Chapter 30: CH 30

“I already know Annette very well. At least I know her better than her husband, who is worse than anyone else. So, if you’re trying to stir things up between us by talking like that, then stop.” (Ans)

“Us.” (H)

Heiner murmured coldly and carried his steps slowly. Within three steps, the distance between the two had completely closed.

Ansgar was no small man, but when he was next to the huge Heiner, he looked like a hyena next to a lion.

“Do you think you’ve become something just because you met her a few times in three years?” (H)

Heiner said quietly, his head tilted at an angle.

“Even if Annette agreed, so what?” (H)

His voice, which had sunk completely, was accompanied by a faint death threat. A chill ran down Ansgar’s back.

“You’ll never win against me, Ansgar Stetter.”

Ansgar involuntarily tried to back away, but his feet wouldn’t go. He felt the pressure as if a huge rock were pressing down on his body. Heiner continued to speak slowly.

“That woman………….”

The edge of his voice trembled slightly. In a flash, the momentum that had been weighing down Ansgar dissipated. Heiner muttered.

“She can’t get away from me.”

His words sounded like his own brainwashing. Ansgar tried to fight back, taking advantage of Heiner’s slightly weakened spirit.

“You ……” (Ans)

You will kill Annette in the end. No matter how great you are, there is nothing you can do until death. One way or another, she’ll leave you. (Ans)

But Ansgar could not say anything in the midst of it all. Only a stunned voice flowed through the air.

“You,  Annette …….” (Ans)

“Now.”

At that moment, Heiner gruesomely shook his head.

“Get out of here right now.”

With those last words, he quickly passed Ansgar. The sound of footsteps echoed loudly through the hallway.

Ansgar stared at his retreating back in a daze. Heiner Valdemar’s back, like a cold, gigantic stone statue, gradually moved away.

Ansgar could not say anything, not because he was afraid of Heiner. Certainly his momentum was horrifying, but there was something vulnerable there.

Suddenly Heiner Valdemar’s cold voice he heard a few days ago seemed to linger in his ears.

“If she goes to France with you…”

Why didn’t he know?

“Make her happier.”

What did that defeated look mean?

***

Annette curled up in bed, waiting for sleep. It was still early evening outside, but the dark curtains made the room pitch black.

Various thoughts scattered through her mind as she closed her eyes.

“Come with me to France.”

“No, Annette. Even without all that…. I still want you.”

Lies.

Annette whispered.

Ansgar did not affirm the question of whether he wanted to marry her. In that brief moment, Annette could read his thoughts.

France was a relatively liberal country in terms of sexuality. Married people had their own lovers, and unmarried men could keep hidden lovers without being condemned.

So Ansgar just wanted her to be his lover. Perhaps even after he was married again.

It wasn’t something she couldn’t understand. He had nothing to gain from being legally tied up with a woman who had nothing.

All she had was youth, a woman with nothing to rely on.

‘She’s fit to play with.’

Annette thought in distaste.There was no particular resentment or sadness.

Even if it was the position of Ansgar’s lover, it was too much for her right now. She curled her body up a little tighter.

Her hands and feet were cold, even though she was under the covers in a warm room. As she waited for sleep that never came, the door suddenly opened quietly.

Annette still had her eyes closed. The nurse got up and said something to the other person.

Eventually, he walked over to the bed.

“Annette.”

“……”

“Let’s walk around the garden for a bit. It’s not good to just stay in the room.”

“…..”

“Quickly.”

Annette quietly got up. She put on her coat and socks.

Heiner wrapped a large scarf around her neck. Her eyes met Heiner’s as he tied the knot.

For a moment his hands stopped. He said as if to excuse himself.

“It’s cold outside.”

Annette blinked without reply. The hands that had been hovering near her neck moved away.

With a very awkward gesture, Heiner put his hand on her waist and led her outside. The air outside was very cold, something she hadn’t smelled in a long time.

It was the smell of winter that Heiner and Ansgar had doused in when they came to visit her. A thin breath escaped from between her lips.

They walked through the garden in silence.

The garden in front of the main building, which had been constantly tended by the caretakers, was not desolated in spite of winter.

Rather, it was serene and beautiful. The wind blew past, sweeping the floor of dry leaves.

