My Beloved Oppressor — Chapter 78

WHAT DOES RYAN HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?

IT'S BECAUSE HE KEEPS SHOWING UP AT THIS HOUSE.

I TOLD YOU, IT'S NOT LIKE THAT BETWEEN US.

...I KNOW THAT.

IT'S NOT THAT I DON'T TRUST YOU. I JUST REALLY DON'T LIKE HIM.

HE KNOWS ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP, YET HE KEEPS COMING OVER LIKE HE OWNS THE PLACE...

WHEN HAS HE EVER DONE THAT?

HE ONLY CAME OVER FREQUENTLY WHEN HIS NEPHEW WAS STAYING HERE.

I BARELY EVEN SEE HIM THESE DAYS.

COULD YOU WATER OVER THERE AS WELL?

DIDN'T YOU SAY YOU'RE PLANNING TO VISIT RYAN FROMM'S PLACE SOON?

YOU KNOW WHY.

RYAN'S MOTHER HAS A LOT OF FRIENDS HERE, AND HAS BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO INTRODUCE ME TO THEM.

I SHOULD AT LEAST PAY HER A VISIT.

WHAT ANNETTE'S SAYING ISN'T WRONG.

PERHAPS EXTROVERSION RUNS IN THE FAMILY, BUT THERE WASN'T A SINGLE PERSON WHO DIDN'T KNOW THE FROMMS IN SANTAMAMOLI.

WHEN ANNETTE MOVED HERE ALONE, THEY WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY TO HELP HER SETTLE IN.

THE REASON THE NEIGHBORS SO READILY ACCEPTED HER HAD A LOT TO DO WITH THE FROMM FAMILY.

BUT STILL...

RYAN FROMM IS, BY ALL ACCOUNTS, A GOOD MAN.

RAISED IN A HOME FULL OF WARMTH AND LOVE,

HE'S THE KIND OF PERSON WHO CAN SHOULDER ANNETTE'S PAIN WITH HIS CHEERFUL AND EASYGOING NATURE...

...UNLIKE ME.

RYAN IS JUST A GOOD FRIEND.

I CAN'T JUST CUT TIES WITH HIM JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT ME TO.

ANNETTE. THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M SAYING.

BUT IT'S TRUE THAT RYAN FROMM ONCE HAD FEELINGS FOR YOU, ISN'T IT?

AND MAYBE HE STILL DOES...

SO AFTER EVERYTHING I'VE RECEIVED FROM HIS FAMILY,

DO YOU REALLY WANT ME TO JUST ACT LIKE THEY'RE STRANGERS?

ALL I'M SAYING IS, MAYBE YOU DON'T NEED TO STAY SO CLOSE WITH THEM.

BUT YOU STILL SEE MS. ANNELIE PRETTY OFTEN. EVEN NOW.

WHAT DOES MS. ANNELIE HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?

YOU'RE THE ONE WHO BROUGHT UP RYAN.

CONSIDERING HOW THERE WERE EVEN TALKS ABOUT YOUR ENGAGEMENT WITH HER, I'D SAY THAT'S EVEN WORSE. YOU'RE OUT OF WATER, BY THE WAY.

IT'S GETTING HOT, LET'S HEAD INSIDE.

AS YOU KNOW, I TURNED DOWN THAT ENGAGEMENT A LONG TIME AGO.

BESIDES, I ONLY MEET WITH MS. ANNELIE FOR OFFICIAL MATTERS.

AND I'VE NEVER SEEN RYAN AS ANYTHING MORE THAN A FRIEND.

CAN YOU GUARANTEE THAT IT'LL STAY THAT WAY?

EVEN AFTER GETTING A PROPOSAL FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS JUST A FRIEND?

THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO!

DIDN'T WE AGREE NOT TO BRING UP THE PAST?

YOU THINK I'VE GOT NOTHING TO SAY ABOUT THE PAST?

ELLIOT TOLD ME AT HUNTINGHAM CHURCH...

...THAT YOU PRETENDED TO BE IN LOVE WITH COUNTLESS WOMEN DURING OPERATIONS.

UNBELIEVABLE. NOT JUST ONE WOMAN, BUT COUNTLESS WOMEN?

THAT WAS JUST PART OF THE MISSION.

I NEVER HAD FEELINGS FOR ANYONE.

OH, REALLY? SO YOUR HEART STAYED OUT OF IT, EVEN THOUGH YOUR BODY DIDN'T?

I DIDN'T GIVE THEM MY BODY EITHER!!

LET'S DROP THIS.

YOU BROUGHT IT UP.

FINE. LET ME BE HONEST.

I DON'T LIKE SEEING YOU TALK TO OTHER MEN. HAPPY NOW?

YOU REALLY ARE TOO SELFISH.

I KNOW, I KNOW. THAT'S WHY I'VE KEPT QUIET THIS WHOLE TIME. I JUST...

CAN'T YOU TRY TO UNDERSTAND ME, EVEN A LITTLE?

