Chapter 143

Alex stared down into the face of his beloved wife, thankful she’d stopped. Maybe he’d be able to explain... something...

She’d closed her eyes as he’d turned her around, but when he cupped her cheek, she opened them and his heart leaped at the sight of her beautiful green eyes he’d longed to see for so long. They were filled with tears and she began to shake. “Alex...” She shook her head, disbelief written all over her face.

His heart swelled at the sound of her voice saying his name. For the first time in so many years, she knew he was still alive. “Yes, Schatzi . It’s me.”

She blinked several times and shook her head. “How... how are you here?”

He stroked her cheek with a gentle hand and smiled. “It’s a very long story, and I will tell you everything soon, but for now, the shortest explanation is that Vitaly captured us shortly after we arrived in Russia. We escaped several months after Vlad became Elder, and came to New York in July, when?—”

“July?” Her eyes widened and she stared up at him, her lower lip trembling. “You’ve been here since July?”

“Yes, when you got sick, I had to?—?”

A crack echoed in the room and it took Alex several seconds to realize she had slapped him in the face. It took him a few seconds more to register the angry expression on her face. The sting of the hit was padded by his beard, but it still hurt. He brought his hand to his cheek and winced.

“You’ve been here for two months and didn’t tell me?” Her eyes narrowed. “Why am I just finding this out now?”

“Anna, there were things I had to do before I could let you know I was here... alive. I had to?—?”

“Were you just using me?” she asked in a squeaky voice, motioning around the room. “Why did you lie to me? Why all the secrecy? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you come see me?” Her voice got louder with each question until she was yelling at him. “What the hell is going on, Alex?”

He stared at her, completely at a loss for words. Was this really his sweet Anna standing in front of him? The fire in her eyes bewildered him, and he didn’t know how to answer her questions. This was certainly not how he had envisioned their reunion. He’d imagined it thousands of times, but it had never involved her being angry with him. Or hitting him.

His own anger rose to the surface and he pointed his finger at her. “You never believed me when I told you I was alive, Anna. If you’d believed me, we wouldn’t be going through all this shit.”

Her nostrils flared, and she shoved him away. “You were dead, Alex. Devin told me. Your father told me. Everyone told me you were dead! I spent two years doped up out of my head rather than grieve for you. How the hell was I supposed to believe some fucked up dreams?”

“I tried to tell you,” Alex snapped. “I tried to tell you, and you refused to accept my word. Didn’t you notice I aged? That I changed? Why wouldn’t you believe me?”

She waved her hands in the air. “So I was supposed to believe a dream over what people in the real world were telling me? Even your father accepted my dreams were just dreams.”

Alex stared at her, his chest heaving. He shouldn’t be angry with her. It wouldn’t help the situation. But this was a different Anna than he’d known before. Angry tears streamed down her face as she glared at him while clutching her shirt between her breasts; a cruel reminder of how the evening had started.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. “Anna, Schatzi . Please. Let’s not start things like this.” He reached out to her, but she stepped back and shook her head.

“You lied to me.” Her voice was soft, but filled with anguish. “You lied!” She turned on her heel and stalked to the bathroom, slamming the door closed behind her.

He stared at the door, his sorrow drowning out his anger. She’d changed while he’d been gone. He’d missed so much. Would she eventually come around? Would her anger abate long enough for them to talk? To work things out?

She emerged a few minutes later, changed into the clothes he’d bought her for the morning. She walked over to where he’d put her purse on the dresser and headed to the door.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice sharper than he intended.

“Home.” She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Alex stared at the door and rubbed his chest as he collapsed onto the bed. This was not how it was supposed to go. He grabbed his phone and shot off a text to Seth in the next room to make sure Anna made it home okay, then took a deep breath and called his father. “Vati, we have a problem.”

Anna ran out of the hotel, tears streaming down her face. How could Alex be alive after all this time? How could he not have come to her right away? Why all the games? Why all the hiding and deception?

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run back to the hotel and fling herself into Alex’s arms. He was alive! Her beloved Alex was alive!

