Chapter 8
Rowan kept smiling at the photo frame on the table.
“Anna, you probably don’t remember me,” he said. “But we actually went to the same high
school.”
He looked at me with quiet seriousness. “These years… I never got married because of you. I’ve always liked you. I’ve been waiting for a chance. I don’t want to keep interacting with you as just a friend or as just your superior. Could you give me a chance to pursue you?”
I didn’t respond.
Even after picking up Kathy and getting home, his words echoed in my head, leaving me
unsettled.
Rowan had always liked me? That had to be the biggest joke I’d heard in a while.
I did vaguely remember someone with the last name Remington from the class next door in
high school. But that boy had been chubby and timid.
I think he once asked me a question about homework–said he wanted to get into the same college as me. I’d patiently explained the problem to him, but whatever he’d said back then didn’t stick. It disappeared from my mind the moment I turned away.
I was so lost in thought I didn’t even notice the food burning on the stove–until Kathy tugged at me and said, “Mommy, it’s burning.”
Snapping back, I rushed to turn off the gas.
Not long after, there was a knock at the door.
Rowan walked in, carrying a big bag of groceries, his expression warm. “Perfect timing, I guess. I could smell something burning from outside.”
I let out an awkward laugh, still reeling from what he’d said that afternoon. Just being around him now felt strange.
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He, however, didn’t seem affected at all. Rolling up his sleeves, he said, “Let me handle
this. You sit and take a break.”
I tried to decline, but he looked right through me, smiling gently. “Don’t worry about what
I said earlier. I just want to be closer to you. I never meant to put pressure on you.”
Just then, there was another knock on the door.
I almost welcomed it–it gave me an excuse to avoid responding.
But the moment I opened it, I wished I hadn’t.
Standing outside was Zach. I hadn’t seen him in over a month. He wote only a thin jacket despite the biting cold, and the chill that clung to him felt as sharp as the wind itself.
Truth was, I’d seen him a few times from afar these past few weeks. But ever since he came
harassing me the last time, Rowan had arranged for security near the office. Zach hadn’t
been able to get close.
Now he stood at my door, eyes darting around the room. He saw Rowan moving around the
kitchen with ease, and his eyes reddened as he reached for my wrist.
“Anna,” he said hoarsely, “please stop this. I can’t take these days without you. And Kathy
needs her father–no other man could care for her like I do.”
I pulled my hand back coldly. “That’s not something you need to worry about anymore.”
He sighed heavily. My words cut through him, and his shoulders seemed to sag.
After a moment of silence, he spoke again, this time more quietly, almost pleading.
“Come on, stop being like this. Jennifer is gone now–you won’t see her again. Come home, okay? What I said about marrying her… I lied. I just wanted to see if you cared. I just wanted
you to react. I know I messed up before. I didn’t put you or Kathy first. But I’ve thought it through. I’ve changed. Come back with me…”
By the end, his voice was barely above a whisper. He sounded like a man begging.
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I gave him a cold, sharp smile. Watching him crumble like that almost amused me.
“You’ve thought it through? You realized your life’s too inconvenient without a woman at home to cook for you, is that it?”
“No, Anna…” he shook his head, pressing his lips together.
It took him a long time to speak again.
“I’ve thought it through. I love you. I can’t live without you and Kathy.”
He said it slowly. And the more he spoke, the steadier his voice became. There was sincerity
in his eyes.
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