The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

Anastasia's face turned bright red, her heart thudding in her chest. She could feel the difference—every beat a little harder, a little faster.noveldrama

"Herman," she said, half-laughing, half-exasperated. Even though she knew he wasn't feeling great, she couldn't help but tease him. "If you really don't feel well, you have to tell me. And if something's weighing on you, you have to say it out loud, okay? Babe, I don't want us sharing a bed but drifting apart in our hearts. And I don't want silly misunderstandings to steal years from us."

She pressed herself against his chest. Usually, words like these were tough for her to get out.

The room was quiet, the two of them just lying there together. She could hear his heartbeat, strong and steady, and she let herself enjoy the calm.

Herman took her hand and kissed it, his eyes crinkling with a soft smile. "It's nothing. I'm just a little worn out, that's all."

He pulled her closer, his gaze dropping to the floor, deep in thought. "Ana, I'm just going to close my eyes for a bit."

"...Alright." Anastasia knew he was keeping something from her, but if he didn't want to talk, she wasn't going to force it.

He'd just had a vasectomy that morning, and the whole thing had left him exhausted. With Anastasia in his arms, sleep came quickly.

It was the middle of the day, but Anastasia wasn't sleepy at all. When she was sure he was out cold, she gently slipped away.

If he wouldn't tell her the truth, she'd just have to dig it up herself.

She left the bedroom for his office, pulling open his desk drawers one by one. She wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for—just that her gut told her Herman was hiding something big.

A few drawers in, she found it: the signed consent form for his vasectomy.

She stared at the paper, stunned, her mind spinning with a million questions. Why would he do this?

Why would he hide it from her?

The procedure was just this morning-that explained why he'd looked a little off.

She remembered something she'd read online: after a vasectomy, you needed to take it easy-there could be pain, risk of infection, lots of rest, and nothing spicy to eat for a while.

Still reeling, she sat down and started googling everything about vasectomies: risks, side effects, omies:

recovery anything that might help her figure out why Herman would go through with this, especially behind her back.

Before she could make sense of it, her phone buzzed. It was her dad, Tavon, and he sounded downright smug.

"Ana, I think your mom's finally wising up about that guy she's been seeing. I told you he was just after her money, and she actually believed him! Can you believe

it?"

Apparently, Tavon had taken

Salma-hermom-to the hospital,

where she caught her boyfriend Adam comforting his sick son. Tavon guessed Adam had cozied up to Salma just to get money for his kid's surgery.

Salma, realizing she'd been used, stormed out. Tavon, proud of himself, called Anastasia to gloat about how he'd "fixed" everything.

Anastasia sighed, worried. "Dad, just keep an eye on Mom, okay? Don't rub it in. She's probably feeling pretty down. The last thing she needs is you making it worse."

"Don't worry, Ana. Your mom can handle herself. But honestly, her taste in men this time? Not great," Tavon replied, totally unfazed.

"Dad, can you stop roasting her?" Anastasia muttered, her mind still stuck on Herman's secret surgery. She blurted out, "Hey, can I ask you something? When would a guy ever get a vasectomy?"

If anyone would know, it'd be another man.

Tavon didn't even pause. "Honestly? Ninety-nine percent of guys wouldn't do it. Even if they don't want more kids, they want to keep their options open. If someone's getting snipped, it's usually the wife, not the husband. Why are you asking, Ana? Who did it?"

In his mind, vasectomies were a woman's job-guys just didn't do that.

"Oh, it's nothing," Anastasia said quickly. "I just saw a news story about a guy who went behind his wife's back and had one. Just made me curious."

Tavon didn't hesitate. "Well, that's easy. He's probably cheating and wants to make sure nothing comes back to bite him. It's the safest move."

Anastasia sat there, phone in hand, her thoughts more tangled than ever.