Page 176 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

“So, are you hungry?”

“Yes. Justin went to spend time with old friends, but Aaron is showering right now.”

“Alright. How about I pick the two of you up in about twenty minutes?”

Anna, Wilhelm, and Aaron ate dinner together at a lively German restaurant on the other side of the city.

When they returned to the apartment, Aaron said goodnight, and Wilhelm and Anna sat on the couch in the living room. “Anna, I must return to Frankfurt,” Wilhelm said. “If Devin knew I was here, he would become suspicious. Tom is shielding me, but I would rather him put his energy into protecting you.”

“Oh.” She stared at the floor, her heart heavy in her chest. “When?”

“Tonight. Gavin is waiting for me in my hotel room.”

“Oh.”

Wilhelm wrapped his arms around her. “I am sorry, Liebling. But we will speak often.”

“You can’t come back?”

Wilhelm frowned. “Eventually, ja. But I do not know when.” He stroked her cheek. “You do not need an old man like me hanging around. You need to embrace your new life.”

Anna blinked away tears. “I like you being here.” She looked up at him. “I hate the idea of you being absent from my life.”

He smiled gently. “Anna, I will always be a part of your life. But you need to be safe, and my being here could attract Devin’s attention. Once he is weaker, it will be easier, but he is too strong for now. The longer you are away from him, the better.”

Anna nodded, understanding, though she didn’t like it. “I’ll miss you.”

“And I, you, Liebling. Tom is available if you need anything. And Aaron.” He leaned down and kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Wilhelm didn’t linger, but gave her another kiss and left the apartment. His quick exit made it easier to smile and say goodbye to him without her voice betraying her sadness, but once he left, she hurried to her room and fell onto her bed, sobbing. Aaron came in a few minutes later, lay down behind her, and held her until she fell asleep in his arms.

Chapter 97

The next morning, bees and butterflies waged war in Anna’s stomach as she followed Aaron into the large dance studio where classes were held every day except Sundays. Justin had already arrived and stood along the side wall, talking and laughing with several other dancers. Anna envied the ease with which he’d already settled in.

She hovered behind Aaron, trying to hide.

Aaron put his arm around her and chuckled. “C’mon, Kat. You can stand by me.”

“Cat?”

“Nickname?” Aaron grinned.

“Oh.” She smiled, liking the sound of it. Shortening Anna wasn’t really necessary.

Aaron walked to the back center of the room and Anna stood next to him, uncertain of what to do. The studio was twice the size of the one back home and there were so many dancers!

Several dancers said hi to Aaron and looked at Anna curiously.

“Don’t worry, Kat. They looked at me the same way when I came. They’ll respect you once you start dancing.”

“It’s so different...” Anna fiddled with her wedding ring. The women were so sophisticated, even though they wore simple workout wear or dance attire. Something about them just screamed elegance. And they were all tall and very thin, making Anna self-conscious of her curves.

She sat down on the wooden floor and began working over her new pointe shoes to soften them. She’d forgotten to do it last night. Everyone else’s were well worn. She sighed and prayed Aaron was right.

Vincent strolled in a while later and caught Anna’s eye. He smiled warmly at her and then turned to speak to the pianist. While Aaron chatted with the other dancers around them, Anna stayed on the floor, stretching and avoiding looking at anyone. Until she felt someone watching her. She looked up to see that Nate had arrived and was watching her, eyes full of emotion.

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