Page 223 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

“I know a bit about how the higher German families operate, and Aaron told me a little about your past last night.”

“I called Wilhelm to ask him if I would ever be free and he said I wouldn’t.” She blinked. “Wilhelm is a good man, as is Kurt. I’m not being forced into a horrible marriage. Kurt asked me to marry him before, but... we couldn’t.” She looked at Hugo, her heart heavy. “I’m sorry things... got so far. I suspected that I would have to marry Kurt, but...” She sighed. “I like you. A lot. I suppose because I didn’t know for certain, I didn’t think about it much. But now that I do know...” She shook her head. “I never wanted to hurt you, Hugo. You are one of the best men I have ever known. But I had to tell you before we... slept together.” She blinked back tears. “I’m so sorry.”

Hugo was quiet for several minutes and the butterflies returned to Anna’s stomach, but he deserved her quiet respect.

“If I were a callous man and didn’t care about the future, I’d say, ‘fuck it,’ and take you into my bedroom right now. I would stay with you as long as I could have you and then let you go when it was time.” He paused. “But I’m not a callous man. When we began getting serious, I started imagining a future for us.”

Tears burned at Anna’s eyes. She had thought of a future with him as well.

“I know that if I did hold on to you, it would kill me when I had to give you up. I don’t know if I could let you go.”

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she stared hard at her lap. Her chest tightened and she could hardly breathe. She tried to pull her hand away, but he held her tight.

“Katrina...” He lifted her chin with his hand. “I don’t regret a moment I spent with you. I will always cherish it. And I will cherish our time together in the future as well.” He smiled. “I’m not going to stop dancing with you. And I certainly can’t stop caring about you.”

She let out a choked laugh through her tears. “I don’t want to stop dancing with you either.”

“Don’t feel guilty, Kittycat. I understand why you kept things from me. And you didn’t lead me on when you found out what would happen in the future. I would have been far more hurt if you had told me next week. Or even tomorrow.”

Anna nodded, though his kindness couldn’t ease the pain of guilt in her heart.

“But I do think we should end things now, before either of us gets more hurt than we already are. At least romance-wise. Then we can have a good friendship instead of parting as hurt lovers later.”

She nodded again. He was right. But it still hurt.

“Katrina?”

She looked up.

“I was going to talk to you about what Aaron had told me. Either way, we would have resolved it tonight. It’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry.” The tears fell freely. Hugo pulled her close and let her cry on his shirt.

Hugo walked her home a while later. They were quiet, but Anna felt lighter. Hugo had taken her story well. He said he’d been thinking about it all day and had already gotten his head and heart around not being with her.

When they got to her apartment door, he kissed her on the cheek. “We have rehearsals for Arches tomorrow, don’t forget.”

Anna forced a smile. “I can’t wait.”

He waited for her to unlock the door and then said goodbye, and he turned and made his way back to the elevators.

Anna walked inside and saw the living room light was on. Was Aaron home?

She walked around the corner and froze in surprise to see Aaron lying on the couch, kissing a guy. She stared for a moment, fascinated, and then cleared her throat.

“An—Katrina! What are you doing home?” His eyes were wide and he glanced back at the guy he’d been kissing. Anna didn’t recognize him. He was good looking, in a feminine way, with thick auburn hair and blue eyes. “I thought you were staying with Hugo.”

She blinked rapidly and shook her head. Aaron was at her side in a flash. “What happened?” He put his arm around her and led her to the couch.

“We broke up,” she said softly. “We... had to. I told him—‍” She glanced at the other guy and back at Aaron. “I told him what I was and what was expected of me in the future. We decided it was best to end things now. Well, Hugo decided, and I agreed.”

“Oh, Kat, I’m so sorry.” He hugged her tightly.

“I know it’s for the best, but it still hurts.”

Aaron nodded. “I know.”

She glanced at the other guy again. “I think I’ll just go to bed. Give you some privacy.”

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