CASCADING

CONSOLATION CHAPTER 18

"Yes, you heard me!" Annabel was without reason; vexation consumed her as she kept disclosing information about what she and Scott had done. "All I ever wanted was a second chance to be with you! I showed you so much sincerity, but to what avail? Nothing! All you did was shot down my efforts while flaunting this, this relationship in front of me!" Annabel yelled at Steffen through tears.

Steffen noticed how confused and hurt she was and the stares of onlookers didn't make it any easier diffusing the situation, he tried to calm her. "Listen," he spoke calmly.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed. "You don't love me, you said so yourself." She looked around at those that gathered and felt some self pity. "I must look like a joke right?" She turned and asked but no one answered. She only received quiet stares.

"Annabel that's enough! If you don't want to stop this madness feel free to continue on your own, cause there seem to be no resolution to this right now. Your mistake was to trust Scott, he's the one who messed with your head not me. You made it very clear two years ago that I wasn't good enough for you and it was ok for you to continue your affair with André. We broke up and I've moved on without turning back or pressuring you into working it out, I left you peacefully and picked up my pieces despite how much I loved you and longed for you. You didn't care then so why care now, huh?" Steffen paused and waited her reply, but none came only a small whimper.

June touch Steffen's arm. "Steffen just let us go, this isn't the place to,"

Annabel's throat tightened as guilt struck her hard and deep. She knew everything Steffen said was true, she just couldn't accept it enough to see her way back out of the spiral she was in. She felt sorry for herself and hated who she had become. "I'm sorry," Annabel whispered. She stooped down and cried for the more. "I made a mistake coming here... I... I should have never listened to, Scott this ... this is all my, my fault. All my fault." She seemed consumed with grief and regret her breathing became raspy.

Steffen reached out to touch her and she recoiled smaller like a puppy scared and abandoned. He pulled back his hand and turned to June not knowing what to do with her. Steffen wanted to ignore her, but something kept him still. He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head, 'Now is the time to extend grace.' "What am I to do with her LORD?" He asked out loud. The old familiar words came rushing in. 'and forgive us our debt as we forgive out debtors,' Why? he thought at this time would these influential words dangled in his mind at this moment when all he felt to do was leave her to grovel in her mess.

"Take her home." June said. Watching Steffen wrestle with what to do confirmed her thoughts about him. 'He is a good man.' She thought quite fondly of him. Even at this pivotal point he found it difficult to just walk away from someone hurting even when that someone caused him pain. She felt a warm secure feeling inside she knew that falling in love with him was the right thing to do. "Take her home." She repeated. Steffen looked at her and then back at Annabel.

"Yeh or the hospital." Voiced a stranger. "She's had enough."

"At this rate she'll go crazy." Another said.

Steffen bent down slower than usual, he hesitated and looked her over. She appeared more broken than ever with a mascara tear stained face and curled lip. She shivered at his touch and turned her face away; he picked her up and she surprisingly weighed nothing more than a small child, he was bewildered. 'How did she come to this?' She once flowed with grace and elegance. Her speech eloquent and without being discursive. He looked at June and she whispered, it's ok.

"I'll follow you to her apartment, I will be right behind you." She reassured him.

He put Annabel in the back of the car she drove, then took her home with June following closely behind them.