The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 806 Who Do You Think You Are

"You got me wrong..." When Sue saw Anthony so weak and heart-broken, her heart ached for him. She really wanted to tell him that he was not alone and that she cared about him, but she thought it would be better if she held it back. Then she continued, "Anthony, stop it, please..."

"Then what do you mean?" Sue's comfort only made Anthony even more aggravated. He wanted to ask her for an answer. He yelled, "Well, then you should explain to me why you all try to hide from me? Did I do something wrong? Why do you all treat me like this? I don't really get it. So tell me, why?"

"I am not trying to hide from you." Sue gave him an awkward smile, trying to explain, "It's just that I... I am not sure that I have the courage to face you."

"Sue..." Hearing what Sue just said, Anthony calmed down and kept staring at her. Then he quickly grabbed her hand and begged, "I am just feeling so miserable. I don't want to be alone. Can you stay with me? At least for a little while."

Sue had decided to forget about Anthony and move on, but she really felt bad for him and how he was feeling right now. Furthermore, she found it very difficult to refuse his request. After a moment of silence, she agreed and said, "okay, I will stay with you."

They retired to a restaurant where they could chat and grab a bite to eat. Once they were seated, Anthony ordered a bottle of wine and drank the entire thing by himself.

Sue just sat there in silence across the table from him. Not really in the mood to eat, she simply wanted to listen to and be there for him in his time of need.

After a moment of contemplation, Anthony spoke up, "Sue, do you think that... I really am an incompetent man? Three years!! I had spent three years with Sheryl! Why did she just abandon me like that? I just don't get it. It doesn't make any sense." Anthony sighed deeply and continued, "I've tried my best to take care of her and her child. I loved them so much and had done everything for them. In the end, she just pushed me away and ran right into Charles' arms. How could she just be so heartless? I suppose she only cared about Charles. No matter how hard I tried to love her, I guess she just didn't give a fuck!"

The more he kept questioned it, he got more and more emotional, but Sue just kept silent and took one mouthful of water after another.

She really didn't know what to say in this very sorrowful time.

What could she really say when the man that she loved was talking about his heartache over his loss of love from another woman? If she chose to say something about it instead of staying silent, what would she even say? Should she tell him that she loved him? Followed by maybe criticizing Sheryl to help ease his mind? Or would that just backfire and make him cross with her?

"Why aren't you saying anything? I'm pouring my heart out to you and you're just sitting there!" Anthony said, with a slur. He thought Sue didn't care about him either, so he glared at her and said, "I know, you think I am a loser too, just like Sheryl did. You think I am no match for that man named Charles. Am I right?"

He gave her a cold smile and turned to blame Sue, "You women are all the same, never know to how to cherish us, no matter how hard we men try to please you."

"You drink too much. You should consider stopping." Sue got impatient. He just kept drinking and talking about the past that he shared with Sheryl. Sometimes, without even realizing what he was talking about. It brought her so much pain to continue to listen to him go on and on. But she didn't want to leave Anthony all alone in here, either.

She even began to think about how stupid she was to sit here and allow it to continue.

"What are you talking about?! I am not drunk." Anthony denied, and yelled at her, "I am stone-cold sober now. I am telling you, I know what you are thinking right now."

He didn't let Sue respond, and continued, "You must regret falling in love with me. Is that it?"

He began to laugh at himself and scorned himself, "Surely, how funny I am right now. I even feel disappointed in myself. If you feel that too, just leave. Don't pretend.

Why don't you just leave me alone, just like Sheryl?" He started to murmur and was reminded of the day Sheryl left him. He felt so heart-broken.

"I never regret." She knew he was drunk, so she got a little courage to speak her mind.

She took a close look at him, only to replace his whole face had changed. He looked very worn out. He had become almost haggard looking, which made her heart ache so much.

She confessed, "Anthony, I have fallen in love with you from the first time I met you three years ago. Unfortunately, at that moment, you were Sheryl's boyfriend and I, was Sheryl's friend." Sue still remembered that day when she first met him, and remembered what he looked like that day. He was wearing a white shirt with its sleeves curled, standing on a chair to replace the damaged bulb on the ceiling. Sheryl was just beside him. Sue didn't realize that he and Sheryl were an item, so she just let her imagination run away with her.

In the heat of the summer days, she longingly stared at his sweat drenched shirt, watching as more sweat beaded on his forehead and continued to flow down from his hair. That sight alone left a lasting impression in Sue's mind and made her heart race.

When she learned that he was Sheryl's boyfriend, she was at a loss for quite a while. It took her a long time to accept that fact.

As Sheryl's friend, she would always see Anthony around. Thanks to that, she was presented with the opportunity to get to know Anthony on a personal level. However, the more she knew about Anthony, the more she loved him.

After Sheryl and Anthony broke up, Sue saw the great opportunity that was before her, but it also made her realize that she would never be able to replace Sheryl in his heart. Otherwise, Anthony would never talk about his feeling for Sheryl in front of her without caring how she would feel about that.

She tried to console him, "A lot can change in three years. Especially along the lines of the love between you and Sheryl. It quickly turned from being happy to being so terrible. You said you miss her. I totally understand that."

"Can you really understand?" Anthony took a stern look at her. "You don't. How could you possibly understand my feelings?"

He continued, "You don't know how deeply I love her. For her, I am willing to do anything and take any risk. You never know how hard it was for me to accept the fact that she didn't care about my love at all and even abandoned me."

"How do you figure I don't understand?" Sue explained, looking him in the eye, "I love you just the way you love Sheryl. You are just like a moth and Sheryl is the flame. The moth flies all its way to embrace the fire even if it will kill itself. Anthony, my love for you equal to or maybe even more so than your love for Sheryl!"

Hearing what Sue just said, Anthony felt so relieved. He gave a pleased smile to Sue and raised his glass. "Come on, let's drink to you and also for me."

Sue didn't raise her glass, just staring at him with her eyes squinted. Before Anthony got his lips to his drink, she quickly reached out her hand, grabbed his glass and begged, "Stop, you have had enough!" "Let me drink!" Anthony pushed her hand away and shouted angrily, "Let me drink! Do you think you can stop me? Who do you think you are?!