Chapter 10: Starting the Day

Her head spun with the knowledge that her cousin had sent those men to kills her. Anna couldn't prove it but all the pieces fell into place and made complete sense. Isabel helping her escape, Isabel suggesting the city she should move to and even which apartments she should consider.

"God I was so blind" she chastised herself as she walked back toward the car and got in. She cringed as she remembered that the house Isabel lived in now was a small guest house on John's family estate. How am I going to get rid of her now?

"Hey, Earth to Princess!"

Anna rolled her eyes at John and stuck out her tongue at him. He reached over and tried to grab it. Anna pulled back and blew a raspberry at him.

"What space cadet?"

"Where were you just now? You were a million miles away, did Isabel say something to you?"

Anna wanted to say something, she wanted to tell him everything but how could she? The conversation she'd heard outside the door and the realization that Isabel was probably behind her death all swam in her brain. It would sound like she was crazy. Anna had believed lies before and it had ruined them. This time she had to do things differently, she had to trust her heart.

"Nope, I'm just thinking about how Isabel acts, how she always tried to make things harder."

"Well, she was spoiled rotten growing up."

"Does that give her an excuse though?" Anna asked incredulously as she looked over at John.

John held up his hands in surrender "hey, hey, don't look at me like that."

She's not who you think she is."

John reached over with his free hand and grabbed her hand pulling it to his mouth. He kissed her hand and looked at her quickly. " You're right there is no excuse for it."

"Oh my God," She said with a gasp putting her hand over her heart, "What did you just say? That I was right?"

John growled at her and Anna felt a shiver run up her spine. She may not be able to tell him everything but she could lead him to the truth.

"Maybe it's time we made her change her pattern of behavior." Anna wondered "maybe push her to have a life of her own?"

"I think if anyone can it would be you. I've always admired your strength but you always hid it, always let her tell you what to do. But I'm seeing something new in you, something I love."

"What is it that you are seeing in me?" Anna asked poking him in the belly.

"Outward strength." He said as he kissed each of the fingers on the hand he'd captured. " It's like you woke up and stopped taking crap from everyone."

"Does that bother you?"

"Nope, it's about time."

"Shut up and drive," she said with a laugh pulling her hand back "I need another shower before brunch, I stink."

"Maybe I can help you with that?" John asked with a leer as he put the car in park .

"I showered with you first thing this morning remember, If I let you "Help" I'll never get to eat."

John sighed and nodded but his eyes looked hungry as he chased her up the stairs to their room. Laughing they wrestled with their clothes and took way longer than they should have.

John dressed in record time and left her to finish getting dressed. Anna examined the large wardrobe of clothes and shook her head. Everything was just as she remembered, lined up by color and type of clothes.

Her hands ran over the designer jeans and tops and wondered if the person she'd been five years ago had even realized what she had. She doubted it. She walked to the mirror in her closet and looked into eyes that had inherited shadows in the last five years. She'd already had enough ghosts of her own to begin with, but now the years of loneliness gave her eyes a hard gleam that she'd lacked before.

There was a vanity tucked into the corner of her closet and she sat down on the stool in front of it staring at the framed picture of herself with Johns on their wedding day. She picked it up and traced the smiles on their faces and wondered how she ever had let him go. How could she have been so blind to what was going on right under her nose!

"Not this time!" she vowed to herself as she stood and selected a blue top and jeans, throwing them on quickly "She had been given a chance and she was not going to waste it." She was putting the finishing touches on her clothes when the door opened and she met John's eyes in the mirror.

He smiled as she turned to him, the smile lighting up his face like the sun in the sky. She took his hand and they walked toward the door.

"I thought I was going to have to haul you naked downstairs." He said with a nudge to her shoulder.

"I'd like to see you do it." She said with a smile.

He laughed as they walked down the stairs hand in hand. "I doubt my mother and May would appreciate your gorgeous body stretched out across the table."

Anna stopped cold at the bottom of the stairs. She had totally forgotten about Melissa and May.

How could she have forgotten his mother and sister lived in the house! In her state of shock she'd forgotten the hell they put her through.

"Hello Anna." A lady like voice said from the dining room door. "Finally rolled yourself out of the shower I see?"

Anna turned to meet Melissa's cold stare and shivered…