Chapter 213: Chapter 123: Eva’s Departure
"If that day ever comes," he said slowly, his voice low but firm. "I will."
Anna’s fingers tightened slightly, squeezing his hand in return.
They held hands like that, neither saying a word.
The radiator in the restaurant continued to hiss. Outside the window, the night grew darker and the pedestrians on the street dwindled.
The announcer on the radio finally finished his reading and began to play a Soviet song, its melody somber yet melodious.
"Then I’ll wait for you," Anna finally said, her voice soft but clear. "No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait for you."
After speaking, she stood up, turned, and left the restaurant.
Werner remained seated, watching her figure disappear into the night.
He looked down at his hand—the one that had just held Anna’s. Her warmth still lingered in his palm.
He suddenly realized that something had quietly changed.
Werner stood up, paid the bill, lit a new cigarette, and pushed the door open, stepping into the night.
**************
Werner stood in a corner of the foreign trade store’s warehouse, watching Eva take inventory of the Swiss chocolate on the shelves.
November in East Berlin was already bone-chillingly cold, and the heating in the warehouse barely managed to dispel the chill.
Eva was wearing a gray wool coat, her hair tied back in a simple bun, revealing her slender neck.
"Nestle instant coffee." Eva checked an item off her list and turned to face Werner. "The shipment for next Tuesday?"
"Mhm," Werner nodded, his gaze falling on her face. "How much is left?"
"The last three boxes." Eva paused, biting her lip. "Werner, I..."
"What is it?"
Eva took a deep breath. "Hans is almost seven. The schools in East Germany... you know, the political classes, the lies. I don’t want him to grow up in this kind of environment."
Werner was silent for a few seconds. He knew it was time. He had promised Eva he would send her to West Germany.
"When do you want to go?"
"What?"
"To West Germany. When do you want to go?"
Eva was stunned, clearly not expecting Werner to be so direct. "I... Before the end of the year?"
Werner pulled out his cigarette case, took one out, and lit it.
"Alright," he exhaled a puff of smoke. "I’ll send you to West Germany before the end of the year."
"Really?" Eva’s eyes lit up.
"I gave you my word, and I always keep my promises." Werner flicked his ash. "But you have to do things my way."
"Of course!" Eva quickly walked up to him. "Werner, I... I don’t know how to thank you."
"Don’t thank me too soon," Werner said, looking at her. "Wait until I’ve made the arrangements."
*************
It was late November when Werner told Joshua about the plan. The two sat in the corner of a small tavern near Alexanderplatz, two glasses of beer on the table.
"Family reunification?" Joshua lowered his voice. "Are you sure you want to go this route?"
"It’s the safest way," Werner took a sip of beer. "She’s not a political prisoner, so we can’t use the official exchange channels. But a family reunification application will be fine, as long as the documents look authentic enough."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Find her a ’relative’ in West Germany." Werner pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. "This is her information. Age, birthplace, family background, it’s all on here. You need to find a West German family with a matching background and get them to play along."
Joshua took the paper and glanced at it. "What about the fee?"
"I’ll cover the fee."
"So generous?" Joshua raised an eyebrow. "It seems this Lady Eve is very important to you."
Werner didn’t take the bait, merely lighting another cigarette.
*************
In the first week of December, Vogel handed the prepared documents to Werner.
The manila envelope contained a complete set of application materials—an invitation letter from her West German "cousin," Friedrich Schulz, notarized documents, a medical certificate, and even a few forged family letters.
"Beautifully done." Werner thumbed through the documents. Every page bore a proper-looking stamp.
"Of course." Vogel pushed up his glasses. "But you have to understand, even with perfect documents, the approval process takes time. The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior, the Stasi background check... you have to pass every stage."
"Can it be done before the end of the year?"
"If everything goes smoothly... it’s barely possible." Vogel paused. "But I suggest you prepare a backup plan. In case something goes wrong at any stage—"
"Nothing will go wrong," Werner cut him off. "I’ll make sure every stage goes smoothly."
Vogel looked at Werner’s determined gaze and sighed. "You really care about this woman."
Werner said nothing, simply putting the documents into his briefcase.
**************
In mid-December, Werner met with Hopter in his office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"A family reunification application?" Hopter frowned as he looked through the documents. "Werner, do you have any idea how low the approval rate for these is? Less than five percent."
"That’s why I came to you." Werner sat down across from him. "Comrade Hopter, you and I have been working together for some time now, and I’ve never let you down. This time, I need you to do me a favor."
Hopter was silent for a moment, his fingers tapping on the desktop. The only sound in the office was the ticking of the wall clock.
"Tell me what you can offer."
"I’ll give you a ten percent cut on the two political prisoner exchanges next month," Werner said bluntly.
"Fifteen percent."
"Done."
Hopter broke into a smile. "I knew doing business with you would be straightforward. Leave the documents. Come back in three days for the approval notice."
**************
What Werner didn’t expect was that the real trouble would come from Von Brown.
The corridors of the Stasi Building always had that damp, musty smell. Werner followed the guard up to the third floor and stopped at the door to Von Brown’s office.
"Come in," Von Brown’s voice came from inside.
Von Brown was sitting behind his desk with a file in front of him.
He looked up, glanced at Werner, and then pointed to the chair opposite him.
Werner sat down and placed Eva’s application file on the desk.
Von Brown picked up the file and flipped through it, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Eva Honer, twenty-five years old, sales clerk at a foreign trade store." He looked up. "Another woman."
"Yes," Werner remained calm.
"Comrade Werner," Von Brown closed the file and leaned back in his chair. "Last time it was Anna, this time it’s Eva. Your love life is certainly... eventful."
Werner heard the sarcasm in his tone but didn’t respond.
"What is your relationship with this Eva Honer?" Von Brown lit a cigarette, squinting at him.
"Business partners," Werner said directly. "She helps me source goods from the foreign trade store, and I pay her for it."
"Is it that simple?"
"It’s that simple."
Von Brown laughed, but there was no warmth in his smile. "Werner, you know what I admire about you? You always manage to make your lies sound like the truth." He flicked his ash. "But don’t take me for a fool. An ordinary supply channel, worth calling in so many favors? Hopter’s approval notice, Vogel’s documents, and now you’re coming to me for the final sign-off..."
Werner was silent for a few seconds, then looked up at Von Brown. "Comrade Von Brown, I knew I couldn’t hide it from you."
"Oh?" Von Brown raised an eyebrow.
"Eva is indeed special to me," Werner said with complete candor. "But this doesn’t affect my work. On the contrary, letting her leave is more beneficial to our partnership."
"How so?"
Werner leaned forward. "You previously asked me to find a way to liquidate confiscated assets, and I’ve been doing that. The foreign trade store is one link in this liquidation chain. But Eva has been there too long, and people are starting to notice her connection to me. If this continues, there will be problems sooner or later."
Von Brown stared at him, saying nothing.
"Greta Weber," Werner continued. "She’s the sister of one of my men. Her father is a Party member, so her political background is reliable. I’ve been training her for two months. She’s more cautious than Eva, and more obedient. And..."
"And what?"
"She has no personal connection to me," Werner said calmly. "It’s safer that way."
Von Brown contemplated for a moment.
"Werner," Von Brown said suddenly. "I’m warning you one last time—don’t lose your head over women."
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