The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced Read Online Free PDF

explain to Ben what had to happen. If he
truly loved her, he would want what was best for her. He just hoped
Anna would cooperate.
    *****
    Anna slept fitfully. She had nightmares about
Ben. That he wouldn’t speak to her. That they tried to be together
and they couldn’t. That he was dead. In the morning she apologized
to Wilhelm for tossing and turning all night, and he was very
understanding.
    Anna headed to the theater after breakfast.
She sought out Jenna as soon as she put her bag in her dressing
room.
    “Ben didn’t come home last night,” Jenna told
her as she paused mid-stretch at the barre. “Matt said he’s done
that before. When he’s upset about something, he’ll just go for a
drive and not tell anyone. Then he’ll come back and everything will
be fine.”
    “Then why did he tell me he’d be at the
party? I don’t understand.”
    “I don’t know, Anna. But I’m sure everything
will be okay.”
    The day dragged on. There was no call from
Ben. No text. No nothing.
    Anna found that dancing in the two
performances that day provided the only relief from the ache in her
heart; a few, precious minutes of distraction in an otherwise dark
day. Her heart twisted and her stomach churned the rest of the
time. She couldn’t have said whether she danced well or not, and
even her friend’s assurances did nothing to cheer her.
    She felt terrible about being poor company
for Wilhelm, and apologized again and again. “I can go home if you
want, Wilhelm. You could find more…pleasant company…if I did.”
    “Nonsense, Anna,” Wilhelm said in response,
squeezing her hand. “You are not going anywhere. I want to make
sure you are all right.”
    Wilhelm once again held her all night as she
tossed and turned.
    Sunday dawned and still Anna hadn’t heard
from Ben. She felt so hopeless she could hardly get out of bed.
    “Anna, do not give up hope,” Wilhelm said.
“He will call.”
    Anna drove to the theater and mechanically
went through the motions of warming up and getting ready.
    She came alive when she danced, and only when
she danced. Aside from that, she stared at her phone while sitting
in her dressing room.

Chapter Seven
    After the last curtain call of the evening,
Anna trudged back to her dressing room. She contemplated calling
Wilhelm to let him know she was going to go for a drive; she needed
some air.
    “Hello, Anna.”
    Anna jumped when she stepped into the room
and saw Ian sitting on her couch.
    “Ian? What are you doing here?”
    His eyes were hard. Had she done something
wrong?
    “Devin wants to see you. Tonight.”
    Anna took in a shaky breath. What had she
done to earn a punishment? “I need to tell Wilhelm—”
    “It’s been taken care of.”
    She studied Ian closely. He was acting
strange; cold and distant. “Ian, what’s wrong?”
    “Please, Anna,” he pleaded softly, breaking
through the ice for just a split second. Then he was hard again.
“Get ready as quickly as you can.”
    Anna moved quickly. She didn’t want to anger
Devin more if he truly was angry with her. As she dressed, she
wracked her brain, trying to figure out what she’d done. When she
was ready, Ian led her out the back of the theater to a waiting
Town Car. He opened the back door for her and then got in the
driver’s seat and drove away.
    “Where are we going?” she asked.
    “The Manor.”
    “Am I to be punished?”
    Ian didn’t answer at first. “No,” he said
after a few moments of silence.
    Something about his manner disturbed her.
“Ian. Please. Tell me what’s wrong.” She leaned forward and put her
hand on his shoulder.
    “Anna, don’t. Just…please be quiet and we’ll
be there soon.”
    That didn’t help any. Ian’s strange behavior
just made her more anxious.
    She stared out the window and watched the
scenery fly past her. What had she done to anger Devin? Nothing
came to mind. He had left her alone for the most part the last
month or so. She usually knew what Devin was angry about,