this in real life.”
“That’s all I want.”
“Me too, Anna.”
“Goodnight, Hunter,” I said, not really wanting to say goodbye.
“Goodnight, Annabelle,” he said, and then hesitated before adding, “I love you.”
“Oh,” I said, putting my hand to my heart. “I wanted to say it too, but I wasn’t sure...”
“You can always say anything you want to me,” he said.
“I love you too, Hunter.”
As much as I didn’t want to get off the phone, I was dead tired and needed to get some rest. I slept as peacefully as ever that night, not thinking about Nate or anything else at all except Hunter, and how lucky I was to find such a perfect love.
Chapter Nineteen
Anna
T hree Weeks Later
I spent the next few weeks working, and staying at either Betsy’s or Hunter’s places. I’d go to my apartment now and again to get clothes or other things, but other than that I stayed away. I didn’t tell Hunter about the video Nate left, because I thought it seemed unnecessary and I didn’t want to upset him without good cause. I still hadn’t watched it. After three weeks of no signs from Nate—no creepy packages, no mysterious phone calls—I decided that it would be all right if I went back to my apartment and stayed there by myself. I told Hunter that’s what I’d be doing, and he was a little worried. But I told him it was time I started taking control of my life again, including where I spent the night.
On Friday after work, Hunter was back in San Diego and I thought I’d like to spend the evening relaxing by myself at home. I could go running, make myself some good food, maybe watch an old movie or read a book. It was going to be peaceful and quiet, just what the physical therapist ordered.
I decided that the first thing to do would be to take a long, rigorous run. One of my favorite things about running was that it inspired me to eat healthy food afterwards, so as often as I could I ran right before dinner. It would prevent me from being lazy and just ordering a pizza rather than making something wholesome.
Outside, it was another beautiful night for a run, and I thought about my life with each step I took. I thought about how it just kept getting better and better, ever since I’d passed the great trial of cancer at age seventeen. Although I couldn’t have kids, and that still made me sad, it didn’t get me down like it used to. Especially now that Hunter was back in my life. When I ran, every time my feet hit the pavement it made me feel stronger, and more able to fight against anything life might throw my way. Overall, things were going pretty well.
When I got back to my apartment, I was happy to see that nothing was there waiting for me on the steps. Nate must have run out of ideas, or gotten tired of lurking around outside my building waiting for me to come home the past three weeks.
I started to unpack my things from Betsy’s place, and took out the package he had left last time I was there. I still hadn’t even opened it, and wasn’t sure I wanted to now, either. It seemed useless to watch a video from that creep, but I guessed I could at least see what else was inside the envelope.
Inside, there was nothing other than the video. But what Nate had scrawled on the label made my blood run cold. There, in that same black marker, it said: Thought you might like to know what Hunter’s wife looks like.
Wife. Hunter’s wife. The words swirled around in my brain until I thought I was going to be sick. This couldn’t be real. Hunter couldn’t be married , could he? This had to be one of Nate’s tricks, like the photographs of me and him on my couch. It might seem real, but then on further inspection, it was just a hoax.
Hunter couldn’t have a wife. I trusted him completely. He had always been honest with me, and I knew that he loved me. He couldn’t be married, and seeing me on the side, could he? Horrible, creeping doubt started to wash over me. After all, I’d dated Nate for more
“That’s all I want.”
“Me too, Anna.”
“Goodnight, Hunter,” I said, not really wanting to say goodbye.
“Goodnight, Annabelle,” he said, and then hesitated before adding, “I love you.”
“Oh,” I said, putting my hand to my heart. “I wanted to say it too, but I wasn’t sure...”
“You can always say anything you want to me,” he said.
“I love you too, Hunter.”
As much as I didn’t want to get off the phone, I was dead tired and needed to get some rest. I slept as peacefully as ever that night, not thinking about Nate or anything else at all except Hunter, and how lucky I was to find such a perfect love.
Chapter Nineteen
Anna
T hree Weeks Later
I spent the next few weeks working, and staying at either Betsy’s or Hunter’s places. I’d go to my apartment now and again to get clothes or other things, but other than that I stayed away. I didn’t tell Hunter about the video Nate left, because I thought it seemed unnecessary and I didn’t want to upset him without good cause. I still hadn’t watched it. After three weeks of no signs from Nate—no creepy packages, no mysterious phone calls—I decided that it would be all right if I went back to my apartment and stayed there by myself. I told Hunter that’s what I’d be doing, and he was a little worried. But I told him it was time I started taking control of my life again, including where I spent the night.
On Friday after work, Hunter was back in San Diego and I thought I’d like to spend the evening relaxing by myself at home. I could go running, make myself some good food, maybe watch an old movie or read a book. It was going to be peaceful and quiet, just what the physical therapist ordered.
I decided that the first thing to do would be to take a long, rigorous run. One of my favorite things about running was that it inspired me to eat healthy food afterwards, so as often as I could I ran right before dinner. It would prevent me from being lazy and just ordering a pizza rather than making something wholesome.
Outside, it was another beautiful night for a run, and I thought about my life with each step I took. I thought about how it just kept getting better and better, ever since I’d passed the great trial of cancer at age seventeen. Although I couldn’t have kids, and that still made me sad, it didn’t get me down like it used to. Especially now that Hunter was back in my life. When I ran, every time my feet hit the pavement it made me feel stronger, and more able to fight against anything life might throw my way. Overall, things were going pretty well.
When I got back to my apartment, I was happy to see that nothing was there waiting for me on the steps. Nate must have run out of ideas, or gotten tired of lurking around outside my building waiting for me to come home the past three weeks.
I started to unpack my things from Betsy’s place, and took out the package he had left last time I was there. I still hadn’t even opened it, and wasn’t sure I wanted to now, either. It seemed useless to watch a video from that creep, but I guessed I could at least see what else was inside the envelope.
Inside, there was nothing other than the video. But what Nate had scrawled on the label made my blood run cold. There, in that same black marker, it said: Thought you might like to know what Hunter’s wife looks like.
Wife. Hunter’s wife. The words swirled around in my brain until I thought I was going to be sick. This couldn’t be real. Hunter couldn’t be married , could he? This had to be one of Nate’s tricks, like the photographs of me and him on my couch. It might seem real, but then on further inspection, it was just a hoax.
Hunter couldn’t have a wife. I trusted him completely. He had always been honest with me, and I knew that he loved me. He couldn’t be married, and seeing me on the side, could he? Horrible, creeping doubt started to wash over me. After all, I’d dated Nate for more
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