She stopped and folded over, resting her hands on her knees and gasping for breath. Why had he hidden behind red curtains and blindfolds?

Why?

Had Wilhelm known Alex was alive? Had he known the whole time?

No, she knew Wilhelm thought Alex was dead. She had felt his grief and healed him.

What had he first said? That he’d escaped? From where? After Vlad became Elder. Vlad? He’d escaped from Vlad? Vitaly had captured him. Had he been in Russia the whole time?

Her dreams. She’d dreamed... but Alex said they were real. He’d gotten angry because she didn’t believe him in her dreams. He’d always been in the same room. He’d been imprisoned by Vitaly?

Peter! Peter had to have known Alex was alive! And he hadn’t told her? Anna stumbled to the cold building next to her and leaned hard against it. How could?—

“Hey, sweetheart. What’s a pretty thing like you doing out alone this time of night?”

Anna looked around and saw a man walking up behind her with a creepy smile on his face. Anger gave way to fear and she looked around. The street was narrow and devoid of people. She backed away, trying to figure out where she was. None of the buildings looked familiar.

She hurried away from the man, breaking into a run when she heard him following her. It was the middle of the night. Where were the bars that stayed open all night? Wasn’t anyone out this late?

Arms wrapped around her waist and she shrieked, kicking and screaming, then suddenly she was on the ground and the sound of flesh hitting flesh was behind her. She turned and saw the man who had been following her up against the wall, another man with long dark hair and a beard punching him in the face.

Anna didn’t wait to see what happened next. She sprinted down the sidewalk and waved down a taxi at the corner. She gave the driver her address and slumped into the seat, wrapping her arms around herself and trying to stop shaking.

By the time she unlocked her apartment door, Anna felt like her head was going to explode. Anger, fear, hurt, confusion... they all took turns consuming her. Her skin was raw, her mind swollen.

She stumbled inside and collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

“Anna?” Aaron walked out of his room, bare-chested and running his hand through his hair. “What are you doing home? I thought you were going to see Mr. J.”

She stared at Aaron. What would he say when he told her Alex was alive?

He drew his brows together and walked closer. “Anna, what’s wrong? Did he hurt you?”

The memory of what had happened shoved away the fears and anger reared its ugly head. She snorted. “You could say that.” She stood and lifted her chin, wiping the tears away. “I found out who Mr. J is.”

Aaron’s brow shot up and she heard quick footsteps from across the apartment. Cameron appeared a second later. “You saw him?” he asked excitedly.

Anna looked back at Aaron, her jaw trembling. “It’s Alex.”

Aaron stared at Anna’s tear-streaked face. “Mr. J is... Alex?” He shook his head. He couldn’t have heard her correctly. Alex was dead. “Are you sure?”

“Who’s Alex?” Cameron asked.

“Alex, Aaron,” Anna said in a strained voice. “Alex is alive and hiding behind the persona of Mr. J.”

Aaron shook his head. “No . . . he’s . . . dead . . .”

Her face screwed up, but he wasn’t sure if it was in anger or grief. “He’s been in the city since July.”

Aaron’s jaw moved, but he couldn’t form any words. Alex was alive? How was that possible? He, too, didn’t know if he should be angry, happy, or what. How did you process the idea that someone you thought was dead was really alive?

A gentle hand touched his, and he looked down to see Cameron looking up at him with his blue eyes full of concern. “Aaron? What’s going on?” he asked in a gentle voice.

“Alex—?” Aaron choked out over the lump in his throat. “Anna’s husband. The one we thought was dead. He’s not.”

Cameron’s eyes widened. “Omigosh!” He slapped his hand over his mouth.

Anna’s phone rang in her purse. She pulled it out and narrowed her eyes, stabbing the ignore button. “Wilhelm,” she said, looking up at him. “He probably knew too. He had to have known.”

Suddenly, Aaron felt the anger that he saw on Anna’s face. He had trusted Wilhelm. Why hadn’t Wilhelm told him? Why all the secrecy? “I need some air,” he growled and went into his room to get dressed. He slipped his flip-flops on and stormed out of the apartment.