Page 226 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

“What?” Her focus was on his hand holding hers.

“Is that him?”

Anna whirled around and saw Kurt weaving his way through the crowd, a determined look on his face. “Yes.”

Hugo chuckled. “He looks like a duke’s son.” He took hold of Anna’s wrist and gently pulled his hand away from hers. “I won’t keep you from him, Katrina. This is why we broke up.”

“But Hugo?—‍”

“Katrina.” Kurt’s voice was low and tinged with... warning?

“You must be Kurt.” Hugo smiled and extended his hand. “I’m Hugo Sintzenich.”

Kurt eyed him suspiciously but shook his head in surprise. “Sintzenich? You are German?”

Hugo said something in German, to which Kurt responded in kind with a laugh, lightening Kurt’s mood. Kurt slipped his arm around Anna’s waist and the two men chatted in German for a few minutes. Anna frowned at the wall beyond Hugo, unable to understand what they were saying.

“Holy shit. Kurt?”

Kurt turned and smiled at Aaron. “Aaron. It is good to see you. You were great tonight. As usual.”

Aaron grinned. “Thanks.” He looked between Anna and Kurt, confusion evident on his face. “What are you doing here?”

“Came to surprise An—er, Katrina.”

Several dancers walked by their little group, and Anna saw them watching her and Kurt. She tried to step away from Kurt, but he kept a firm grip on her waist.

“I think you succeeded.” Aaron arched his brows, glancing at Anna.

Anna didn’t know exactly how she felt about Kurt claiming her so quickly, but it wasn’t a positive feeling. She still cared for Hugo, and Kurt lived thousands of miles away.

Kurt was... different. Possessive. He had been before, but not like this. He was usually gentler with her. What had gotten into him?

Kurt kept his hand on her back as he led her back to the table a while later. “I did not realize Hugo was German.”

“Does it matter?” The coolness in her voice came through a little more strongly than she’d intended. “Am I allowed only to date Germans?”

“I would rather you sleep with a German than anyone else.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Anna stopped and turned to him, clenching her hands and frowning up at him. “You live thousands of miles away and I just found out from your father that no matter what happens, I’ll still end up with you owning me.” Deep inside, she didn’t dislike the idea of being with Kurt, but he was making a whole lot of assumptions about the present moment.

“I just think that if you are going to have a boyfriend here, I am glad he is German.”

Anna glared at him. “So you don’t mind me fucking around, as long as he’s German?”

Kurt shrugged. “I know you have needs and I am not here enough to fulfill them properly. I am not saying he has to be German, I am just saying I am glad he is German.”

Anna shook her head in bewilderment. “So you and I are ‘together’ now?”

“I suppose you could see it that way.”

“Were you planning on telling me this? I thought I was free to do as I liked.”

“You are . . . when I am not around.”

Anna stared at Kurt. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She narrowed her eyes. “You’re as bad as Devin,” she snapped, before turning to walk away, but he grabbed her arm.

He forced a smile, but his eyes were cold. “I am going to pretend I did not hear that.” He looked around, then locked his eyes onto hers. “I am not Devin and you know it.”

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