Annie couldn't get over how frustrating WhatsApp's design was. It was like the app had no idea how real people felt.
When you retract a message, it’s because you don’t want the other person to see it. But no, the app just had to announce that a message had been deleted.
It was like putting up a neon sign that says, "Hey, something’s up!"
All Annie could do now was pray that Herman hadn’t seen her message before she yanked it back. That he hadn’t noticed the glaring "This message was deleted" notification.
Talk about a social disaster.
All Annie really needed was to vent, to pour out her frustrations to Herman. She was just blowing off steam, thinking he had blocked her and wouldn't see her messages anyway. She treated the chat app like a secret diary, a place to unload her deepest secrets.
Now, that diary didn’t feel so secret anymore.
Her heart was doing somersaults as she waited anxiously. Then, her phone pinged with a WhatsApp notification.
Annie's heart skipped a beat at the sound. The very thing she dreaded most had happened.
Sure enough, it was a message from Herman.
Seeing his message was like a jolt of life, sending her pulse racing and bringing color back to her world.
For months, they’d had no contact. All she knew about him came from the news. They had retreated to their separate lives, no intersection.
Now, his message linked them together again.
It was just four words, but they brought tears to her eyes and made her lashes damp.
Because he had written: "I'm downstairs."
Annie dashed to the window facing the street and there, under the glow of the street lamps, was Herman's car parked at the curb.
He had come.
Hadn't he promised Feiman he would never come to see her again?
Then why was he here?
Annie wished she could run down to him, yet fear held her back.
Logic warned her not to go. She feared Feiman's retribution. She had just regained some semblance of peace, and she didn't want that shattered. Her mother was too old for any more upsets, and Pattie was still so young...
Suddenly, he hugged her, and months of longing came rushing at her like a flood.
"I've always been here," he said.
A lump formed in Annie's throat, and the moment felt like a dream. She was in his arms, smelling his familiar scent, which she had longed for.
Her voice was choked with emotion. "I thought I'd never get to be in your arms again."
Under the orange glow of the street lamps, a breeze stirred, scattering leaves around them as they held each other tightly, wishing they could fuse together, never to be parted.
Though they were divorced, their affection hadn't waned. Their hearts had always remained entwined.
As he held her, Herman's heart was full. Promises, commitments, they all flew out the window. With her by his side, he needed nothing else.
Just then, a flash of white light crossed their sight. Herman's brow furrowed, his gaze sharply turning towards a nearby bush. He knew someone was there, taking photos of them.
It was one of Feiman's men. Feiman had been secretly keeping tabs on him for the past few months, making sure he didn't go to Annie.
Herman released Annie, took her hand, and said, "Get in the car."
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....