After a sleepless day and night, Herman finally caught a few winks. When he woke up, it was already morning.
The hospital bed was empty.
Anastasia was gone.
Panic surged through him as he rushed out, calling, "Anastasia, Anastasia..."
Anastasia had just had a miscarriage, and he was deeply worried about her health.
After asking a few nurses, he finally found her in the nursery.
Dressed in her hospital gown, Anastasia stood frail and slim before the glass window, gazing at the babies inside.
All the newborns were incredibly adorable.
Anastasia’s hands rested on the glass, her eyes brimming with tears as she watched them, wishing her own child could be among them.
"Anastasia."
Herman knew what she was thinking. He approached her, gently taking her hand. "Why are you out here? It's cold. Let me take you back to your room."
Anastasia yanked her hand away, her gaze icy. "What, are you afraid I’ll confront your grandmother and demand justice for my child?"
Her words left Herman speechless; he had never seen her this cold.
He stammered, his eyes dim, reaching out again, but Anastasia walked past him, heading straight back to her room.
His hand lingered in mid-air as he closed his eyes, his fingers feeling numb.
Just as Anastasia returned to her room, Salma showed up with Pattie, bringing a nutritious breakfast to help Anastasia recover.
Anastasia had no appetite. Pattie held her hand and said, "Mom, you need to eat something. If you don’t, you’ll be hungry. Your baby brother will come back to your tummy, I promise."
Pattie understood what had happened, and Salma had brought her to comfort Anastasia.
Salma feared that Anastasia might fall into depression again, like a few years before.
Seeing sweet little Pattie, Anastasia’s heart still ached. "Pattie, Mommy really can’t eat right now."
Turning to Salma, she said, "Mom, please take Pattie home later."
She didn’t want to talk or let her negative emotions affect her child.
Hearing that Herman was going to take Pattie away, Anastasia reacted like a threatened mother cat. "Don’t you dare take my daughter away! Isn’t it enough for the Salstrom family to have taken one of my children? Do you want to harm my daughter too?"
Anastasia had completely lost trust in the Salstrom family. She didn’t believe they would treat Pattie well.
Herman looked into Anastasia's eyes and saw himself as her enemy, someone she needed to guard against.
Her distrust hurt more than a knife to his chest, a thousand times over.
Salma was utterly confused and didn’t know what to say. To defuse the situation, she said, "Son-in-law, you better leave. I'll take care of Ana."
Herman had no choice but to leave. But he couldn’t truly leave; he could only sit in the corridor outside the room, keeping watch.
Herman lit a cigarette, trying to ease his pain.
Leaning against the wall, he exhaled smoke, finding a small release for his emotions.
"Mr. Salstrom." Nelson approached him. "The matter in Shanghai has been taken care of. We've also found the number that sent the threatening message to the young lady."
Herman took a deep drag, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Who sent the message?"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)
Author pls Pls don't separate Ana and Herman once again because of Sandy. There must be an ending to Ana's sufferings!...
Yes yes yes!!! Thank you!!!...
How comes the twists are becoming uninteresting and unrealistic? Readers will prefer cleaner straight happy endings. Please don't go far beyond otherwise readers will lose interest. Time to end the story like we want it to be....
Please give us a happy ending for Anastasia and Herman with Pattie recognized as Herman's daughter, thank you!!!...
Pls update. This novel is really good....