Page 147 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

After finishing her shower and drying off, she went to sit on the bed. She stared at her phone for a while before finally tapping Aaron’s picture. Her stomach churned as it connected, but there was no time to think about anything else as he picked up within a half-ring.

“I’ve been staring at my phone, willing it to ring for the last two hours,” Aaron said, his voice cracking. “I’ve been worried and missing you so much.”

“Really?” Tears burned her eyes. She dug her fingernails into her hands, trying to stay in control of her emotions. She longed to feel his arms around her, but the guilt closed her throat to any more words.

“Really.”

She didn’t know what to say. She had missed Aaron while Zach was hurting her, but aside from that, she hadn’t thought about him. It was so wrong. Tears slipped down her cheeks and she sniffed.

“Anna, are you crying?”

It took her a moment to answer. “Y-yes.” Why was she crying? She wasn’t hurting that badly. She just longed for his comforting presence. But she didn’t deserve it. “You don’t have to come over if you don’t want to.” She squeezed her eyes shut, desperate for him to say yes, but not wanting him to do anything he didn’t want to do.

“Hon, I’m already in my car and out of my neighborhood. I grabbed my keys as soon as I saw your name on my phone.”

She gasped. “Really?”

“Mmm-hmm. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Anna wiped her tears as joyful laughter broke through the despair and fear. “I can’t wait.”

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and thirty seconds after that, Anna was on the couch in Aaron’s warm embrace. She clung to him as grief hit her hard and she started sobbing. He held her tightly and stroked her hair. It felt like she would never be able to stop crying.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Aaron pressed his lips against her temple as the tearful storm started to subside.

Anna shook her head. She was too ashamed to tell him what she’d done.

“You don’t have to. I just wanted you to know you can if you want.”

They sat on the couch for an hour. Aaron was so patient, it only made Anna feel worse. Maybe I should just tell him what happened so he can be disgusted and leave. “Aaron... I—‍” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Devin and I...”

“You had sex?”

She nodded.

“I know.”

She leaned back and stared at him. “How?”

He shrugged. “You’re his slave. His sex slave. Why wouldn’t he?”

Anna bit her lip. “And you’re okay with it?”

He chewed his cheek for a long moment. “I don’t like it, but I knew what I was getting into when I asked you out.” He cupped her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes. “I just have hope that it won’t always be like this.” He smiled. “And if it... well, we’ll figure it out. I think you’re worth it.”

Anna searched his eyes and saw the truth in them. “I don’t deserve you.”

He smiled. “I think the same thing about you.” He kissed her gently. “Are you hungry?”

She nodded. “I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.”

“Then let’s go get some breakfast and do something fun.” He tilted his head. “I think you need some cheering up.”

Anna’s heart warmed at his kindness and understanding. The guilt lifted as she stood. How fortunate she was to have him in her life!

Later that evening, Anna walked into the ballet studio with a happy heart, having spent a wonderful day with Aaron. She was excited about dancing tonight and spending another night with Aaron.

Tatiana stood in the corner speaking with a gray-haired man. He turned when Anna walked in and her heart leaped with joy. Isaak Lampa, the Ballet Master in Chief of the San Francisco Ballet Company, smiled at her and opened his arms to her. She hurried over to embrace him. Her parents had danced for him before she was born, and she’d known him her entire life. He was like a second father to her. A father she’d not seen in years.

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