Chapter 8: Back Home

Anna spent the next three days doing as she pleased. She roamed the entire cruise ship to her heart's content.

She relaxed at the entertainment section, playing games for hours. She even sunbathed alone, a mimosa on her hand.

The crew watched her curiously, but she ignored their questioning eyes. She went about on her own, with no contact from the rest of the world.

Finally, on the fourth day, she asked the captain to stop at the nearest dock. She thanked the crew for their help and discretion.

Then after packing a bag, she set out to the nearest airport. Hoping to catch the next flight back home.

When she appeared at her father’s doorsteps, the whole family was so shocked, that even Dalton’s family rushed over to check on her.

Three hours later, Anna sat in the family room, away from listening ears. The two families surrounding her.

“Anna, what happened?” her father started.

“Why are you back on your own?” Dalton’s mother quickly seconded.

“Well,” Anna started.

“It hasn’t even been five days, and you’re already here, on your own!” Gordon Delgado continued.

“And where is that Dalton?” Dianne almost shouted, clearly stressed by the lack of her son's presence.

Anna almost flinched. "Er, I'm not exactly sure where he went."

"Tell us everything that happened, Anna." Dalton's grandfather commanded. "We've been trying to contact him ever since we found out you were here."

"Not much happened, really," Anna replied. "Dalton received an urgent message, so he had to go."

"What was so urgent that he had to abandon his wife on his honeymoon?" Mrs. Guevarra demanded.

"Something about business," Anna lied.

"And when will he be back?" her father asked.

"I'm not sure, Dad. He also has his studies to think of, so he might be away for a while." Anna explained.

"You have your studies to think of too, but I didn't see you leaving your honeymoon in less than a day." Mrs. Guevarra pointed out.

"Yeah, just three days later," Nora, Dalton's sister, scoffed.

Anna turned to look at Nora. She had been quiet all this time. Nora had treated Anna as a sister ever since they were kids.

So, Nora's sudden rude behavior caught her off guard. Dalton's mother was just about to scold Nora, when an angry sound interrupted them.

Chairman Guevarra, Dalton's grandfather, tapped furiously on his phone.

"The stubborn kid is not answering his phone," he almost shouted.

Anna and Dalton's cruise was supposed to last for three months, then they were to spend two months in Greece. So, she can understand their families' shock at the sudden turn of events.

"How did you get home that fast?" Mr. Delgado asked.

Anna looked at her dad. "I booked a flight."

"How?" Mr. Delgado demanded. "You didn't even have your passport."

When they left for their honeymoon, they didn't bring any personal documents with them. All their travel plans had been carefully prepared so that they didn't have to do anything.

They had the whole cruise ship, cars, and even a jet at their disposal. All they had to do was say the word and everything would have been taken care of.

But it was clear to them that neither of the couple put any of the planned vehicles to use. When they last checked, the cruise ship was still sailing the sea.

They had assumed that the couple were enjoying themselves onboard, together. Not off to different parts of the world separately.

To say that they were stressed on the sudden outcome of the high-profile wedding of the century, was an unfair understatement.

"I boarded a plane on one of our airlines, Dad. They didn't dare ask me for anything, not even an ID." Anna answered.

Their employees all know who Anna is. Anna thought that all those polls and comparison contests that their universities arranged, had a use after all.

She simply walked into the airline, demanded to talk to the person in-charge, and the next minute, she was already flying first class on the way home.

“Has he answered any of your calls?" Chairman Guevarra was still tapping on his phone.

"No," they answered.

All members of their family were dialing Dalton's cell. They tried emailing, and messaging him as well. Even his assistant was not answering.

Chairman Guevarra turned to look at Anna. "Have you contacted Dalton?"

“Er, no, I haven't." She felt a little bit awkward.

"Try to dial him. He might pick up if it's you," he gently told her.

Nora mockingly scoffed. Her arms were crossed in front of her, looking at Anna, as if she was daring her to call her brother.

But Anna wasn't paying much attention to Nora. She was nervous and scared. She knows how Dalton can be when he's mad.

Less than a year ago, Dalton would have answered her phone call in a heartbeat. He would never let her wait for his answer, even when he was busy. He would either talk to her on the spot, or ask her to wait for a while. But either way, he would answer her call.

She hadn't personally contacted Dalton during the past month.

It was either someone had to call him for her, or it was Dalton who called, begging her to end the engagement. She was sure that Dalton would ignore her call, so she never tried to contact him.

Now, Anna sat nervously on her chair, tapping the familiar contact on her phone.

She was sure it would break her heart when Dalton rejected her call in front of their families.

It was already bad that he left her on her own. Now, she's going to suffer a new type of humiliation.

She swallowed when she heard the phone ringing.

A stop. No answer.

It rang again.

Anna was about to put down her phone, as Nora was rolling her eyes, when the ringing abruptly stopped. They all turned to the screen.

A voice came from the other end of the line, low and cold. "What is it?”