So what?


    He grabe her arms and shakes her. “So what?” he fumes. “She’s my wife. My wife and you’ve been


    nothing


    but rude and disrespectful to her the entire fucking time”


    “Rowan” Travis tries to step in, but mother stops him.


    I honestly don’t understand why she did it. She was always on team Emma. My feelings be damned.


    Emma always came first, and what Emma wanted, she got.


    “Your wife?” she scoffs. “She’s nothing but a hoe who stole you from me, and as if that wasn’t enough,


    she trapped you when she got pregnant. You belong with me, Rowan. I’m the one you love, remember?”


    I don’t hear what he says next because I walk out of the kitchen. I waspletely fed up. I also didn’t


    want to hear it if he did say he loved her.


    It isn’t a damn secret that he does. Yes, he’s attentive right now, and he even gave me a kiss or two, but


    his heart has always belonged to Emma. She is right. Rowan belonged to her mind, heart, and soul.


    When I get to the master bedroom, I immediately enter the bathroom. I needed to catch my breath. I feel


    like all these shouldn’t bother me, but it did. A lot.


    Once I feel like I’m more in control, I leave the bathroom. I stop in my tracks when I find Rowan seated


    on


    the bed.


    “I’m sorry about Emma’s behavior” he looks up at me. “She shouldn’t have kissed me in front of you”


    I don’t get why he was apologizing for her. It’s not like he is responsible for her behavior.


    I shrug tiredly. “It’s not your fault, she loves you so I guess it’s just hard for her to stay away from you.”


    “It’s not…”


    I cut him off before he could finish his sentence.


    “Look, I know you’ve been separated for years, but please tell her to tone it down. Thest thing I want is


    things to him.”


    Noah finding out before we can exi


    “What the hell are you talking about?”


    I


    “You and Emma obviously. I know that now that she’s back you’ll want to be with her and I promise! won’t


    stand in the way, but just give me time to get used to things.” I pause. “On that matter, I think we


    go back to how things were. No more kissing me and we shouldn’t sleep in the same bed.”


    should


    see anger sh in his eyes before he stands up and walks to me.


    Why the hell would stop kissing you?”


    Glering at him, I take a step back, but he advances on me.


    “Because of Emma, of course.”


    “Emma means absolutely nothing to me.”


    I scoff. This is the same man who has professed his undying love for her over the years. Does he really


    expect me to believe him?


    “You don’t believe me,” he states as a matter of fact, all the anger drains from his face.


    “No”


    “Why?”


    “Isn’t it obvious? You’ve held on to her for years. You hurt and punished me for the part I yed in your


    losing her. You’ve told me over and over again that I will never be the woman you desire because she


    owns your heart. Of course I find it hard to believe that you suddenly want me and not her.”


    It’s painful for me to rehash everything, but I must show him just how absurd he wounds. Waking up from


    thea, thening into contact with this new version of him, threw me off my axis.


    Now that I’ve seen Emma though, I’m reminded of every hurtful thing he’s ever flung my way. It has


    reminded me that this is all an illusion. People don’t suddenly change.


    I watch as the fight leaves himpletely.


    “You’ve lost your memory of the past five years Ava. Things changed. I changed. My attitude and


    feelings


    towards you changed”


    my hand.


    I want to argue, but I see the truth in his eyes. I continue studying. I know Rowan like the back of


    Yes, he’s telling me the truth about things changing, but there is also something he’s hiding from me.


    “I just don’t know if I can trust you/You nailed it in my head that I’ll never be good enough for you. It’s


    hard to reconcile the you I knew and who you are now.”


    Pulling me close to him, I feel as my heart rate begins to pick up. Being this close to him was a dream I


    never thought was possible.


    He ces gentle kisses on my forehead, cheeks, and finally my lips.


    swear, I’ll prove to you that I have changed and I want no one else.”


    just nod my head. I hope he did, because I don’t know how I would survive if it all turned out to be


    nothing but an illusion.