Page 266 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“Wilhelm, do you want me to?—‍”

“Nein. You need not worry about me. I am fine. It is you I am worried about.” He kissed her cheek. “I put your phone next to the bed. If he calls, you will hear.”

“Thank you, Wilhelm.”

Wilhelm lay in the dark hotel room, cradling Anna in his arms. A surge of desire coursed through him, but he would never take advantage of her grief. She didn’t need sex. She needed a friend, a fatherly figure who could offer solace and support, something that had been cruelly withheld by Devin.

Devin. Wilhelm frowned. He’d acted suspiciously at the party. The man was a hard-hearted bastard, but the way he spoke to Anna made Wilhelm suspect Devin knew more than he let on.

Poor Anna. After all she’d gone through, she deserved some happiness. But at the same time, the idea of Ben breaking up with her was of some comfort to Wilhelm, even though it broke his heart to see Anna suffering.

He was certain Ben loved her. Wilhelm had asked around about the young lawyer while Anna was gone and had only heard good things about him. But Ben could never give Anna everything she needed. She needed protecting. She needed someone who could confront Devin and win. Devin would eat Ben alive.

She needed Alex, but she got quiet every time he mentioned her visiting his son in Frankfurt. Sometimes her eyes flashed with anger, sometimes they welled up with tears. But each time, she said she didn’t want to go.

Alex hadn’t meant to hurt Anna, but it was a good thing he’d left. Wilhelm was very proud of the effort Alex had exerted to learn the old ways. There was much more to learn in order to defeat the San Francisco Elder, but they had discovered a way for Alex to protect Anna in the meantime. It would be taken care of when she came to visit in a few weeks.

If Ben broke up with her, it would be for the best. For all of them. If he didn’t... Well, they’d have to deal with it some other way. Perhaps Wilhelm could talk to Ben before he returned to Germany. He could explain to the young man what needed to happen to keep Anna safe. If he truly loved her, he would want what was best for her. He just hoped Anna would cooperate.

Anna slept fitfully, plagued by nightmares about Ben. Each dream brought its own torment—his refusing to speak to her, their futile attempts to be together. She’d even dreamed he’d died in the same way her parents had: a car accident off the bridge. When the sun finally made its appearance, it felt as if she hadn’t slept at all. Anna apologized to Wilhelm for the restless night, and he responded with his normal kind and understanding demeanor.

She headed to the theater after breakfast to warm up and get ready for the matinee. After she dropped her bag in the dressing room, she went in search of Jenna.

“Ben didn’t come home last night,” Jenna said as she paused mid-stretch at the barre. “Matt said he’s done it before, though. When he’s upset about something, he’ll drive for hours and hours and not tell anyone. Then he’ll come back and everything will be fine.”

“Then why did he tell me he’d be at the party? I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know. But I’m sure everything will be okay.” Jenna hugged her hard. “It’ll be okay. He loves you.”

The day dragged on and on. There was no call from Ben. No text. No nothing.

Her two brief performances that day provided the only relief from the ache in her heart. A few precious moments of distraction in an otherwise dark day. Her heart twisted and her stomach churned the rest of the time. She couldn’t have said whether she danced well or not, and even her friend’s assurances did nothing to comfort her.

She felt terrible about being poor company for Wilhelm and apologized again and again. “I can go home if you want, Wilhelm. You could find more... pleasant company if I did.”

“Nonsense, Anna.” Wilhelm squeezed her hand. “You are not going anywhere. I want to make sure you are alright.”

Wilhelm once again held her all night as she tossed and turned.

Sunday dawned and still Anna hadn’t heard from Ben. She felt so hopeless she could hardly get out of bed.

“Do not give up hope,” Wilhelm said. “He will call.”

Anna drove to the theater and robotically went through the motions of warming up and getting ready for the matinee performance. She only came alive when she danced. Aside from that, she sat in her dressing room and stared at her phone.

Chapter 126

After the last curtain call Sunday evening, Anna trudged back to her dressing room. She picked up her phone, but no voicemail awaited her and she slumped to the floor. She contemplated calling Wilhelm to let him know she was going to go for a drive before returning to his hotel room, but shook her head. Wilhelm might understand, but Devin wouldn’t.

The door opened, and Anna jumped. She spun around to see Ian standing there, an inscrutable expression on his face. “Hello, Anna.”

“Ian? What are you doing here?” His hazel eyes were hard and she shivered. Had she done something wrong again? It was possible. She had been struggling to function for the past few days.

“Devin wants to see you. Tonight.”

Anna swallowed. His unemotional tone set her heart pounding with fear. She wracked her brain, trying to figure out exactly what she’d done wrong this time, but couldn’t think of anything, which terrified her even more. “I need to tell Wilhelm?—‍”

“It’s been taken care of.”

---