Chapter 12
The bright, dazzling lights made my head spin as I leaned against the staircase, trying to steady myself. Slowly, I went up to the second floor, relying on my memory to find my way. At the end of the hallway was my old room. I wanted to get inside and rest for a bit.
When I pushed the door open, a hand covered my mouth and pulled me behind the door. The familiar scent hit me, and Rowan’s deep voice, slightly tinged with the smell of whiskey, reached my ears.
“Where did he touch you?” he asked.
I felt my strength leave me, collapsing into Rowan’s arms, my whole body trembling slightly. “My shoulder…” I whispered.
Instantly, a searing kiss landed on my shoulder, tender and lingering. Rowan didn’t say a word, but he patiently and meticulously replaced the touch that was there with his mark, eventually finding my lips and softly nibbling at them. The fear and tension slowly melted away under his gentle reassurance.
We kissed in the dark, secluded from the rest of the world. After a while, I pulled away, my cheeks flushed, and whispered, “Are you jealous?”
“Jealous enough,” Rowan murmured, his voice a little gruff. “I don’t want anyone else touching you.”
With that, he moved to bite my shoulder again.
“Hey!” I protested, pushing him away. “I still have to go downstairs later. What if they see teeth marks on my shoulder?”
Rowan frowned, unconvinced by my reasoning. “They’ll say I’ve jumped straight into Miles‘ arms from my failed marriage. Do you want to hear those kinds of rumors?”
He was silent for a moment. “No, I don’t.”
“Then show some restraint,” I said, resting my head against his chest and listening to his strong, steady heartbeat. “Miles has teamed up with Uncle Samuel, and they seem to have guessed my situation. They’re on guard against your plans. Do you think you can handle it?”
“Sonia,” he began.
“Yeah?”
“If the Atkinson family takes a hit because of all this, what will you do?”
Ah, so that was what he was worried about. I took Rowan’s large hand in mine. “My parents married for business, and they despise each other. The year I was born, they left me with Uncle Samuel and moved abroad. Uncle Samuel saw me as a pawn to gain more power for the family. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be married off to some rich old man by now.”
“So, don’t worry about me,” I said, twining my fingers around his ring finger, noticing the wedding band he had slipped back on without me realizing. My heart warmed at the sight. “If the Atkinson family falls apart, Uncle Samuel must have brought it upon himself with his actions.”
Over the next few months, I went back to my working life. As an adult, I hadn’t accepted any money from the Atkinson family, relying instead on my part–time jobs and scholarships.
Life was peaceful except for the occasional forced setup with Miles orchestrated by Uncle Samuel. Viola was exasperated. “You’ve cut ties with them. Why do you still listen to them?” she demanded.
I didn’t explain, knowing Miles would urge Uncle Samuel to sabotage Rowan’s efforts if I didn’t play along. Until Rowan could bring them down, I had to keep the peace. Besides, Miles let me choose the time and place for our meetings, so I picked busy, public spots during the day to keep things safe.
Viola loved watching TV, and Rowan’s face frequently appeared on business channels lately. She would curse
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Chapter 12
at him every time. “What a wolf in sheep’s clothing! Sonia, if you ever marry that sleazebag, I’ll eat my hat,” she said, shaking the remote at the screen as if she had Parkinson’s, her voice breaking. “Men like him are bad news. And I’ll eat my shoe if I see you marry someone like him again.”
I emerged from a pile of design drafts, looking at her helplessly. “You might want to leave yourself a way out…”
“Fine, then I’ll drag you down with me!”
I had to sneak out to see Rowan due to Viola’s strong opposition.
After a fresh snowfall in the dead of winter, I bundled up in a thick sweater and carried a trash bag outside. Rowan had parked his car downstairs and was waiting outside despite the cold, wearing the wool coat and scarf I had bought him.
“Come here,” he said, waving me over.
I bounced over to him and happily jumped into his arms, putting a finger to my lips in a hushing gesture. “Keep your voice down. Let’s get in the car.”
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“My roommate thinks you’re the biggest jerk on the planet,” I said, sneaking him into the car like we were about to commit a heist. Once inside, the headlights went out, and darkness enveloped us, broken only by the streetlight casting shadows over the white snow outside.
Wrapped in my puffy coat, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a pair of knitted gloves. “Here, these are for you!”
Rowan smiled and took the gift. “Mrs. Crawford, I already have plenty of gloves.”
“Don’t you like them?” I reached to snatch them back, but he was quicker and pulled them away.
“Thank you. I love the gloves,” Rowan said earnestly.
We didn’t have much in common, but somehow, we never ran out of things to chat. I lazily leaned against Rowan’s shoulder, snuggling closer. “My roommate said if I dared to marry someone like you for a second time, she would…”
“She would what?” asked Rowan.
The rest of her words were too crude to repeat, so I mumbled, “Something gross would happen.”
I sighed, imagining the scolding I would get. “I can already see Viola beating me up.”
Rowan chuckled, taking my hand in his. “Maybe you should find someone else.”
“Rowan!” I smacked him playfully. “Don’t say things like that!”
He lowered his gaze, silently enclosing my hands within his. His fingers were long and perfect, easily large enough to envelop both of mine.
“I want to be with you,” I said, my mood suddenly dipping. Lately, I’d been plagued by nightmares where Rowan told me to live well alone, leaving me waking up with swollen eyes from crying.
“Sonia,” he began softly, “if we have to be apart someday-”
Before he could finish, my tears fell onto the back of his hand, interrupting him.
He sighed above me, pulling me into a comforting embrace and gently stroking my hair. “I was just speaking hypothetically.”
“Even hypotheticals can be scary,” I replied, my voice muffled. “I’ve never had much love from my parents, so l tend to latch onto anyone who treats me well. It was like that with Miles. And at first, with you, too. But now, it’s different.”
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