Page 272 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“Please lie down on the bed, Daughter.”

She obeyed. He put his hand on her head and then stomach. A vague memory of having sex with him the previous night flitted through her mind, but she couldn’t remember any details.

Kaveh nodded. “It is done.”

Devin smiled broadly. “Excellent.” He glanced at Anna. “You can go now.”

Ignoring her curiosity about what was “done,” Anna dressed as quickly as she could, not wanting to be in Devin’s presence any longer than she had to be. He watched her with an amused expression on his face. She pulled her sweater over her head, then clasped her hands in front of her hips and stared at the floor, jaw clenched. “I’m ready.”

Devin stood. “Good. I’ll take you downstairs to the car so Ian can take you back to the city.”

Anna followed Devin through the Manor and to the front door. “I’ll come see you this week since I can’t have you on Fridays while you are performing.”

She nodded and slid her feet into her shoes without a word. She stood quietly, her jaw clenched against the anger that wanted to bubble out and hit Devin again. Snapping her head up, she studied his face. She would have sworn she’d broken his nose, but it was perfectly straight and unswollen. Nor was there any hint of swelling in his lip where he’d been bleeding.

She dropped her gaze to the floor again. How was that possible? And why had she bothered?

He chuckled. “Looking for the injuries you tried to inflict?”

Anna shrugged.

“You can’t hurt me, Anna.” He grabbed her chin and squeezed so hard her eyes watered. “And it would be wise to never try it ever again.” He sneered. “Ben’s body has been dredged from the Bay by now. I’m sure his family is on their way to the city as we speak.” His nostrils flared and his eyes blazed with anger. “Remember your place.” He snarled. “I can make your life a living hell.”

Anger flared inside her chest. “You already have.” She twisted out of his grasp and hurried outside to the back of Ian’s car, refusing to look at him as Ian drove away.

Chapter 128

A heavy silence hung over the car ride back to the theater garage. Anna’s mind raced as she sat in the back seat, staring out the window. Her flash of anger had given way to fear of what Devin would do next and, even more so, the stinging pain of grief. Last night, she’d still had hope of seeing Ben. Today there was no hope. There was only the certainty of his death. She would never again hold his hand, kiss his lips, be in his arms.

Anna didn’t wait for Ian to open the door for her when he stopped by her car. Without saying a word, she exited the car and hurried to her own, starting it with trembling hands. The engine roared to life, and Anna sped away, eager to leave behind the haunting memories of what Devin had done to Ben. But there was no escape. Memories of his falling into her arms, the convulsions that wracked his body before he finally succumbed to death, plagued her mind. She could still feel his death grip on her hand.

According to the clock on the dashboard, it was nearly three o’clock. She wished she’d never woken up. Sleep was peaceful. Sleep didn’t hurt.

Where to go? She needed to tell Matt what happened. Oh, God, how could she tell Matt what happened? How could she tell him his best friend was dead because of her? Because she loved him, Devin had killed him.

She slowly drove around the parking garage to her spot and trudged to the elevator. She winced as the doors closed, remembering the first time she’d seen them. She’d been so afraid of them...

The elevator dinged, announcing she’d arrived at her floor. She stepped out and hesitated. She needed to talk to Matt... she couldn’t talk to Matt... Her mind refused to choose a direction and she stood in the middle of the hallway, unable to move.

Fiery anguish consumed her heart, and her legs betrayed her, giving way as if unable to bear the burden of her grief any longer. The pain was unbearable, and she sat on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Her sobs were raw, an outpouring of the despair that had taken hold of her. She knew she needed to get to her apartment, to not disturb her neighbors, but her overwhelming grief made it impossible to move. All she could do was sit there, huddled on the floor, the weight of her heartache pressing her down into the hard floor.

In her mind, she saw Ian stabbing the needle into Ben’s neck over and over again.

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around her shoulders and the tight hold her grief had on her slipped.

“Kommen Sie, Liebling.” Wilhelm helped her to her feet and guided her down the hallway, but not to her apartment. To Ben and Matt’s.

“No! No! I don’t want to go in there,” she wailed. She dug her heels into the carpeted floor and struggled against his grip, but he held her tight.

“Ben’s family is here. They want to see you.” Wilhelm pushed open the door and gently pulled her into the apartment.

“Anna!” Ben’s mother, Katherine, hurried to her side and pulled her into a hard hug the moment she walked into the living room. “We were so worried about you. That you had been in the car with Ben. But Wilhelm said you were okay. I don’t know how he knew, but I’m so thankful he was right.”

Anna stood stiffly as the older woman embraced her, not knowing what to do. It was Anna’s fault that Ben was dead. The realization that this family was grieving because of her selfishness hit her hard. She pulled away, shaking her head. “I-I can’t be here.”

She turned and fled to her apartment at the opposite end of the hallway. Once she was inside, she fell to the floor, sobbing again.

“Anna.” Wilhelm. Dear Wilhelm. He kneeled next to her. “Liebling. How did you know?”

---