Chapter 3
‘Every day with the same advice, how am I supposed to live like this?‘ I muttered, feeling my mouth go dry from all the talking.
Suddenly, a glass of water appeared before me. I looked up to see Rowan staring at me. “Drink some water first, then you can keep whining,” he said, his expression softer, though his eyes still looked distant and dull. At least the icy wariness had faded.-
I resisted the urge to hug him and said, “Rowan, let’s live our lives better from now on.”
He averted his gaze and silently started tidying up the dishes, avoiding a direct answer to my suggestion. “Get dressed. I’ll have the driver take you home,” he said.
“But I just got here…” I protested, but he swiftly opened the door and left, looking like he was escaping something. After all, a CEO doesn’t need to deal with mundane chores like taking out the trash.
I couldn’t deny feeling a bit let down. Having a second chance at life, why did it seem even harder to win Rowan’s heart? I sank into the couch, planning my next move. Should I go for it or share my feelings first and then go for it?
A sudden phone call interrupted my thoughts. Distracted, I answered it.
On the other end was a distant and familiar voice. “Sonia, where are you?”
My previously good mood plummeted. I remembered there was someone else I had to deal with. “Oh, it’s you,” I replied, lacking enthusiasm.
Miles‘ voice was gentle. “I’ve been waiting for you for so long. Didn’t you promise to spend my birthday with me?”
Recalling the events of my past life, I clenched my fingers tightly around the phone until my knuckles turned white. “Miles, we’re… just childhood friends, right?”
Miles seemed to sense something was off. “Sonia, we’re family,” he corrected softly.
“Family,” I echoed, then asked, “Is there nothing you want to tell me?”
He paused, then sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have hidden the fact that I ate your cake.”
Why could those who cared about us lie, make demands, and joke without facing any consequences? Yet there was Rowan, always standing in the shadows, silently bearing everything.
I felt cold all over, unable to smile. “I have something else to do today, so I can’t make it. Happy birthday.”
After hanging up, I took a deep breath, trying to ease the heavy feeling in my chest I remembered Miles‘ call before I got kidnapped, asking where I was.
I fell into deep thought. Miles was the person I trusted the most, but what if someone familiar had orchestrated the explosion from the start?
When I looked up, I saw Rowan standing at the doorway, his face half–hidden in the shadows, expression unreadable. After hesitating, I asked, “Did you hear all that?”
“Yeah,” he replied.
7-
“Let’s go,” he said, strained but calm, “The car’s downstairs.”
I opened my mouth, struggling to find a way to explain the future without sounding like a lunatic. I followed him out, guilt swirling inside me.
“Rowan,” I said.
He slowed his pace slightly but didn’t turn around.
1/2
19:30
“That was Miles on the phone,” I said quickly. “I did promise to celebrate his birthday yesterday, but today, I’m different. I’m from the future-”
Rowan stopped abruptly and turned, his eyes cold as ice. “Enough.”
He closed his eyes briefly, trying to suppress his emotions. “Dinner was good. I’m glad you spent my birthday with me.”
I stared at him, seeing the hidden pain in his eyes. His lips were pale, each word uttered with the tremor of someone in deep agony.
“So, if you end up choosing Miles, I get it. That’s the price I have to pay,” he continued.
In my past life, Rowan had told me that for every bit of kindness I showed him, he had to endure even more pain in return. He never dared to hope for anything, always prepared for me to leave at any moment. Those words pierced my heart like a dagger, bringing a sharp, stinging pain.
On that day in my past life, when I wasn’t there, his dinner had been a cold takeout box. No one had wished him a happy birthday.
That was why he waited for me outside the hospital, right? All Rowan wanted was to hear me say “Happy birthday,” but I had told him to mind his business and stay far away from me.
The belated truth weighed heavily on me.
Rowan looked away. “Sorry, I misspoke. It’s getting dark, so if you’re going to the hospital, you’d better hurry.”
I suddenly grabbed Rowan’s hand, intertwining our fingers firmly and boldly.
He froze but didn’t pull away. Instead, he asked hoarsely, “Sonia, what are you doing? Haven’t you humiliated me enough?”
I looked up, tugged on his tie, and pulled him closer. “Honey, don’t move.”
Those words seemed to bind him in place. I stood on my toes, pressing my lips to his cold ones. My chaotic invasion had disrupted the elegant scent of pinewood. I wrapped my arms around his neck, gently pushing him against the wall, cautiously soothing him.
His expression shifted from stiff to shocked, and finally, he surrendered, closing his eyes in defeat, letting me
“humiliate” him.
His pristine shirt became a wrinkled mess. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me closer until we clung together. The overhead lights flickered on and off, and we finally pulled apart in the darkness, panting against each other.
“Sonia,” Rowan murmured, his voice thick with emotion, “Don’t do this…”
‘Don’t you like it?”
“It’s not that,” he paused for a long time before continuing, “Don’t tempt me. While I still have some sanity left, go to him.”
“Would you let me go?” I whispered in his ear, “Not jealous? Not angry? Would you let me kiss someone else-”
Rowan seemed provoked, suddenly dipping his head to capture my lips again. He lifted me effortlessly. carrying me back to the couch. Before I could react, his hands cradled my head, reclaiming my lips.
I smirked. If I didn’t take drastic measures, Rowan would keep holding back. Only the situation was starting to spiral out of my control.
“Rowan!” I suddenly grew wary. “What… hey… what are you doing? I meant we should go home first-
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19:30
Chapter 4
