He looks up at the ceiling, too, marveling at its beauty. “A famous painter. Danton Angelo.”
I snort. “Really? That’s his name?”
“Yes. His parents probably thought it was funny,” he replies. “Guess they didn’t expect him to actually become a painter.”
Impressive. But even more impressive is the fact that Eli could pay for this.
“So you earn that much from punishing women, huh?” I mutter.
“Not just women. Men too.” His eyes break contact with the painting and settle on me again. “People are willing to pay the price for such an arrangement.”
“I should be amazed, but I’m not,” I say, sighing. “People are evil.”
“Or they are just looking for alternative routes,” he says, a smirk forming on his face. “C’mon.”
He pulls me along with him to the right side of the banister, where there are rooms as well.
“What’s on this floor?” I ask. “I’ve never been here before.”
“Because it was forbidden,” he replies, making me gulp. “Relax.” He laughs. “I make the rules. I decide when something is forbidden or not.”
I suck in a breath and look away. “I don’t care.”
“Of course you don’t.” Why do I get the sense he doesn’t at all believe me?
“But if you must know … This is Tobias’s quarters.”
My eyes widen. “The entire floor?”
“Just this side,” he muses. “The other one is for Soren, but he prefers to remain downstairs for some reason.” He shrugs.
He knocks on a door at the end of the walkway, and we wait.
“Yes?”
My pupils dilate at the sound of that voice.
It … it can’t be.
Eli pushes the door open.
On the bed is Anna … a book in her hands, rosy, pink skin, no more tubes or beeping machine. And a happy smile on her face the moment she looks up and sees it’s me.
She survived.
And not just that … she looks like she’s thriving.
Tears well up in my eyes. “Anna …”
She puts the book down on the bed and sits on the edge. “Hey.”
I just stand there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or what to say. But I’m glad, so glad that she’s actually here. That she’s alive and well, for as far as I can tell.
The last time she saw me, she was running for her life, trying to escape. But I didn’t know back then that she was on the verge of her own ruin and wanted to go beyond what I would ever consider. And I have no clue what to do or say to her.
I swallow back the nerves. “How are you feeling?”
She smiles. “Okay. My muscles still ache, and I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus. But other than that … okay. Which is more than enough, considering the circumstances.” She laughs a little, and so do I, even though they both sound horribly uncomfortable.
“I’ll let you two have your moment,” Eli suddenly says, leaving the room.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” I tell Anna, stepping closer. “The last time I saw you, you were—”
I can’t even say it out loud without choking up.
She looks down at the bed, clutching her hands. “I know.” She sighs out loud. “I know what I’ve done.”
I approach her and sit down beside her on the bed. It’s quiet for some time, and I don’t know what to say to make this all okay. So I grab her hand instead and squeeze it gently, hoping that she understands what I mean.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I say. “I didn’t know what you were going through.”
Tears well up in my eyes. “But I am sorry. I put you through so much pain.”
I silence her with a big hug. “Don’t. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I pushed you to run. I should’ve stopped to ask you what you wanted, what you really needed.”
She cries in my arms for a while, and I stay with her, hoping that I provide at least a little bit of comfort by being there.
“Thank you,” she whispers after a while.
“For what?”
“For being here. For talking to me. For trying. For staying by my bedside, even when I wasn’t there.”
I lean back and brush away her tears. “Of course. Where else was I going to go?”
She pulls back and tucks her hair behind her ear. “I thought … you were mad at me.”
I shake my head. “No, I’m just …” I sigh and look away for a second. “I wish I had known before we ran.”
“You mean … what I did?” She gulps, her cheeks turning crimson. “I wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone about it because of the dangers, and I desperately don’t want to end up in jail.” She rolls her eyes while simultaneously opening them wide. But then she sighs out loud and looks away again. “But I’m sorry I lied to you.”
“I understand,” I say.
“So one of the guys told you?” she asks. When I nod, she starts twiddling her fingers. “I … my parents … I didn’t want them …” Tears well up in her eyes, and I quickly hug her tight.