hapter 13
Hattie froze. Rowan’s voice was so cold it felt like it could freeze the
blood in her veins. Her fingers tightened around the hem of her dress.
His footsteps echoed through the marble floors as he stepped closer.
Rowan’s hand landed gently on her cheek.
“Smack!”
She screamed. Her head snapped to the side, blood trailing from the
corner of her mouth.
Rowan seized a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back hard.
Images of Joanna being brutalized, broken and left to bleed flashed
violently through his mind.
The pain in his chest was almost unbearable. It stole his breath and
tore at his sanity.
“You dared to hire people to hurt Joanna?” His voice was hoarse,
cracking with fury.
“Smack!”
Another slap landed, louder than the last. Hattie’s mind went blank. The sting was overwhelming.
Suddenly, a figure rushed in, wielding a broom and bringing it
crashing down on Rowan’s back.
Sabrina screamed, “Get your hands off my daughter! Who gave you
Chapter 13
the right to hit my daughter? You bastard! I’ll kill you, I swear I’ll kill
you!”
Rowan shoved Sabrina aside without hesitation. Her head slammed against the wall. She crumpled to the ground, completely
unconscious.
But Hattie didn’t even glance at her mother.
All she could see was the wrath burning in Rowan’s eyes. She
instinctively took a step back, fear growing in her eyes.
“Rowan, what are you talking about? I never sent anyone after
Joanna! Did she tell you that?
“You know how she is. She can’t stand that I’m still around. She
probably made it all up because she’s scared I’ll take you away. She’s framing me, Rowan!”
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, trying to twist guilt into
sympathy. “You’re the father of my baby! How can you not believe me?
But Rowan didn’t soften. He raised his foot and slammed it hard into
her stomach.
A scream ripped through the air, piercing the silence of the villa.
When Calvin arrived, Rowan’s hands were stained with blood.
Hattie lay twitching on the ground, her body shaking violently. Blood pooled beneath her. There was no doubt–she had lost the baby..
Rowan panted heavily as he tore off the specialized tool he had used
Chapter 13
during the beating, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths.
eves were
His steps were unsteady as he approached Calvin. His
hollow. “Get her to the hospital. Don’t let her die. Not that easy.”
As soon as he stepped outside, his phone rang.
It was Xavier.
“Rowan, we’ve searched every block and every alley around the prison.
We searched an area of over 300 feet… but there’s still no sign of
Joanna.”
Rowan stopped walking.
His tongue felt numb. His throat moved, but no words came out.
Xavier stayed silent on the other end, waiting.
Finally, Rowan’s broken voice came through the line. “Keep looking…
Xavier, I’m begging you. Please, find Joanna.”
Xavier froze for a moment. Rowan had actually said “please“.
A heavy ache settled in Xavier’s chest. He murmured, “Don’t worry,
Rowan. Joanna loves you. She probably just needed some space. I
mean it, she’ll be back. Get some rest, and by morning, she might already be home.”
Rowan’s voice trembled. “It’s not the same… This time, it’s not the
same.”
The pain in his chest felt like someone was jabbing him with needles. Having spent over ten years together, he knew Joanna like he knew
Chapter 13
himself.
He ended the call, slammed on the gas, and sped toward every place.
she might have gone.
When they had first come to Eldorra, they were broke, so broke they once spent the night on a bench at an amusement park. Curled up together on that narrow seat, they had clung to each other for warmth.
Rowan had asked her then if she regretted leaving everything behind.
to suffer with him. Joanna had looked him dead in the eyes and
answered seriously. It was just one sentence, but it had carried him. through the worst.
Somewhere along the way, after gaining everything he once dreamed
of, he had forgotten it.
Now, he searched everywhere. Every street, every alley, every place
tied to their memories -he searched them all. Each time he came up empty, a little more hope bled out of him.
He never imagined there would come a day when Joanna could walk
away from him.
His foot sank harder on the pedal. The car roared louder and faster, as if he could somehow outrun the reality chasing him. As if speeding fast enough would make time reverse, or catch Joanna before she slipped away.
Then came the blare of a horn.
By the time Rowan realized what was happening, it was too late to stop. He crashed straight into the oncoming vehicle.