Annette’s shoulders shook slightly. Heiner, who had been watching her for a long time, asked right away.

“Are you cold?”

“I’m fine.”

“Your hands are red.”

Heiner hesitated for a moment, then pulled a pair of leather gloves from his pocket.

“These…”

Annette didn’t really need them, but she accepted them nonetheless. She didn’t want to quarrel with him any more than she already had.

At first glance, the gloves, which looked much larger than her hands, were predictably baggy. She had to hold on to them as they seemed to slip off when she lowered her hands.

“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to wear them.”

“No.”

The dialogue was lost again. Heiner, who glanced at her side profile with her eyes down, spoke with difficulty.

“Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

“…… yes?”

“Somewhere you want to go.”

Annette shook her head without thinking too deeply.

“No.”

“Didn’t you want to go to the beach?”

It was a long time ago. Now she didn’t really want to go. But Heiner laid out his plan as if he had her in mind.

“When the weather gets a little warmer, we’ll go to the beach next spring. There are many places even better than Glenford. There’s Sunset Cliff, which is famous for its beautiful sunsets, a little further down.”

“…”

“You remember Santiago Beach, where we used to go? You wanted to go back to see the seals in Belmont County.”

“……… Yes.”

After a short pause, Annette answered briefly. It was a bit of a late reply. Not because she was worried, but just because she thought Heiner would continue to talk.

“Then why don’t we take a vacation to Belmont County sometime soon? When spring comes, go to Sunset Cliff or some other western area.”

“….”

“Annette?”

Heiner stopped and called out to her. Annette stopped with him and looked up at him. His face was sharp and delicate like the cold winter wind, and there was a hint of nervousness on his face.

“I see.”

Annette answered with a nod. Heiner’s expression brightened faintly. She stared at his face for a moment, then stepped away again.

Heiner was beside her, matching her pace. Feeling the cold enveloping her face, Annette exhaled slowly. White breath scattered in the air.

***

The next morning, a caregiver found a comb with a sharp end between Annette’s bed and the wall. With a little more sharpening, it looked like it could have been a murder weapon.

Heiner’s face hardened horribly as he received the comb with the report. He immediately went to Annette’s room and instead of questioning her, he assigned her a professional counselor.

Annette did not refuse to seek counseling. She was not cooperative, but she was not uncooperative either.

She just ignored everyone who visited. Heiner visited her room three or four times a day and attempted conversation. Most of the time, the conversations were routine and superficial.

He didn’t even mention the discovery of the comb. As if he was afraid to mention the incident.

Annette seemed outwardly quite well, except for a marked decrease in her speech.

She did not bring up the subject of divorce any further, nor did she complain of headaches or indigestion. She did not protest or fight when Heiner said something.

But every moment Heiner felt as precarious as if he were standing on a shallow frozen lake.

He often woke up in a cold sweat, even in his sleep. Then, after visiting Annette’s room and checking on her breathing, he finally felt relief.

Time passed slowly.

Lancaster was very much in the mood for the end of the year. Everyone’s houses were decorated with trees and year-end gifts were exchanged.

Heiner purchased ladies’ gloves and a purple jewel brooch at an upscale western clothing store. It was Annette’s first end-of-year gift he had bought in three years.

On the way back, the first snow fell. Heiner looked up at the sky as white flakes fluttered.

Annette loved snow. She loved all the romantic things in the world, not just her eyes.

‘I guess we could go for a walk.’

As soon as he got out of the car, Heiner grabbed the paper bag and headed for Annette’s room.

Annette liked gifts. Surprise gifts were even better.

For some reason, he thought it would make her happy, even though she rarely expressed emotion these days. He just felt that way.

Heiner knocked on her door, but there was no answer from inside. Normally, a caregiver always had to open the door for her.

Suspicious, Heiner called her name.

“Annette?”

“Ah, Commander.”

Heiner turned his head toward the voice. The nurse was walking down the hallway with a bowl of warm water.

She spoke with a slightly shy smile.

“We’ve been shorthanded lately due to the end of the year vacations, so I went…”

Before the nurse could finish talking, Heiner grabbed the doorknob and turned it. With a click, the doorknob stopped in its original place without turning.

He felt cold, as if his chest had been cut open.