Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Anna
Werner let go of Eva’s hand and turned to face her.
In the faint light cast by a distant streetlamp, Eva could see his face clearly.
A fine sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and his breathing was slightly more rapid than usual, but his eyes remained calm and sharp.
Eva met his gaze, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, her fingers still trembling slightly. "You... why... why didn’t you let me run? The barbed wire was right there. If you had brought me a little closer, helped distract the soldiers, maybe I could have..."
"Could have what? Rushed the barbed wire?" Werner cut her off, his voice cold. "Did you see those two soldiers? They were holding rifles, less than ten meters from the wire. How fast do you think you can run carrying a child? Five meters? Ten? A bullet travels at eight hundred meters per second."
Eva’s voice caught in her throat.
"And have you forgotten?" Werner continued. "That young man, right before your eyes, was covered in blood when he got through the wire. He was alone, without a child, and ran ten times faster than you. And what was the result? He nearly died there. Do you think you’d be luckier than him?"
The stairwell was dark, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering through a window.
Werner’s face was half in shadow, his expression unreadable, but she could feel him staring at her.
"Why did you come?" Eva’s voice was hoarse. "How did you know I’d be there?"
Werner didn’t answer immediately.
He took a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the tear tracks from her face. The tender gesture made Eva’s heart flutter.
"I knew there would be a large-scale operation near Friedrichstrasse tonight," Werner said, putting away the handkerchief. "I guessed you’d choose a less crowded spot. The stretch along Bulnauer Street is too obvious, so your only option was Invalidenstrasse. The barbed wire isn’t fully up there, but patrols are tight."
Eva stared at him, stunned. He had figured out her entire route.
"That identification card..."
"Fake," Werner admitted frankly. "But good enough to fool those young soldiers."
A wave of belated fear washed over Eva.
’If that Marcus had insisted, if he had actually gone to ask his superior, if...’
"Don’t overthink it." Werner seemed to have read her mind. "What’s important is that you’re safe now."
"Safe?" Eva gave a bitter smile. "I can’t get across. They’ve built the wall. I’m trapped here."
Her voice grew choked with emotion. "If I could have just gotten to the West, Hans could go to school there, have a better life..."
Tears welled up again. This time, she couldn’t hold them back and broke down, clutching her son and sobbing.
Little Hans, infected by his mother’s emotions, started to whimper again.
Werner stood silently before her, not offering empty platitudes like "everything will be alright."
He just waited, letting her release all the despair and sorrow she had held back for so long.
After a long while, Eva’s sobs gradually subsided.
"I’m sorry..." She wiped her face messily with her sleeve. "You must think I’m a joke."
"There’s nothing funny about it," Werner said. "Tonight, hundreds, thousands of people are just as desperate as you. This city is being torn in two, and everyone is losing something."
He paused, his tone becoming more resolute. "But Eva, listen to me. The world outside has changed, but I haven’t."
Eva looked up, her tear-blurred eyes fixed on him.
"I can’t send you to West Berlin right now. You’ve seen the situation; the blockade is tight." Werner’s gaze was exceptionally serious. "But I can promise you that you and Hans won’t go hungry, you won’t be bullied, and you won’t have to wait in line for bread only to find it’s sold out like everyone else."
Eva looked at the man before her.
On this frantic night, in this city divided by barbed wire, he was the only one who had reached out to her.
Not with empty promises or false comfort, but with real protection.
She remembered the first time she met him, when he drove off the thugs who were harassing her.
She remembered how every time he came to the foreign trade store, he would always bring a piece of chocolate for Little Hans.
"You..." Eva heard herself ask in a trembling voice, "Will you always be here?"
Werner didn’t hesitate. "I will."
Two simple words, yet they carried more weight than any oath.
Eva felt an indescribable emotion swell in her chest.
It wasn’t entirely dependence, nor was it just gratitude, but something more complex, more profound—in this chaotic world, she had finally found a safe harbor.
"Okay." She took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "I believe you."
A faint smile appeared on Werner’s lips. It was the first time Eva had seen him truly smile—not the polite, business-like smile, but a genuine one, tinged with a hint of warmth.
"Let’s go." He took her hand again. "Dawn is breaking. I’ll take you home."
The eastern sky began to lighten.
They wound through one alley after another, avoiding all checkpoints and patrols.
Early-rising workers began to appear on the streets.
They stared blankly at the barbed wire in the distance, their faces etched with confusion and unease. Some were murmuring in low voices, others wiping tears from their eyes.
The entire city had changed overnight.
By the time they finally reached the foot of Eva’s apartment building, the sky was fully bright.
"Go on in," Werner said, releasing her hand. "Get some rest. I’ll come see you at noon. I want to take you somewhere."
Eva, holding her sleeping son, stood at the entrance to the stairwell, not going up immediately.
She looked down at Little Hans in her arms. The boy was fast asleep, his small face still streaked with tears.
She gently set her son down on the first step of the staircase, leaning him against the wall to make sure he wouldn’t slide down.
Then she turned, walked quickly to Werner, and wrapped her arms around him.
Werner stiffened for a moment but didn’t push her away.
"Thank you," Eva murmured, burying her face in his shoulder, her voice trembling slightly. "Werner, thank you so much."
She could feel the warmth of his body and hear his steady heartbeat.
His arms hesitated for a moment before lightly encircling her back.
The hug lasted only a few seconds, but it gave her a sense of security she had never felt before.
After letting him go, Eva wiped the corners of her eyes and turned to pick up her son from the step. Little Hans stirred but didn’t wake.
She started up the stairs, but after a few steps, she couldn’t resist looking back.
Werner was still standing there, looking up at her.
Their eyes met for a moment in the morning light before Werner turned and walked away, his back quickly disappearing around the corner.
Eva stood still, watching the direction he’d gone, a complex feeling rising in her heart.
’This man never says sweet things, never does anything romantic. Even the way he shows he cares is so direct and rough. But with him, I always feel so safe.’
She looked down at her son in her arms. Little Hans was sleeping soundly, his little hand still clutching her collar.
"Hans," she whispered. "Mommy isn’t leaving. We’ll stay here, okay?"
The child mumbled something in his sleep and hugged her tighter.
Cradling her son, Eva walked into the dark hallway.
The light in the stairwell was still broken. She felt her way up along the wall, her footsteps echoing in the empty space.
Just as she reached the landing on the second floor, she suddenly heard a voice from behind her. "Eva Honer?"
Startled, she spun around.
A woman in a long trench coat stood at the bottom of the stairs. In the faint morning light from the window, Eva could make out a young face, perhaps twenty-five or twenty-six, with a cold expression.
"Who are you?" Eva asked warily.
The woman walked up a few steps, closing the distance slightly. "My name is Anna Claus. National Security Council."
Eva’s heart clenched.
"Don’t be nervous," Anna said. "I just want to ask you a few questions. About Werner Betelich."
