The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

Tavon's words hit Anastasia like a blast of cold water.

Wait-men get vasectomies just to cheat without consequences? Is that really what they think?noveldrama

Tavon, completely missing the shift in Anastasia's mood, kept talking on the phone. "Especially those guys who already have a couple of kids at home. They've got their heirs, so once they're snipped, they can fool around without worrying about anything. If they're rich, they don't have to stress about some woman trapping them with a baby either."

Every example Tavon rattled off sounded uncomfortably close to Herman- money, power, status, and no shortage of women throwing themselves at him. In high society, a handful of illegitimate children was hardly a scandal, but one wrong move-like a woman showing up pregnant-could still wreck a reputation.

A vasectomy-easy fix.

In Tavon's world, no man ever got a vasectomy for his wife, for love, or to spare her the risks of birth control. Tavon was pure self-interest; he didn't believe men like that existed, mostly because he wasn't one himself.

Not a single word from him was comforting.

Anastasia made up an excuse and hung up.

Tavon's words stung, but deep down, Anastasia refused to believe Herman would ever cheat on her.

Herman had only managed two hours' rest before he got up for a meeting. Anastasia wished he'd take it easy, but he was set on going, and she didn't press him.

“Anastasia, go home early. Don't wait up," Herman said as he left, his eyes soft as he reached out and gently ruffled her hair.

He used to do that all the time before the accident. As his hand brushed her head, flashes of old memories flickered in his mind.

Thanks to Dr. James's skill-and a handful of acupuncture treatments-the blood clot in Herman's brain was gone. Now, every so often, fragments of his past would drift back.

That familiar gesture made Herman smile. He pulled Anastasia into a hug. "Wait for me at home, okay?"

That simple hug warmed Anastasia's heart.

Women, she thought, are funny like that-one moment wrapped up in worries, the next, completely lifted by a small gesture. When a woman falls in love, her whole world seems to spin around that one man.

Anastasia smiled. “Alright, I'll wait for you at home. I'll make dinner tonight." "Perfect," Herman said.

He headed to the office with Nelson. In the elevator, Herman shot him a warning look. "Don't talk so much in front of Anastasia next time."

He didn't want her to worry. He'd kept the surgery a secret, and if Anastasia hadn't shown up unexpectedly, she'd never have known he wasn't feeling well.

Nelson got the message. "Sorry, Mr. Salstrom. Won't happen again."

After leaving the office, Anastasia drove to the market-the big one nearby, where Harry ran his seafood stall.

She picked up some vegetables, then headed for the seafood section. Herman loved fish, and so did Pattie.

“Hi, I'll take a sea bass and some yellowtail," Anastasia said, eyeing the fresh fish swimming in the tank.

Harry, busy gutting a fish, looked up and grinned. "You got it-give me a second!" Harry was always busy, but he finished up fast and came over to help Anastasia.

As she watched, Anastasia couldn't

help but notice Harry's knife skills-he cleaned fish better than anyone she'd ever seen. She was about to leave when she spotted a familiar face coming her way from the vegetable aisle: Alisa.

Alisa was here to buy fish too.

She recognized Anastasia instantly-her face had been all over the news not long ago, after that huge billboard she put up looking for Herman. Plus, everyone knew she was close to Monica, and Jason, who'd handled Pattie's missing persons case, had talked about her before.

They knew of each other, but they weren't friends and had never really talked.

Anastasia pretended not to see her, grabbed her bag of fish, and walked off.

Once Anastasia was gone, Alisa hurried over to Harry's stall. "Was that Anastasia who just left?"

"You know her?" Harry grinned. "She's stunning."

"She's Mrs. Salstrom-the boss of Elysian Technologies. What's she doing here? Do you think the police suspect you? Did they send her to check you out?"

Harry shrugged and lowered his voice. "She just bought fish, didn't say a word about anything else. I don't think so. Any updates from the cops?"

Alisa, pretending to check a fish, kept her tone quiet. "Nothing. The police don't have a shred of evidence."

They swapped news, completely unaware that, not far off by a little grocery store, an undercover cop had been watching the whole time. Whether it was Anastasia or Alisa buying fish, he was there, snapping photos and sending updates straight to Jason.