Chapter 4
The room was silent except for the gentle hum of the city outside. Rowan’s voice was smooth, almost like a warm cup of cocoa on a cold night. “I gave you a chance, Sonia, and you didn’t take it,” he said with a hint of finality. “Now, that chance is gone.”
Before I knew it, he had flipped me around, pressing me against the back of the couch. His sultry and teasing voice whispered, “Sonia, brace yourself.“–
I had always thought Rowan wasn’t the type to push boundaries too far, but I had forgotten that in another life, he was the kind of guy who would risk everything for love. Underneath that composed exterior, there was a wild
streak.
“You… you-” I stammered with my pleas swallowed by the tension between us. At last, I could only cling to Rowan’s neck, murmuring, “Rowan, have a little mercy on me.”
He seemed upset, not hearing my words. I bit my lip, holding onto him tightly, my eyes stinging as tears spilled
onto his shoulder.
Rowan froze, then slowly pulled back, his voice barely a whisper, “I’m sorry.”
With my chin on his shoulder, I tilted my head back to catch a glimpse of the bright moon through the window.
“Rowan, I’ve even thought of our kids‘ names,” I said softly. I’d pondered it in our past life, never sharing it with
him until then.
“Sonia, don’t,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.
“Don’t you believe me?” I asked, met only with silence. It was as if he couldn’t dare hope we might have a family someday.
“A boy and a girl,” I continued, “You can pick their nicknames-”
Before I could finish, Rowan, who had regained his composure, was back into a whirlwind of emotions. He didn’t let me speak further, gathering my half–dazed self and carrying me through a small door to the side of the office. The door closed softly behind us.
Outside, the wind rustled against the floor–to–ceiling windows, with the moon casting a serene glow. Just a door away, there were whispers in the air.
In the dead of night, I got feisty and kicked him, declaring I didn’t want him anymore. Rowan pulled me back without a word, asking, “If not me, then who?”
He sounded so earnest that it made my cheeks flush. “Anyone but you!” I retorted defiantly.
“Alright,” he murmured, “but it’s not your call.”
That night, Rowan was in my dreams, entangled with memories of a blazing inferno. I lay in a pool of blood, strapped with explosives. Rowan rushed into the flames, shaking as he held me. I saw his tears and weakly tried to push him away, whispering, “Go…”
“Rowan, I told you to leave. Don’t touch me, please…”
The dream shattered with the force of my sobs. The warmth I had felt evaporated, leaving me in darkness. I opened my eyes, my cheeks wet with tears.
I realized it was a dream, glancing over to see Rowan perched on the edge of the bed. Judging by his expression, I must have been talking in my sleep. He handed me a tissue, keeping a respectful distance, avoiding my touch.
My heart sank. Rowan had misunderstood.
“Rowan,” I began, trying to explain, “I was dreaming.”
He was listening intently, so I continued, my voice trembling, “In the fire, I got strapped with explosives, and you
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Chapter 4
wanted to die with me. That’s why I said those things. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”
His eyes briefly showed a spark of realization before quickly returning to an unreadable state.
“Alright, I believe you,” he said, tucking me back under the covers and picking up a pillow to leave the room.
“Rowan!” I called after him, watching his retreating figure. “You liar.”
He said nothing.
I grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him, hitting his back. “Fine, leave then. I’m sore all over, you turncoat! Just leave me here to fend for myself.”
I turned away, curling up under the covers. They say young people can be stubborn, and Rowan, being ten years younger, definitely fit that description. He was bullheaded and not exactly endearing.
After some silence, the bed dipped as Rowan returned, sighing, “Get some sleep.”
“I want to sleep in your arms.”
Obediently, he pulled me close, wrapping me in his embrace.
The night stretched on, and though I stared into the endless darkness, sleep eluded me. Since I got a second chance at life, too many thoughts were in my mind.
The people who had kidnapped me had once crossed paths with Rowan–a former business owner whose company had gone under. The accident that happened to Miles years ago was a plot by my Uncle Samuel to drive a wedge between Rowan and me. These were truths I discovered in the last year of my previous life.
Rowan had always kept my whereabouts under tight surveillance. Yet, I got abducted on the way to a hospital check–up. How did they find out?
The only plausible explanation was the phone call I received from Miles. Even in my final moments, Rowan had told me, “Thanks to Miles, I found you.”
Now that I think about it, Miles, whom I’ve loved and relied on for over a decade, might have played a different
role in all this than I initially believed.
The following morning, my head felt like it was about to explode from lack of sleep. “Rowan, I can’t get up! You’re impossible!” I complained, kicking at him lightly.
He sighed, enduring my kicks. “Get up and have breakfast.”
“I’m not eating. You know, I don’t like your younger self at all,” I grumbled.
He paused, then asked with surprising patience, “My younger self?”
“Yes!” I snapped, yanking the covers from his grip and wrapping them around myself. “I prefer you ten years older! Go on, age a bit, and let me sleep in peace.”
I wriggled into the coziest spot, stretching out comfortably and inhaling the scent that was unmistakably
Rowan’s.
I slept till the afternoon, evidently prepared for the possibility I’d wake up ravenous. Lunch was neatly arranged
on the table.
The room was impeccably tidy, everything in its place except for the bed, which was a chaotic little world. Thanks to my antics the night before, the sheets were all around, and poor Rowan had taken the brunt of it.
To give credit where it was due, twenty–eight–year–old Rowan was innocent compared to his thirty–eight–year–old
self.
I shook my head, trying to dispel the blush–inducing images from my mind. After a quick freshen–up, I devoured breakfast, slipped into one of Rowan’s shirts, and peeked out the office door.
The place was eerily quiet, feeling like the world had paused for us.
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Chapter 5
Chapter 5
