Rowan saw the happiness shining in Anastasia''s eyes, and in that moment, he understood no matter how hard he tried, he would never be the person she looked at that way.
When Herman was in trouble, all hope drained from Anastasia''s face, leaving only emptiness and despair. Every bit of emotion she had seemed to revolve around Herman alone.
He remembered her sitting in the town square, waiting for Herman in front of everyone, her determination clear for all to see. That kind of devotion-well, a man could consider himself lucky to have a woman like that in his life.
"Get some rest," Anastasia said, offering Rowan a gentle smile before nodding and turning to leave.
But before she could walk away, Rowan called out, "That night-you weren''t hurt." Anastasia spun around, disbelief written all over her face. "What did you say?"
Rowan met her gaze, steady and honest. "That night, nothing happened to you. I was on my way to the party to find you, to get the chip back. I saw you get in a taxi, but something felt off, so I followed. The cab kept driving further out, and that''s when I knew something was wrong. When I reached the old cave, I found them about to hurt you. They''d drugged you, and you werepletely out of it. I tried to wake you, but you couldn''t hear me. I just kept telling you to run..."
Heid out everything that happened that night, sparing no detail. He knew he loved Anastasia, but he also knew he couldn''t protect her the way she deserved. The least he could do was lift some of the burden from her heart.
If only he hadn''t lost sight of the cab-maybe the photos never would have been taken. Maybe he could have saved her sooner.
But in the end, he got there. He saved her.
When Rowan finished, tears streamed down Anastasia''s cheeks, but this time, they were tears of joy.
She bent at the waist in a deep bow. "Thank you."
Thank you for saving me. Thank you for telling me the truth.
She smiled, her face glowing. "Rowan, I''m really d I met you."
Overwhelmed, she stepped forward and gave Rowan a quick, heartfelt hug-the closest they''d ever been.
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
Rowan froze, caught off guard. Even knowing this was just gratitude, he couldn''t help but feel a rush of happiness.
Anastasia let go almost immediately. In that brief moment, he caught the scent of her hair, soft and sweet, and then she was gone, taking that warmth with her.
His heart felt full, then suddenly empty.
When she hugged him, Rowan felt his wounds pull, but the pain was nothingpared to the happiness flooding his chest.
Anastasia left the clinic nearly skipping with joy, while Rowan stayed on the bed, stiff and silent, reliving the embrace and her scent over and over again.
Battered and bruised as he was, it all felt worth it.
Outside, Anastasia could hardly wait to call Herman. Her voice trembled with excitement. "Herman, that night in the cave-nothing happened. Rowan told me, he got there in time. I wasn''t hurt. I''m not... dirty, kterman. I''m not."
Rowan''s confession had set her free. The weight she''d carried for so long finally lifted.
Herman heard the happiness in her voice and breathed a sigh of relief for her. He had never med her, but he knew how much it mattered to her.
Now she could finally let go.
"I''ming to pick you up, sweetheart. Wait for me."
Hanna walked in just in time to see Rowan smiling-actually smiling. She stopped in her tracks, stunned.
She''d known Rowan for years and had never seen him smile. Not once. She''d always figured he just wasn''t capable of it.
But here he was, grinning because of Anastasia.
It was enough to shake her to her core and leave her feeling oddly defeated.
She had poured her heart out for Rowan, but he''d never even looked at her, much less smiled at her.
"She''s gone," Hanna muttered,
jealousy twisting in her gut as she
walked closer. Then she noticed the blood soaking through the bedsheets. rmed, she yanked back the covers and saw the sheets were nearly crimson with Rowan''s blood. Both angry and worried, she snapped, "You idiot! Your stitches are ripped open. You''re bleeding everywhere. Doesn''t that hurt? Why didn''t you call for help?"
Rowan''s smile faded, and he slipped back into his usual cold, unreadable self. "Doesn''t hurt."
Hanna''s anger red. "Doesn''t hurt, huh? Fine, bleed out for all I care-see how much blood you''ve got."
She stomped off, but after a couple of steps, her concern won out. She turned around, sighed, and marched back to the bed. "Come on. Let me change your bandages."