Anna listened attentively to her gynecologist and her recommendations. She had a urinary tract infection and should not have sex for a few days. She took a deep breath and went to the pharmacy, where she bought the necessary antibiotics. She never got sick and recovered supernaturally, but perhaps Maxwell was the kind of creature who could pass on longer-lasting things in her body. She looked at the time and thought it was too early to go and meet Maxwell. She wanted a chance to think and there it was. She crossed the street, which wasn't very busy, and started walking through the park. She began to think about Adam. She could see in his eyes that he still loved her, even if he hadn't said so. She also couldn't deny that seeing him made her heart flutter and that she had to try very hard not to run and hug him. Maxwell wouldn't understand. She loved Adam, but not as a man, but with the affection of a friend and the father of her child. However, he made a healthy conversation between them very difficult by bringing Bonnie along with him. She would not allow her heart and mind to be shaken by the presence of that woman. Looking at Bonnie, she knew she was facing someone evil. She exuded evil. She also had an obsession with Adam, which she probably called love. She almost missed Kate. She remembered Genevieve. She should leave the country as soon as possible. Adam would soon realize that she had kept important things from him. He feared for her, who had been one of his only friends in that mansion. She felt the need to talk to Adam alone, but she couldn't see how that would be possible with Maxwell and Bonnie around. Perhaps a message on her cell phone... Yes, that's what she would do. She would send a message, so that they could meet discreetly, out of sight of their companions. She didn't want to hurt Maxwell. She took her cell phone out of her bag and called her father.
"Anna?" She asked a little anxiously, her father's distinctive voice on the other end bringing her back to the past and the memory that Jenna was supposed to have given her a letter when she turned eighteen. It was the first time she had told him about her father. Until then, she hadn't thought she had a father.
"Daddy... I need a favor..."
"Yes."
"I don't have Adam's phone number."
There was an awkward silence for Anna on the other end. Her father must have been wondering whether or not to question her request.
"I'll send it to you." He said and in a few seconds, she heard the message alert on her WhatsApp. "But, Anna..."
"Yes, Dad."
"Be careful what you do."
She decided that her father deserved to know the reason for that request. If there was anyone who could advise her to give up what she was about to do, it was her father. She had always been aware that he was a very wise man. Evil. But wise.
"I'll arrange for us to meet him in hiding, outside the apartment."
"Are you going to betray Maxwell, Anna? Are you thinking of committing adultery?" The voice on the other end was slightly debauched, and even though it would have bothered Anna, she decided to ignore the warning sign in her heart.
"No, Dad. I just want Adam to tell me everything he knows about my mother. He implied something about my origins, and I need to know that... for personal reasons." She couldn't tell her father that she suspected her mother had been a witch.
Anna couldn't see the victorious smile on the other side.
"I'm sorry I can't answer your questions, my child."
"Why can't you, Daddy? I'm sure you know more about her than anyone else in the world." Anna said, proving to him that the mist was growing strong inside her. This annoyed and pleased him at the same time. What would she do when she found out?
"Anna... Although I love Jenna, no woman has ever managed to conquer my heart as completely as your mother. I can't tell you, because I promised her. She wanted you to know through your own efforts. She sometimes said strange things and made accurate predictions, but what I know about her is more about the family, and only what she told me. I never wanted to investigate anything about her, because she told me that the day I did, the child she was still carrying in her womb, which was you, would die. As I already had experience of all her predictions coming true, I didn't want to risk it."
"Thank you Dad for telling me this and saving my life. You're the most generous man I know." Anna said without being fooled. Her father was hiding important things about his lineage, and she suspected that he was being motivated by his own greed. "Mother must have had strong reasons for not allowing you to look for her or tell me anything about her. Today I know that she must have acted out of love... And I'll take care of finding out everything. You can be sure of that. And I will never be manipulated by anyone."
"Well... I can give you a clue if you're really interested in finding out. Do you want to know?"
"Of course."
"There's someone who knows a lot about your mother. Maybe not your family, but she knew you, because she passed herself off as your friend."
"Maxwell's mother?"
"No, Anna. Maxwell's mother only knows obvious things, which anyone living in this world would conclude. This person is someone who betrayed her trust. Betrayed his mother."
"Sarah!" Anna said as if something had become as clear as day, but she still wasn't paying attention to what.
"Well... Good luck, my child. I'll go and see what Adam and Ian are up to."
"You left them alone?"
"They're in the kitchen, Anna. Don't despair. They're trying to bake a cake, I just don't know which one of them is more clumsy in the kitchen, but the laughter from both of them is worth the fun of letting them enjoy each other's company."
"And Bonnie?"
"She's confined to her room. I don't think she's had lunch..."
"So... Just don't let Adam take Ian away from me, Dad."
"I won't."
"I trust your word." Anna said, and said goodbye.
She then took Adam's number, sent him a message and put her cell phone in her handbag, deciding it was time to go and meet Maxwell. As she made her way to the taxi rank, she heard the message alert and picked up her cell phone.
"I'll meet you at that restaurant at 9 & 12 NORTH BANK STREET , Makars Mash Baras seven o'clock in the evening.
Anna took a deep breath. It was done. She walked back across the street and managed to hail a taxi as soon as she got to the other side.