When Anabel walked in, they had already composed themselves in a way that no one would find out that something happened.
"The food is ready, Sylvester," Anabel said.
"Oh! so quick." He replied and turned to Vanessa. "Let me go and eat. I'm coming." He said and left with Anabel.
She had served only hers and Sylvester's since Vanessa had taken the fruit salad. Vanessa remained in the room while Sylvester went out with her to eat.
She wanted to go with them and eat, but she needed to keep up the charade that she can't eat rice and remained on the bed.
"Wow, the aroma is great!" Sylvester commented and sat on the seat.
"Yeah, I took my time and made it special." Anabel replied and took her own seat.
Sylvester picked up his spoon and began to eat. He was eating in silence, all his attention focused on the food. Anabel was expecting him to start up a lovely conversation, but he continued to eat in silence.
As Anabel and Sylvester kept eating, a strange feeling lingered in the back of her mind. Something about Sylvester and Vanessa’s behavior had begun to chip away at the ease she usually felt.
There was something about them, something she couldn’t quite grasp. Was she making a mistake by trusting them so completely? Were her instincts trying to tell her something she couldn’t yet see? She didn’t want to believe that Sylvester and Vanessa could be anything other than honest with her, but the doubt lingered.
After a few minutes, Sylvester glanced at Anabel. "Anabel." He spoke up. "I need to talk to you about something important."
Anabel smiled and looked up at him. "What is it?" she asked.
"My friend—the one who paid the three million dollars for Vanessa’s surgery."
"What happened to him?" Anabel asked.
"He's been disturbing me about the money," Sylvester paused for a seconds and continued. "He needs it back, and I don’t have that kind of money right now. I don’t know what to do. He's on my neck."
Anabel was surprised that he was talking about money while they eat, instead of talking about her. There was a nagging feeling deep down that she couldn’t ignore. Something about the way he spoke, as though he was more focused on the money than anything else. But she pushed the thought aside for the moment, and tried to appear as if she's eager to offer support.
"I’ll make arrangements for it," Anabel said softly. "I had promised you. I won't fail you. I will help you pay him back."
Sylvester’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and he nodded. "Thank you, Anabel. You always come through for us. I don’t know what I’d do without you."
Anabel forced a small smile and returned to her food, but her mind was far from at ease. As she ate in silence, her thoughts began to go wild. Why was Sylvester so concerned about the money than her well-being? For some time, he hadn’t asked her once how she was feeling, hadn’t shown any interest in her pregnancy.
She was still expecting him to ask her about it, but he didn't. He kept eating till he finished the food. Anabel did not finish half of her own food.
She cleared the table and dumped them in the kitchen sink. When she came back, Sylvester was no longer there. She took a deep breathe, took her bag and headed to the room. She knew he would be there with Vanessa.
"I will be going now," Anabel said when she walked in.
"So quick? Won't you stay a little longer?" Vanessa asked.
"I need to visit my doctor." Anabel said.
"Oh! I would have come with you, but... Vanessa... I need to stay by her side." That was all he said.
"I understand. You don't need to worry about me. I will be going now." She said with a pang of sadness. She wanted Sylvester to show her some affection before she left, something to reassure her that her doubts were unfounded. She had hoped for a warm hug, maybe even a kiss goodbye. But when Sylvester approached her, he simply gave her a quick hug and thanked her for coming.
Anabel smiled faintly, hiding the sting of disappointment as she nodded. "See you later," despite the unsettled feeling in her chest.
She stepped out of the house and walked toward her car, feeling used. Sylvester’s focus on money and his lack of attention to her pregnancy gnawed at her. She wanted to believe she was helping people who appreciated her kindness, but a part of her couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going wrong.
Anabel got into her car, and her driver started the engine. "Take me home." She said, and the driver drove out with reckless abandon.