Page 206 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

Tom exhaled and stood. “I’ve never been so thankful for his perversion.” Tom raised his brows at Hugo. “Who are you?”

“Hugo. Katrina’s . . . boyfriend.”

Anna blinked and looked up at him. “Really?”

He stroked her cheek. “After what I had planned for tonight, I certainly hope so.”

Aaron nodded. “He’s a dancer and choreographer with the City Ballet.”

“Oh! Hugo Sintzenich! I know you, though we’ve never officially met. I’m Tom Pendleton.” Tom extended his hand.

Hugo’s eyebrow raised as he shook Tom’s hand. “You’re Tom Pendleton?” He looked at Aaron. “You know him?”

Aaron shrugged. “It’s a really long story.”

“One that doesn’t need to be told right now,” Tom said. “I got another room to take her to.” He pulled a card out of his pocket. “Next door.” He handed the card to Hugo. “Can you stay with her while I look around?”

“Of course.” Hugo took the keycard from Tom. He kept his arm around Anna and led her next door. He sat her on the bed and held her close. “Did he rape you, Katrina?”

Anna didn’t know how to answer that. “I suppose some would qualify it as that.”

Hugo stiffened. “Did you want to come here with him?”

“No. I never wanted to see him again. I wanted to see you dance.” Anna clasped her hands in her lap. “You don’t have to stay with me if you don’t want to.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to, Kittycat?” He lifted her chin to look her in the eye. “I was so worried about you. I still am. Please trust me.”

Anna bit her lip. “I don’t know what I can tell you. I’ll have to ask Tom.”

“Is your guardian the relationship that you didn’t want to talk about before?”

“He’s part of it.”

“Katrina’s not your real name, is it?”

Anna shook her head slowly. “They changed it so I couldn’t be found.”

“It’s Anna, right?”

She smiled. She liked the sound of her real name on his lips. “Yes.”

“It suits you. Though I think your other name does too. Whoever picked it out did a good job.”

The door opened and the others came in. Tommy sat down next to Anna. “Are you okay?” He took her hand.

She hadn’t seen or heard from him since he’d left after having sex with her. She pulled her hand away and watched as first hurt, then sorrow, filled his eyes.

Tom leaned on the dresser across from where she was sitting on the bed, arms loosely crossed over his chest. “Tell me what happened,” he said in a gentle voice.

She glanced at Hugo and then back at Tom, and told him what happened, up to the point where she got angry and didn’t remember anymore. “The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor and my phone was buzzing.” Tears spilled down her cheeks and Hugo handed her a tissue. He hadn’t moved the whole time she spoke, even when she talked about having sex with Jack.

“Anna, do you remember getting angry any other time and not remembering what happened after?”

She winced. “Yes.”

“Was it after Devin—er, you lost the baby? A few months ago?”

She looked up at Tom, thankful he didn’t say aloud what had really happened, and nodded. “Do you know what happened then?”

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