May 1943

The Hellstrom family has taken a residence in the same building as the Landas. It just made the communication between the major and the colonel easier and it gave Sophie some time to bond with Inga. Hedrick had taken a loving towards the twins; being that his parents did not or could not have any more children; this was his opportunity to be a loving big brother for the twins and whatever children Sophie and Hans decided to have afterwards. Sophie was pregnant again and it created an additional excitement for the young boy. He spent his days learning how to change diapers and learned how to keep a feeding routine before and after his academic day.

Hedrick had fallen asleep in between the cribs of Ana and Ernst. The boy snuggled himself in between the two and had drifted off to sleep. Hilda, the nanny, had covered the boy with a blanket before returning to her bedchambers. Hans had been asleep for a few hours already. Hilda then snuck away to her desk and started to compose a letter for Hugo. She was focused on reporting on her daily tasks with Sophie and the children that she did not hear Hans come in.

Hilda was so involved with writing that hearing his footsteps was the only way that she could stop what she was doing. As she turned around, Hans stood in front of her with a serious look on his face.

"What are you doing?"

Hilda stood up, with her own grin "I am writing a letter to my sister, Olga, back in the country side. Care to read it?"

The woman took the paper from her desk and held the letter in her hand. Hans took it from her and skimmed it:

Olga, I find the city peaceful. The children I care for have grown into beautiful little doves. Madame Landa is with child again; this will allow my job to extend before I return home to you. Madame Hellstrom is also an honored guest within the household along with her husband until her return to Germany. I am happy to hear that you are moving to your brand new home out in the country side. Be well and be strong, Olga.

Best,
Hilda, your beloved sister

Hans raised his glance in order to meet Hilda's. Suspicion was the first feeling before exhaustion. If Hilda was going to betray him, he would find out. But first, he needed to sleep—he would deal with her betrayal in the morning, if there was any. He then handed the letter back to her with a nod and started to turn away.

"I'm going to spend the night with my wife. She needs me. I hope you understand."

With that, Hans walked out of the room and made his way to find Sophie. Sophie was sitting in her bed, listening to the radio when a knock rapped against her door. She reached over towards the radio and turned down the volume.

"Come in…"

The door creaked open to reveal a tired Hans in his silken robe. The sight of her husband made her heart flutter, but she soon put a stop to it. Sophie knew that he only came to her when he grew tired of his mistress. She smiled at him, her skin glowing with the news of her new pregnancy. She patted the cold, empty space besides her.

"Come, darling, your side of the bed awaits you."

Hans gave her a smirk before he walked over towards her. As he lay down, he reached over and placed a hand over Sophie's belly. Sophie let out a sigh as she placed her hand over his. The baby gave its father a gentle kick. Hans perked up at the feeling of his child and stared at her belly. As if on cue, the little one shift around; Han's hand followed the movement of his child. He grinned and allowed for his eyes to meet Sophie's. She was biting her lower lip, with a smile on her face. The child then stopped moving and rested. Hans leaned in and gave his wife a kiss on her soft cheek. He then slid beneath their covers and placed his head on his pillow. Taking deep breaths, Sophie too sunk into the comfort of her satin sheets. Hans then pulled her into him, giving her a gentle embrace.

Sleep overcame them as the next morning rushed in and peered through their bedroom window. Sophie had awakened first to find that Hans was not beside her. Looking over at the clock besides her bed, she realized that it was almost 12:30 PM and that he had been gone for hours. She stretched her arms and let out a yawn.

Nadine

Hugo re-read Hilda's letter before crumpling it in his fist. Jealousy raced around his body as he envisioned Hans and Sophie together, creating the perfect family with his children. His rage burned within him; the feeling of murder came back upon him. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out the photos of Sophie and of their children together. Hugo felt tears well up in his eyes as he ripped her picture into tiny bits before instantly regretting his decision. As the pieces of paper fell to the floor, Hugo tried to salvage what he destroyed but it was no use.

The photo of the children remained intact in his hand; he was unable to destroy it as the salty tears poured down his cheeks and around his chin. There had to be some way that Hugo could be reunited with his children and Sophie. He gave the photo of his children one last kiss before tucking it back into his jacket pocket.