Page 298 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

She was no longer angry about going to Germany. Despite everyone’s assurances, she was certain Alex would punish her for how she’d treated him at Christmas. Fear washed over her every time she thought about seeing him again.

Seth was in her apartment with a petite blonde woman when Anna arrived. The woman was putting clothing into a suitcase.

“Anna, this is Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn, this is Anna. Kaitlyn’s been shopping non-stop since I called her yesterday.”

Anna gave a tired smile. She wasn’t going to be able to take a nap. “Hello.”

Kaitlyn smiled cheerfully. “Hello, Anna. How are you doing?”

Anna shrugged. “Okay.”

“Are you getting stubborn again?”

The smile on Seth’s face assured her he wasn’t scolding her, but icy fear rushed through her body anyway. Maybe if she behaved properly from now on, Alex wouldn’t have to punish her so harshly. Was there even such a thing as gentle punishment? “No, I’m just exhausted. Jenna got the flu just before Nutcracker started and I feel like she said she felt.”

Kaitlyn laughed. “It’s not unheard of to get sick. Especially this time of year.”

“I’ve never been sick.”

Kaitlyn’s brows shot up. “Never?”

“I don’t think I can get sick.”

Seth raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you’re more human than you thought.”

“Maybe. I don’t know anything about... that kind of stuff.” She glanced at a portable dress rack standing near the wall. On the end was a beautiful pale-green chiffon princess-style dress with white appliqué roses on the skirt. “Oh, how beautiful...” She ran gentle fingers over the soft fabric. “This is for me?”

“For New Year’s Eve,” Seth said.

“It’s one of the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen.”

“I was thrilled they had one in your size,” Kaitlyn said. “I saw it and thought it would be perfect. Do you want to try it on?”

Anna nodded as a surge of energy shot through her.

“Go ahead.”

Anna took it into the bathroom, undressed, and slid the silky fabric over her hips. She reached behind but couldn’t zip it up. “Kaitlyn?”

Kaitlyn walked in and smiled. “Beautiful. I had them check the measurements so we’d know if they’d need to alter it in Germany, but it was perfect.” She began zipping up the back, then paused and frowned. Anna felt it too. It was too tight. “That doesn’t make any sense,” Kaitlyn said softly. “I saw them measure it. This is from a very reputable store.”

Anna studied herself in the mirror. Had she gained weight? The top of her costume had been a little tight yesterday and this morning, but she hadn’t thought much about it.

“Can you suck in your stomach?”

Anna inhaled and sucked in as far as she could and Kaitlyn got the zipper up over her waist, but it was tight again at her breasts.

Kaitlyn chewed the inside of her cheek, shaking her head. “I don’t understand. Anna, I am so sorry. I don’t know what happened.”

“What’s wrong?” Seth poked his head into the bathroom.

“It’s too tight.” She bit her lip, fear coursing through her body once more. “I must have gained weight.” Would Alex be angry at her for getting fat?

Kaitlyn unzipped the dress. “There is material here to let it out a bit. Or I can take it back and see if they have a bigger size. They must have measured wrong. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“I can’t wear it like that. It hurts.” She put her clothes back on and went back to her bedroom and sat on the bed, staring at the floor. She was gaining weight. But how? She’d hardly eaten the last week. Just the thought of food made her nauseous.

“Let me call the store.” Kaitlyn pulled out her phone and walked into the living room.

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