The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

In the end, Anastasia couldn't talk Salma out of it.

Salma moved out.

Once Salma made up her mind, nobody could change it.

Sometimes Anastasia wondered if she'd done the wrong thing-maybe she never should've brought Tavon into the mess with her mom and Adam. Back when her mom was dating Adam, she'd looked so happy-Anastasia hadn't seen her smile like that in years, practically glowing with joy. But lately, she just looked tired and worried.

Life's short. The older you get, the fewer things there are that really make you happy or get your heart racing.

After Salma moved out, Herman bought the old house and put it in her name. For the first time, Salma had a place of her own in Riverdale.

Anastasia hadn't even known Herman was doing all that. She realized she hadn't been paying enough attention to her mom.

Once Salma settled in, Tavon started showing up nearly every day-if Salma didn't keep tossing him out, he probably would've just moved in.

The week flew by, and soon it was the weekend.

Anastasia went with Herman to a fancy dinner party.

The place was packed with beautiful people. Jarod was there, too. As soon as they walked in, Jarod sauntered over in this wild, floral suit, looking like a peacock on a runway.

"Mr. Salstrom, Mrs. Salstrom! Finally! And wow, Mrs. Salstrom, you look incredible tonight-absolutely breathtaking," he said with a big grin.

Anastasia hadn't dressed up much-just a simple white dress, floor-length, no frills, and not even a necklace. Her hair was up with nothing but a plain pin.

But somehow, that simplicity made her stand out even more. All eyes went straight to her face and her figure-she was all elegance and grace.

There were plenty of movie stars there, dressed to the nines and dripping in jewelry, but when Anastasia walked in, it felt like the spotlight just followed her.

With Herman by her side, Anastasia kept her head down, happy to play the part of the woman behind the man.

She glanced around and saw a lot of familiar faces-no surprise, really, they all ran in the same circles.

Lauren Mill was there, too. As the Mill family's heiress, she showed up at these high-society events from time to time. Lauren caught Anastasia's eye from across the room and gave a polite nod. Anastasia smiled back, just as courteous-friendly, but with a little distance.noveldrama

What really threw Anastasia was running into Sandy.

It happened when Jarod led Herman off to talk business, and Anastasia slipped away to the restroom. In the hallway, she nearly bumped right into Sandy.

"Hey, long time no see!" Sandy beamed, all innocent smiles.

Just seeing her made Anastasia's skin crawl. She'd hidden Anastasia's husband and now had the nerve to call her "sis." If that wasn't peak shamelessness, Anastasia didn't know what was.

Her expression turned cold. "Don't call me 'sis.' If you do, I might not be able to stop myself from slapping you."

She wasn't about to fake it with Sandy anymore.

Sandy only smiled, unbothered. "Aw, are you mad? I already apologized-why are you still upset?"

Anastasia shot her a look. "The Mortons really are all about tea, huh? You must've grown up on it, because you're about as fake-sweet as a cold cup of chamomile."

She wanted to see just how much Sandy could swallow.

Turns out, Sandy could take more than Anastasia thought.

Sandy's smile didn't waver. "You're this upset because you care, right? Those months I spent with Herman-they were the happiest of my life. We just clicked. If you hadn't met him first and had a kid, do you really think he'd have picked you? Or was it just duty and reputation?"

Some people in the world are truly terrifying-because they have no shame.

Anastasia laughed. "I really underestimated you. You're a whole new level of shameless."

Sandy just shrugged. "Don't tell me you didn't get mad when you saw those pictures of us together. He might not remember your past, but he remembers ours. The fact that I'm standing here proves it, doesn't it?

That one stung.

Sandy had kept Herman hidden for months. If it had been anyone else-Julie, Gianna, any of Herman's old admirers-he never would've let them off so easy.

But Sandy? She'd fooled him, and somehow got away with it. She was still living her best life, bold as brass, standing here acting smug.

Why did Sandy push her luck? Because she knew Herman would never really do anything to her.

That thought was the last straw.

Anastasia slapped her-hard. The sound echoed in the hall.

Sandy's cheek turned red. She looked at Anastasia, stunned and a little triumphant. "See? You do care."

That was the reaction she'd wanted-Anastasia losing her cool.

Anastasia's voice was icy. "You shoved your face at me. I'd be letting you down if I didn't slap you. If you think that wasn't enough, turn the other cheek-let's see if I can resist."