Page 66 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

Dariya shrugged. “Is true.”

“Give her a break. She’s pregnant.”

Dariya’s eyes got wide. “You got her pregnant?”

Peter narrowed his eyes. “What if I did? It was before you gave me your ultimatum.”

She snapped in Russian and then launched into a flurry of fast-paced speech, punctuating her words by repeatedly pointing at Anna.

Anna stood silently staring at the floor as they argued. Oh, this was not what she wanted for Peter. Who could she stay with while Dariya was here? Aaron? Travis? Devin? She supposed she could stay at the house... Yes, that would be the best option. She could use Alex’s car to get around.

Peter raised his voice at Dariya and pointed to the door. She narrowed her eyes and then stomped out of the room.

“Peter, I’m so sorry,” Anna said softly. “I don’t want to cause trouble. I was thinking maybe I could go stay at the house for a few days... or however long she’s in town.”

He looked at the door and then at Anna, and stepped close. “I don’t want to lose you.” He gently cradled her cheek.

“It’s not real,” she whispered, her heart aching. “Take me to the house and fix things with her. I can use Alex’s car to get around.”

“You shouldn’t be in that big house all by yourself.”

“I’ll be okay. Aaron lives close by.”

Peter sighed and looked thoughtful. “I won’t tell anyone she’s my wife. She said she wants to stay for a while. She can be... an old friend and we had a fight over her or something like that. I’ll be the bad guy.” He gave her a sad look. “I never wanted to hurt you, Anna.”

She forced a smile. “I know.”

An hour later, Peter dropped Anna and a suitcase at the house in Presidio. He hesitated to leave her, but she insisted she’d be alright. Now that he was gone, though, she wasn’t sure. The house was so big and empty. She wondered if Frau Gersten was still around. Aaron might know. He seemed to know everything about her past life.

When she called, Aaron told her that Frau Gersten had moved back to Germany, but there was a woman who came and cleaned the house every few weeks. “Are you thinking about moving back in?”

Anna looked around at the great room. “I’m here right now. Peter and I... had a fight.”

“Oh no, Anna. I’m so sorry.”

She tried to smile. “It’s okay. I forgot how big this place was.”

“Do you want some company?”

It was tempting, but she couldn’t risk him getting hurt. “I’m okay.”

“I’ll... make some calls about a housekeeper for you and let you know. Do you need a ride tonight?”

“Alex’s car is here. Do you know if it runs?”

“Everything in the house has been kept in order, just in case you needed it. The car should run perfectly.”

“Thanks, Aaron.”

“Come see me when you get to the theater tonight, okay?”

“Okay.”

Anna went upstairs and unpacked. Alex’s clothes had been put away in the closet. Strangely, it didn’t hurt as much to be here. She missed Alex terribly, but she didn’t feel the stabbing pain in her heart. It was more like a dull ache. Almost comforting. She pulled one of his sweaters down and pulled it over her head, then went to watch TV until she had to leave for the theater.

Chapter 36

Anna drove to the theater and carefully parked Alex’s silver Mercedes roadster in the parking garage. The car was so powerful that driving it was a bit intimidating. But she’d done well, considering how little she drove these days.

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