The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 977

Ever since Pattie disappeared behind those operating room doors, everyone in the family was on edge.

The surgery would take about three hours. Three hours of torture, really.

The hallway outside was silent—the kind of silence that presses in on your ears. Herman and Anastasia just sat and waited, along with everyone else, all of them lined up on the hard bench, not saying a word, just glancing at the clock every so often.

As lunchtime crept closer, Herman finally broke the silence. “Feiman, Katelyn, maybe you two should go grab something to eat?”

Feiman shook his head. “I’m fine. Not hungry. Your mom and I will wait a little longer.”

Katelyn sighed. “How can anyone eat at a time like this?”

Salma chimed in, “I’ll wait too. I just want to see Pattie come out first.”

Tavon stood there, stubborn as ever, arms folded, refusing to budge.

Anastasia tried to reason with them. “Guys, just sitting here worrying won’t make the surgery end any faster. Go get some lunch, come back—you’ll be in time. Monica, Flynn, can you take Mom and Dad to the cafeteria?”

But no one moved. Monica piped up, her voice gentle but firm, “Aunties, uncles, you know what they say—you can’t go on if you don’t eat. If you just sit here stewing, you’ll only feel worse. The doctors know what they’re doing. Let’s get some food and stay strong for Pattie, okay?”

Flynn nodded and started gently herding the four elders out.

With everyone gone, only Anastasia and Herman remained. Herman clutched her icy hand, his thumb rubbing soothing circles over her knuckles.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered, wrapping his arm around her. He wasn’t sure if he was comforting her or himself.

With him there, Anastasia’s panic eased—just a little.

…

Across the street, Monica and Flynn led the elders into a small diner. No one bothered to look at the menu—Monica ended up ordering for everyone. Flynn poured water, trying to sound upbeat. “Come on, folks, it’s just a vocal cord surgery. Don’t let yourselves worry too much.”

He didn’t really understand how risky it was.

Tavon was the first to reach for his chopsticks. “Let’s just eat. It’s already lunchtime, and we need the energy to wait for Pattie.”

Salma poked at her food, barely eating. Katelyn just sat there, lost in thought. The women looked heartbroken, while the men tried to keep it together.

Sandy got right to the point, her voice as icy as ever. “Dad, two pieces of bad news. First, I’ve filed for bankruptcy. The company’s done.”

Tavon had known this might be coming, but hearing it out loud was a punch to the gut. Decades of hard work, gone. His face turned pale.

He exploded. “You reckless girl! I told you this would happen! Did you really think running a business was that easy? Just set up an online shop and money pours in? If it was that easy, everyone would do it! What you did was just scamming people, ruining the Morton family name—our whole legacy, wrecked by you—”

Before he could finish, Sandy cut him off, her voice even colder: “Second thing. Mom jumped from a building.”

Tavon froze. His first instinct was disbelief. “What are you playing at now? Trying to trick me into coming home? Your mom, jump? I don’t buy it.”

“Check the news yourself,” Sandy said, and hung up.

Tavon stood there in shock for a long moment before coming to his senses. He fumbled for his phone and searched online.

It was true. Ashley had jumped, leaving behind a bloody note blaming Salma for ruining her family and driving her to the edge.

With that one letter, Salma was thrust into the spotlight—suddenly everyone was talking, and none of it was good.