Chapter 7
“That has nothing to do with you! Anna! Tell him–what exactly is our relationship?” Zach
snapped.
His arrogance made me laugh. For someone like him, admitting to our past in front of someone else was humiliation.
My tone remained calm, but firmer than usual. “There’s nothing between us. No relationship at all.”
With that, I took Rowan’s hand and walked away.
Just before we turned, Rowan cast Zach a deliberate, mocking smile
composed, well–mannered man everyone knew.
2
-so unlike the
Behind us, Zach clenched his fists so tight I could hear the bones pop. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, “Anna! Keep this up, and I really won’t come after you again!”
I didn’t look back. I walked away with Rowan by my side.
At the corner, I quickly let go of his hand, flustered. “I’m sorry about just now,” I said, apologizing. “It was just a spur–of–the–moment thing.”
He shook his head with a smile. “No need to apologize. If I didn’t want to help, I wouldn’t
have done it.”
There was something more in his words, but I could only nod dumbly.
“Where do you live?” I asked. “I have to go pick up Kathy from daycare now–wonder if it’s
on the way.”
I thought it was a polite way to say goodbye. But Rowan, sharp as he was, either didn’t
catch it or pretended not to.
“I’m not in a rush. I’ll come with you. It’s been a while since I saw Kathy anyway.”
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When we picked her up, Kathy was overjoyed to see him. She clung to his sleeve, calling him Uncle Rowan over and over again.
She said she hadn’t seen him in so long and had missed him a lot.
That made him laugh nonstop. He bought her all sorts of things.
After we got home, she hugged her new stationery and said to me, “Mommy, I like Uncle
Rowan.”
I froze a little. In the past, Kathy rarely voiced her feelings so openly. Even when she liked
something, she would keep it to herself. But now she told me what she liked.
It was clear–leaving Zach had been the right decision.
A month passed.
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I saw in the newspaper that Shaylon City was about to launch an economic development
project.
And then I remembered–this was exactly the time, in my last life, when the city started selling houses.
Back then, most people believed there was no need to buy a home when their work unit
provided housing. Very few people actually bought.
But later, housing prices soared. People had to line up just for a chance to buy.
I checked my bankbook. I still had some money–savings from the last ten years.
Housing prices weren’t high yet. I bit the bullet and bought a small apartment, but didn’t tell anyone.
When I arrived at work the next day, a colleague asked me, “Anna, I heard you just came to Shaylon City from the countryside about a month ago. How much rent are you paying?”
Something felt off. I asked cautiously, “Isn’t housing provided by the company?”
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She laughed. “Where in Shaylon City do you get free housing? The company just gives a small monthly stipend. Where are you staying?”
I instinctively glanced toward Rowan’s office. My heart was unsettled, beating fast. I replied numbly, “In Brighton Cove.”
“Oh, that area’s pricey,” she said. “But I heard Rowan’s family used to live there too. You two must be pretty close, huh?”
I shook my head, thoughts running wild.
Close?
2
To be honest, I couldn’t say we were close. At best, we were colleagues–superior and
subordinate.
Still feeling uneasy, I took a folder of documents and knocked on his office door.
“Come in,” Rowan said with a gentle smile.
After I handed over the documents, I asked directly about the apartment.
“Rowan, the place I’m living in now… did you rent it for me?”
For once, surprise flickered across his face. But he didn’t look as if he hadn’t expected me
to find out.
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