Page 268 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“Is it true, Anna? Would you rather be with him than me?”

Anna bit her lip to keep from crying out that yes, he was right. She would rather be with Ben than Devin. “I-I want to please you, Master.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Anna stared at his feet for a long moment, mustering up the courage to confess the truth. “Yes,” she whispered.

“I can’t hear you.”

She cleared her voice. “Yes, Master.”

“Yes, what?”

Her jaw trembled, and a flash of defiance flicked at her heart, though she carefully kept her gaze fixed on his shoes. “Yes, I’d rather be with him than you.”

Devin let out a low growl. She glanced up to see his eyes blazing with anger, and he slapped her across the face. Anna fell to her hip and clasped her cheek. “You bitch! After all I’ve given you?” He curled his lip and stood. “You leave me with no choice.” Devin jumped to his feet, yanked her up by her ponytail, and spun her around to face the door.

The room was silent, and then movement in the corner caught her attention. Shuffling feet. Then Ben appeared, falling forward as if he’d been shoved. His dark suit was wrinkled and his tie was loose. His hair stuck up at odd angles and his cheeks were dark with bruises. Ian stood behind him, jaw clenched.

“Ben!” She lunged forward, reaching for him, but Devin grabbed her hand. She twisted and pulled, but couldn’t free herself.

Ben stumbled toward her, his hands outstretched to her. “Anna...”

Devin pulled her against himself. “He didn’t abandon you. He’s been here since Friday night. He’s been watching all sorts of videos. Watching you please man after man after man. And he just got to watch you suck my cock live.”

Her jaw shook and she pushed against Devin as she stared at Ben. “Please, Devin... Let me go.”

“I will not allow anyone to come between us, Anna. You’re too valuable to allow that to happen. So if you really mean that you’d rather be with him than me...” Devin nodded and Ian stepped behind Ben and put his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Then I have no choice but to eliminate the distraction once and for all.”

Time slowed as Anna and Ben stared at each other. Anna watched Ian lift his hand. He was holding something. A syringe.

“Noooo!”

Ian jammed the syringe into Ben’s neck.

“No!” She wrenched herself free from Devin’s grasp and screamed as she sprinted to Ben, catching him as he stumbled. “Ben! No, please!”

His knees gave out and she hugged him to herself as he slowly slid to the floor. A hoarse sucking noise came from his mouth, and his eyes widened as his body convulsed. His mouth opened, and he grabbed her hand as he shook, staring into her eyes with such horror and pain. “No, Ben. Oh, God. Please, no.” His body jerked and his jaw trembled, but he never tore his gaze from hers. She brushed his hair back and kissed him, cradling his cheek.

“Anna...” Leaning close, she strained to hear his voice, which was barely above a whisper. “... love... you...” His jaw trembled again and his eyes fluttered closed. He gave one last shudder, then was still.

“Ben...” she whispered, cupping his scruffy cheek. “Ben, please wake up.” He had to be sleeping. Yes. Ian wouldn’t have killed him. She looked up at Ian. His jaw was clenched and she saw the truth in his eyes.

Anna looked back at Ben’s pale face and then at his hand that had grasped hers so tightly. Now it was limp. But she wouldn’t let go, even as the truth washed over her. Ian had killed the man she loved.

She sucked in a hot breath and looked back at Ben’s handsome face before collapsing onto his unmoving chest. She sobbed and cried out his name. “Come back to me... Please... I need you...”

A soft thump on the floor next to her made her look up. A small, square, gray velvet-covered box lay on its side.

“You might be interested to know that was in his pocket when we took him.” Anna could hardly hear Devin’s cold voice through the pounding in her ears.

Anna’s hands trembled as she reached for the box. Inside was a beautiful diamond solitaire ring. Time seemed to stand still as she stared at it, her mind struggling to process what it meant. He loved her. He was going to ask her to marry him.

Something snapped inside her mind. She grasped the box tightly in her hand and clenched her jaw. Heat bubbled up inside her chest, but it wasn’t grief. It wasn’t sorrow. It was something she’d never felt before. Calm. Power. Anger. All mixed together into one boiling serum that coursed through her veins.

Leaning up to kiss Ben’s still-warm lips, she said a quiet goodbye and then stood, sliding the ring box into her pocket. The heat filled her entire being, and she turned and looked at Ben’s murderer and the one who made him do it.

She stared at Devin for a moment, then lunged at him. She screamed wildly, kicking and screaming at him. Every contact sent a thrill through her body.

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