was for her to unload her miseries with someone else.
"Can you imagine what would have happened if we had actually gotten married? We would have made each other miserable," Ana finally concluded, more to herself than anything else.
"Are you out of you mind?" her sister bellowed roughly, an undertone in her voice which Ana had never picked before. "The man worships the ground you walk on, and I don't think he's such a good actor. Have you ever seen the way he looks at you?! With freaking stars in his eyes!"
Now that Melissa was reeling some truth into her, she found her suspicion of Aimee being with Dev a bit ludicrous and she purposefully avoided confiding over that episode. Melissa's words were having an effect of her though. Was it true that Dev loved her? And if he did was it enough for her to forgive him after all that had happened in the past?
Her indecision must have been evident on her face because Melissa sighed exasperatedly, the cation blowing her bangs off her face. "Look, I have something to confess – something you might not like," she began then continued without giving Ana the time to breathe. "One week after you introduced him to me, I went to meet him secretively in his office. I...I don't know what came over me...I ended up seducing him."
Ana gasped aloud at the revelation.
"I know. It was such a low blow. In my defense, I can only say that I was eaten with envy at your relationship with him. It was nothing but fake. Just so you know, he refused me flatly on the verge of throwing me out of his office. He told me to stay away from him as he had no intentions of sleeping with and that had no business being there."
Finally, Melissa looked at her with eyes filled with remorse. "I had no idea of his hidden agenda at that time. Truly speaking, if he'd accepted me, I would have gone along with the farce with the only perverse intention of screwing up your happiness. And I wasn't even a victim. So if the only thing he was pursuing with you was revenge, he would have jumped at the opportunity of seducing another daughter of his enemy. Scorned with his rejection, I projected all my wrath on you."
Unable to express herself, Ana maintained a stony silence, unwilling to digest that her own sister could be capable of such betrayal. Thank God the man she loved had not been that shallow, having spared her the ultimate humiliation. Given that if he'd completely focused on his agenda, he would not have spared a thought about which daughter he was screwing. But that didn't absolve him from his misdeeds.
Melissa did not share her opinions though.
"Ana, I'm so sorry," apologized Melissa in the humblest tone. "I know we've had a... loaded past but do you think we can overcome it for a better future? I really want to try - you're the only family I have left. Do you think you can forgive me?"
Her hesitation was flagrant in the way she stalled in giving an immediate response. What Melissa had attempted was the ultimate deceit, could she find it in herself to trust her again? Then, with belated insight she realized that she must follow the advice she'd issued to Devin after their night together.
She needed to learn forgiveness as well.
With her sister. With Devin.
"Yes. Yes. I forgive you. You're my sister," she proclaimed fiercely as tears rolled down her cheeks, heart unburdened by the action. At the same time, she felt another twinge in the same region for the man she proclaimed to love. If she could forgive her sister so easily, couldn't she make the same concession for Devin?
Melissa was right – had Dev been completely driven by the force of revenge, he would never have forfeited the chance to woo another Forrester heir. He had loved her in his own way five years ago, even if it had been a warped version. He'd been too wrapped in his mother's tragedy to recognize the special affinity between them. Given his stubborn nature, he would have ended up marrying her as he'd planned, never opening up to her.
Would he do so now? Because anything else was unthinkable – she was an everything or nothing kind of woman. The problem was not essentially whether she trusted Dev enough, it was more likely whether she was willing to expose her heart to him again. To love again.
It was time to take a decision – either give herself time to heal or shut the door to her heart forever. Either way it was quite a dilemma.