The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 893

Anastasia wouldn’t let Herman sleep beside her. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t accept herself—not after everything. She felt dirty, tainted in a way that couldn’t be washed away.

She didn’t want to drag him down with her.

She forced herself to eat the food Herman brought, picking at it in silence, before burrowing back under the covers. She didn’t want to see anyone. She didn’t want to talk. She sent everyone away, needing to be alone.

As for those four men who died—she felt nothing. They deserved it. That was all.

A while later, Anastasia got up and wandered into the bathroom. She undressed and caught sight of the bruises scattered across her skin. The memories crashed over her, threatening to break her.

She bit her lip, ran a bath as hot as she could stand, and slid into the water. She scrubbed at her skin until it turned red and raw, but she couldn’t feel anything. Not pain, not relief.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get clean. She was too filthy.

Anastasia started to cry, silent tears slipping down her cheeks and dripping into the bath, disappearing without a trace.

Blood began to trickle, swirling into the water and tinting it red.

Something about that color—so bright, so final—made her heart race. A strange, desperate smile flickered on her lips.

Moving without thinking, she opened a drawer, took out Herman’s razor, and slipped the blade free.

Just one cut, and she wouldn’t have to face herself anymore.

Anastasia closed her eyes, lifting the blade to her wrist. She was ready.

Suddenly, someone hammered on the door. Herman’s voice cut through the silence, tense and frantic: “Anastasia! Anastasia, what are you doing? I’m coming in!”

He couldn’t stay away, even when she pushed him out. He’d been worried—rightly so.

He heard nothing from inside, and panic took over. He grabbed the doorknob, about to force it open—

But the door swung open first.

Anastasia stood there, wrapped tight in a towel, her face blank. “I’m just taking a bath. There’s no need to panic.”

It was Herman’s voice—his fear—that pulled her back from the edge.

She brushed past him, heading for the closet and changing into warm, loose clothes.

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