Like Letters Written in the Sand, Part Thirteen (Revised)
In Clarence’s arms, Anna-lei felt safe, loved, and wanted. He saw a beautiful woman, a kind soul who had a strong faith, despite everything she had endured. Clarence didn’t see what she didn’t have, he saw her for who she really was, as a beautiful person, a kind soul.
Clarence became more in love with his wife the more he learned about her struggles and her triumphs. It was evident that Anna-leis was no ordinary woman, she was extraordinary, he knew that the first time he had come to her crime scene as a reporter he had often encountered Anna-leis, and he had fallen in love with her almost from the moment he had laid eyes on her.
In the middle of the night, he would wake up and glance over at his wife, reminding himself that he was married to Anna-leis, the woman he had spent ten years secretly pursuing, or maybe not so secretly chasing.
He smiled at Ann-leis sleeping form, grateful that her pain did not keep her awake. Phantom pain, an odd term for such an intense pain, a pain that at times nearly upended her day. Clarence was there for her, of course, but he couldn’t make her pain disappear as much as he wanted. With time, her physical wounds were healing, and the phantom pains were less frequent and more manageable. Having been abused by her parents was a whole different matter.
