Page 327 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

The lady spoke to Alex again and motioned toward a set of glass doors that led to the interior of the building.

Alex grinned. “Let’s get married.” He opened the door and she walked through.

They climbed up a wide marble staircase, brightly lit from the sunshine that streamed through the wall of windows. Wilhelm walked next to Alex, speaking softly in German. When they arrived at the top of the stairs, a man in a dark suit and tie greeted them respectfully, first shaking Wilhelm’s hand and then Alex’s.

“Soeren, this is meine Verlobter, Anna,” Alex said in English. “Anna, this is Soeren Stutterheim. He will be marrying us today.”

“Hello.” Nerves flooded Anna’s body, making her nauseous again. She instinctively covered her mouth as she fought the overwhelming surge of saliva, a telltale sign that another bout of vomiting was imminent.

“Anna, are you okay?”

Anna’s eyes watered and she shook her head.

Alex spoke quickly in German, then picked Anna up and carried her to a door with a silhouette of a woman on it. He pushed opened the door a few inches and called inside. No one responded, and he carried her through the doorway and put her down in the largest stall. She fell to her knees and emptied her stomach into the toilet. Several times.

Alex held her hair out of her face and rubbed her back until she was done.

“Give this to her,” Ilsa said from behind.

Alex handed her a wet cloth and Anna wiped her mouth. “I’m sorry, Alex.” Tears filled her eyes and she slumped to the floor. “I can’t keep anything in my stomach.”

Alex pulled her into his lap and flushed the toilet. “It’s okay. You can’t help what your body does.”

Greta arrived a moment later with a glass of clear soda and Anna sipped it slowly. Alex and his mother spoke softly in German, and she felt his heart speed up as they talked. She looked up at him. “Did something happen?”

“Nein. Why?”

“Your heart is pounding and it wasn’t a moment ago.” She slid her hand under his black suit jacket and over his heart. “What’s wrong?” She searched his eyes. “Did Devin find out about the wedding?”

“Nein, Schatzi. He doesn’t know.” He gave a gentle smile. “Finish your drink and then we’ll go get married.”

She nodded and tried to drink the soda as quickly as possible. Something was wrong; she could feel it. But she didn’t want to argue with him.

When she finished, she held up the glass. “Done.”

He helped her to her feet and then stood. “Are you feeling better?”

Anna nodded.

He kissed her temple and left the bathroom. Ilsa helped her fix her makeup and dress and then handed her a peppermint candy before heading back into the hallway.

Alex was speaking to his father and looked up when they walked out.

“Everything alright?” Wilhelm asked.

Anna nodded and then dropped her gaze to the floor, self-conscious about the attention she was attracting.

What was she doing among these sophisticated people? She felt terribly out of place, as though she were a street urchin masquerading as a princess. Alex’s family were the kindest people she’d ever met, and she longed to be accepted. But she couldn’t shake the feeling of being unworthy, which made her want to run away.

Alex said something in German and the family disappeared through a wooden door nearby. He took her hand and led her to a bench by the window. He helped her out of her coat and put it beside him on the bench.

She stared at the floor. Was he going to tell her this was all a terrible mistake? That they shouldn’t get married? That she had embarrassed him in front of his family? Is that what he and his father had been talking about?

“I’m sorry I embarrassed you,” she said to the floor, trying to harden her heart against the rejection she was certain was coming.

“Anna, you didn’t embarrass me. I’m worried about you. I don’t like seeing you sick.”

She dared to raise her gaze to look into his eyes. His kind, perfect, beautiful eyes. “Do you... still want to marry me?”

---