The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 1182

Juliana had finally made peace with it—she could accept things as they were.

It wasn’t the first time she’d said those words, but Scott still felt a jolt of guilt run through him.

“Juliana, what did I ever do to deserve you?”

“Honey, all I want is for you to come home sometimes. Just remember I’m your wife, that this is your home. That’s enough for me.” Juliana leaned in, slipping her hand under the collar of Scott’s shirt.

“Juliana.” Scott caught her hand and sighed, sounding worn out. “I’m really tired tonight. You should get some rest too.”

He gently pulled away and left the room, heading alone to the guest bedroom.

He still couldn’t sort himself out. He knew all too well where his heart really belonged.

Juliana felt a pang of disappointment, but she wasn’t crushed. The fact he still came home at all—that was something.

Time would dull the pain, eventually.

As soon as Scott got to the guest room, his phone buzzed. It was Sandy.

He used to answer Sandy’s calls right away. Now, he hesitated. He didn’t want to pick up, didn’t dare.

He loved Sandy, but she scared him too.

Whenever he closed his eyes, Tavon’s words echoed in his head, along with the memory of all the awful things Sandy had done.

The phone kept ringing. Finally, Scott put it on silent, hoping that if he didn’t hear it, it might all go away.

…

Sandy called again and again, but got no answer. Something felt off. “Why isn’t he picking up? I even checked with his secretary—Scott had no meetings or plans tonight.”

“Don’t worry, sis,” Sean said, trying to calm her down. “Maybe he’s busy, or just asleep. It’s late—you should call it a night too.”

But Sandy couldn’t relax. This was the first time she couldn’t reach Scott. It felt like he was purposely avoiding her.

Sean mumbled, “Dad’s not home this late either.”

That sent a chill through Sandy. “You can’t get ahold of Dad, either?”

Sean shook his head. “He’s not answering.”

Downstairs in the living room—

Tavon and Salma came in from the garden and spotted Sandy right away. Tavon’s brow creased. “Sandy, why are you here?”

“Dad!” Sandy’s face flushed with anger and embarrassment. “Fine, don’t help me, but why tear me down? Are Sean and Anastasia the only family you care about?”

Tavon was about to lose his temper when he spotted Herman coming down the stairs. He swallowed his words and just said, “Sandy, you’d better think long and hard about your choices.”

Fuming, Sandy watched Tavon and Salma head upstairs. When she turned around, she was face-to-face with Herman.

She hadn’t been this close to him in ages. Suddenly, she felt nervous.

“H-Herman.” Sandy’s gaze was still full of longing, almost possessive.

From the stairs, Herman looked down at her, his voice icy. “You really don’t know when to quit, do you?”