The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

Anastasia was scared-no, she was flat-out panicking.

If something happened to her, fine. But if something happened to Herman? She couldn't take that. Lately, she'd been keeping her distance, not just out of nerves, but because she'd been feeling oddly itchy, a constant irritation that wouldn't quit no matter how hard she scratched.

She was terrified she'd caught something-something bad.

Lost and desperate, she blurted, "Come on, let's go get cleaned up."

She reached for his hand, but the second she remembered what she might have, she pulled back, guilt and fear twisting inside her.

Herman caught every bit of it-the fear, the anxious edge, the way she shrank away. He felt like his heart was being squeezed in a vice. His girl was trapped in this whirlwind of panic and pain. That smile she managed earlier? It was just a flicker, a trick of the light.

He'd do anything to make that smile last.

“Anastasia,” he said, his voice gentle and steady, hands resting on her shoulders, "listen to me. We're married. We're in this together. Don't push me away."

He pressed his forehead to hers, grounding her, trying to slow her racing thoughts.

"Let's stop torturing ourselves, okay? Life's short. How many years do we even get together? Three, five, ten, twenty... Eventually, we'll both be old, and if we miss out now, we'll never get that time back." He tried to pull her into a hug, but the ridiculous orange mascot costume he was still wearing got in the way.

Anastasia shook her head, tears streaming down. "Herman, you big dummy, what if you catch something from me? I'm... dirty..."

"It was just a nightmare,” he said softly, cutting her off. "You took some pills, remember? You can't even be sure what really happened. Maybe nothing happened at all. Don't let your mind run wild."

He was trying to comfort her, weaving a gentle lie. He hadn't been in that cave, had no idea what had actually happened. All he could do was try to give her something to hold onto, something to ease the pain.

For a split second, hope flickered in Anastasia's heart. She wanted so badly to believe it was all just her imagination.

But that was just wishful thinking.

With what she was feeling, there was no way nothing had happened.

She bit her lip, struggling to get the words out. "I... Herman, I...”

"Look at me, sweetheart," Herman said, voice soft as ever. He never spoke harshly to her.

Anastasia looked up. The house was still and quiet. Outside, the night sky was scattered with stars, calm and beautiful.

A small, gentle smile tugged at

Herman's lips. "Back in that tunnel, I really thought I'd never see you again. I thought it was over. I had so many regrets. I hadn't loved you enough, hadn't shown you the world, hadn't gotten to grow old with you, hadn't watched our kids grow up. All I wanted was to make it back to you, safe and sound."

He sounded so calm, but Anastasia could hear the weight behind his words. It

was the first time he'd ever talked about what he went through during that disaster -how close he'd come to not making it home.

Her eyes blurred with tears.

He reached over, gently wiped her cheeks, and kept going. "I was terrified back then. Scared I'd never get to hold you again. Anastasia, when it comes down to it, nothing really matters except life and death. Everything else is just background noise."

His words hit hard. She'd been through life and death herself, and she

understood. When you're that close to the edge, all you want is to live. Just being alive is the biggest wish of all.

The world really was beautiful.

She looked up at the sky, then at Herman, and realized how lucky she was.

Everything she had-people could only dream of it.

He was her pride and joy.

Anastasia didn't say anything else. She just sat beside him, the two of them quietly looking up at the stars, soaking in the peace of the moment.

They were each other's saving grace.noveldrama

Leaning against him, Anastasia drifted off to sleep.

Herman carefully picked her up, carried her to their room, and laid down beside

her, holding her close all night.

The next morning, Herman stayed home, just wanting to be with Anastasia.

Meanwhile, Dailey headed over to Maple Avenue, trying to figure out why Ben had gone to that old coffee shop. But he was too late. When he asked about the security footage, he was told the cameras had broken just yesterday—nothing recorded, nothing left to see. Contént

Too convenient.

Dailey called Herman to fill him in. Herman frowned, his brow creased. Someone

was clearly trying to keep him from finding the truth.

Which only meant one thing: He was finally onto something.