WHY DOES IT MATTER WHO I MEET AND SPEND TIME WITH...

...IF THE PERSON I CARE ABOUT RIGHT NOW IS YOU?

SEDUCING ME WITH YOUR LOOKS WON'T WORK.

WHAT? I WAS JUST LOOKING AT YOU...

ANYWAY, UNLESS IT'S REALLY NECESSARY, DON'T MEET WITH THAT MAN ALONE.

I MADE COFFEE. YOU SHOULD DRINK IT.

IT'S PROBABLY COLD BY NOW.

IS THIS REALLY SOMETHING TO FIGHT ABOUT?

WE COULD'VE JUST TALKED IT OUT, WHY DID HE HAVE TO BRING UP THE PAST?

COME TO THINK OF IT, HE WAS ALWAYS LIKE THIS WHEN WE WERE DATING TOO.

ALWAYS PRYING ABOUT WHO I USED TO SEE...

...WHILE HIDING EVERYTHING ABOUT HIMSELF AND LYING STRAIGHT TO MY FACE.

SERIOUSLY, HOW IS THAT CHILDISH MAN THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THIS ENTIRE COUNTRY?

I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO DRINK MY COFFEE.

EVER SINCE HEINER CAME HERE, HAVING A CUP OF COFFEE TOGETHER EVERY MORNING HAS BEEN PART OF OUR ROUTINE...

"IT'S NOT THAT I DON'T TRUST YOU", HE SAYS.

HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT FROM SAYING HE DOESN'T TRUST ME?

OF COURSE, I DON'T COMPLETELY TRUST HEINER EITHER.

THERE'S HIS PAST, BUT MORE THAN THAT...

...HE NEVER TOUCHES ME.

HOW CAN IT BE LIKE THIS, WHEN WE'RE UNDER THE SAME ROOF?

EVEN WHEN WE WERE MARRIED, IT WAS ALWAYS ME TAKING THE INITIATIVE.

DOES HE REALLY HAVE NO DESIRE TO REACH FOR ME AT ALL?

BACK WHEN WE WERE DATING, HE USED TO KISS ME EVERY CHANCE HE GOT...

...WAS ALL OF THAT JUST FOR SHOW TOO?!

...COULD IT BE THAT HE...

...JUST DOESN'T HAVE ANY DESIRE...?

WHY AM I EVEN HAVING SUCH THOUGHTS?

IT'S NOT THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND HIM.

I KNOW THAT THE SCARS ON HIS BODY WILL NEVER FULLY FADE...

...SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING I CAN JUDGE LIGHTLY.

BUT STILL... I JUST...

A FEW MONTHS AGO, I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL TO GET MY SCAR TREATED.

TO BE PRECISE, THE TREATMENT WAS SEARING THE SCAR WITH HEAT TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A REGULAR BURN.

GIVEN HOW OLD AND LARGE THIS SCAR IS, COMPLETE REMOVAL ISN'T POSSIBLE. THIS IS THE BEST WE CAN DO, BUT...

EVEN WITH ANESTHESIA, IT'S GOING TO BE VERY PAINFUL.

IT DOESN'T MATTER.

THIS SORT OF PAIN IS NOTHING TO ME.

THERE WERE PLENTY OF CHANCES TO GET THE BRANDING SCAR REMOVED.

BUT I NEVER WENT THROUGH WITH IT BECAUSE EVERY TIME I FOUND MYSELF WANTING TO THROW EVERYTHING AWAY AND EMBRACE HER...

...THAT SCAR PULLED ME BACK TO REALITY.

NO... OR MAYBE...

...DEEP DOWN, I WANTED HER TO UNDERSTAND ME.

EVEN AS I KEPT THIS BROKEN AND PATHETIC PART OF ME HIDDEN...

...SOME PART OF ME STILL WISHED SHE'D KNOW AND STILL LOVE ME...

...EVEN THE LOWEST, MOST BROKEN PART OF ME.

THE NEXT MORNING.

...ANNETTE WORKED UNTIL DAWN YESTERDAY AND IS ALREADY UP COMPOSING AGAIN...

IS SHE PLANNING TO LOCK HERSELF AWAY IN THE PIANO ROOM WITHOUT EVER SPEAKING TO ME...?

...IT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME, BEING THE FIRST TO HEAR THE PIECES ANNETTE CREATES...

...WHEN I AM HERE WITH HER.

...DOES IT TASTE ALRIGHT...?

PHEW, THAT'S A RELIEF.

IN JUST A FEW DAYS, SUMMER VACATION WILL BE OVER, AND I'LL HAVE TO RETURN TO RONCHESTER.

THERE'S NOT MUCH TIME LEFT.

I CAN'T LET MY TIME WITH HER SLIP AWAY LIKE THIS.

I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO SEE HER FACE YESTERDAY AFTER THAT FIGHT, SO I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO TALK TO HER PROPERLY...

MAY I COME IN...?