Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76840 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
And right now, she badly needed to feel she had a place where she belonged, a place she could always run to –
Like she once had, when the man she loved had thrown her away.
“Your luggage is presently being delivered to your room, mevrouw.”
The butler’s words drew her attention back to the present, and she smiled gratefully at Bertrand. “Thank you for always being so attentive, Bertrand.”
“It is our honor to be of service, mevrouw.” Bertrand nodded at the housekeeper, and it was only then that Mrs. Bakker spoke again.
“Would you care for some tea before retiring, mevrouw?”
“Yes, please. I’ll have it in the morning room, if that’s okay.”
The housekeeper bustled off to the kitchen, and after escorting her to the living room, Bertrand left her as well. In a blink of an eye, she was alone again, and Anneke unconsciously rubbed her arms, thinking that the silence around her didn’t feel as comforting when she was alone.
Lowering herself to one end of the couch, she pulled her legs up, tucking them under her chin. She hugged herself, but the cold persisted—-
And she soon realized that there was no escaping it, since the cold came from within.
Memories started to drift back—-
No. No. No.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
She didn’t want to remember. Didn’t ever want to remember.
But neither her mind nor her heart cared to listen.
Images gradually came to life in her thoughts.
Of an eighteen-year-old Marcus giving her one unforgettable summer—-
Of an adult Marcus, losing himself in the ecstasy of Anneke pleasuring him with her mouth—-
And of Marcus, her husband, walking out on her.
The images tore her apart—-
Over and over and over.
When her phone started to ring, Anneke didn’t even have to look at it to know that he was calling her. Even though she had his number blocked, even though she had changed her number for good measure – she was sure of it.
And how laughably stupid was that?
How could she be so foolishly certain of some things about him but not even see the breakdown of her marriage coming?
IT WAS A LITTLE PAST midnight by the time Anneke finished taking her shower and made it to bed. She was both physically and mentally exhausted, a curious thing considering how she had done nothing all day but eat and devour her favorites on Netflix.
A glance at the laptop she had left open on the bedside table showed several unread emails from all members of her family. She had told them early on she was switching her phone off, and she had let them assume it was because of the press.
But of course it was not.
Lying on her back, Anneke stared blankly at the ceiling, trying not to succumb to the urge—-
But only a few seconds had passed before she was fumbling for her phone on the bedside table.
Somehow, she had found the strength to switch it off when he wouldn’t stop calling her. But surely now – surely it was safe?
As soon as her phone powered back to life, the first thing she saw was the preview for new and unread messages—-
There were one from every member of her family, but the bulk of it was from an unregistered number.
And of course that was him.
God, he was so cunning.
Phone calls Anneke had enough self-discipline to ignore, but text messages?
Reading one will have you falling into an endless rabbit hole, Anneke warned herself. There’s no turning back once you start.
But as wise words to one’s self always went, these were promptly ignored, and Anneke clicked on the unread messages.
Marcus: I’m sorry about today.
Marcus: Please let me call you.
Marcus: At least let me know you’re okay.
Marcus: I’ll call you every half hour until you talk to me.
Anneke’s eyes widened. Had he, really? Her stupid heart started squeezing painfully as she checked her voice mailbox—-
And her throat began to tighten. Her heart began to ache. And ah, the tears—-
She moved to another message and another and another—-
Everything – every damn one – was from him, and the tears that she had been struggling to hold back the entire time finally fell.
Call me. I’m sorry. Let me know you’re okay.
The tears streaked down her cheeks, leaving the salty taste of despair on her lips.
Why now, Marcus?
Why not when I needed you?
Why now when it’s too late?
Curling up in a ball, she stared at the phone in her hands, feeling like she was holding everything that mattered – and yet none of it had ever been hers.
Anneke closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she was surprised to find out that she had actually fallen asleep, and Anneke abruptly sat up. She immediately thought of checking the time, and that was when she remembered—-
Looking down, she saw that her fingers were still curled around her phone.
Her grip on it loosened, and Anneke’s throat dried when she saw the time and the number of missed calls listed on the screen. It was pretty easy to calculate – one for every half hour.