Her pleas felt like a knife straight through Herman’s chest.
Swallowing his bitterness, he walked over and set the bowl of bird’s nest soup gently on the nightstand.
You spend enough time in the dark, and eventually your eyes adjust—you start to see everything.
Herman sat at the edge of the bed, his voice soft and gentle. “Honey, try to eat a little, okay?”
Anastasia looked at him, and before she could even speak, tears poured down her face.
She shook her head, struggling to keep it together. But when Herman’s hand reached for her forehead, she flinched, instinctively pulling back, her eyes wide with fear. “Don’t—don’t touch me.”
His hand froze in the air, his pupils contracting.
He swallowed, the pain sharp and jagged, like swallowing shards of glass.
Holding himself back, Herman lowered his hand and tried to make himself smaller, afraid of scaring her even more.
“I’ll just leave it here, alright? And the medicine too, it’s right here. I’ll be over on the couch if you need anything. Just call me, okay?”
His voice was so quiet—almost pleading.
He still couldn’t shake the memory of finding her by the roadside, the surge of rage that made him want to tear apart whoever had hurt her.
Herman backed away and sat on the sofa. Anastasia leaned against the headboard, slowly letting herself relax.
They sat in silence: one at the bed, one on the couch, the night cool and still.
Anastasia found herself thinking, If only time could rewind.
She didn’t know how long they stayed like that, just the two of them and the quiet, until Herman finally broke the silence.
“I remember everything now, Ana. All of it. I remember you.”
The words sent her over the edge. Joy and heartbreak tangled inside her—he remembered, but why now, of all times?
She bit her lip hard, refusing to break down in front of him. She couldn’t let him see her cry, couldn’t let him hurt even more.
She didn’t even know when the tears on her face had dried. The night seemed to stretch on forever.
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....