"Anabel, I’m trying to tell you this because I do care. Why won’t you just hear me out?" Desmond said. At this point, his frustration was beginning to show in his voice.
"How on earth do you even think I will believe you? Listen, I don’t believe you. You never cared about me. You rejected me because you had what you think was a better option. Why should I trust you now?"
"That’s not true." Desmond said. "You may not believe it, but everything I did was to try and do what I thought was best for me, which I was very wrong. I didn't do that because I hated you. The pressure was too much on me. I never hated you."
"Thank God you said best for you." She shot back. "You divorced me, Desmond. You let me go like I didn’t matter. Someone who truly cared about me would never have done that. So you never even cared."
"Anabel, I made mistakes. I won’t deny that. But this matter isn’t about our past. This is about what’s happening now. Sylvester isn’t who you think he is."
"Enough, Mr. Desmond." She snapped, cutting him off. "I don’t want to hear it. Sylvester loves me more than you ever did. He’s been there for me in ways you never were. There is nothing you will talk about him I will believe."
"Annabel, please. I’m not saying this out of jealousy. I’m saying this because I don’t want you to get hurt again. You have no idea—"
"Save it, Desmond." She quickly cut him off. "I don’t need your advice or your fake concern. Sylvester is a better man than you will ever be, and I’m done listening to you."
"Stay away from me, Desmond. Stay away from my life, and stay away from my boyfriend. I don’t need you meddling in things that don’t concern you." She finished, and without waiting for his reply, she ended the call and tossed her phone onto the bed.
"Sylvester had been nothing but supportive. I won't allow him to sabotage my happiness." She muttered to herself. "He has no right to tell me how to live my life." She changed her clothes and headed to the bathroom to calm herself under the shower.
On the other end of the line, Desmond sat in silence, staring at his phone. He wanted to protect her, but Anabel had lost all the trust in him. The conversation had not gone the way he had hoped. She had closed herself off from him entirely, dismissing his concerns and accusing him of jealousy. Though, in truth, he hadn't held much hope in the first place.
He let out a long, weary sigh and placed his phone face down on the coffee table. The empty house seemed to amplify the silence, as if mocking his inability to make any real difference in her life.
Desmond stood and walked over to the window, leaning against the sill as he looked out at the quite neighborhood. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus his thoughts. He had his own burdens to bear, but the idea of seeing Anabel getting hurt or manipulated made his stomach churn.
She had accused him of never caring and being inherently unable to make any positive contributions to her life. Those words stung more than he wanted to admit, because it was how he treated her in the past. His past mistakes had shaped her opinion of him so completely. He walked to the couch and sank into it, burying his face in his hands.
"How will I help her?" he murmured to himself. Even though he was facing his own problems, he was still concerned about Anabel.