SWNOVELS Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Karla couldn’t believe it. After all these years, Joana had married someone else, and Nicholas was still head over heels for her?
According to Nicholas, he and Landon were like oil and water – they just didn’t mix. All these years, Landon had been a thorn in his side, never giving him a moment’s peace. Sure, Nicholas was known for his kindness, but that didn’t mean he was a pushover.
His heart still belonged to Joana, and he knew the feeling was mutual.
Nicholas was aware that Joana’s life was far from easy. Landon had been tormenting her, and he dreamed of whisking her away to another country, far from Landon’s clutches.
That’s where he needed Rowan’s help.
“I’ve got a plan,” Nicholas said, taking a knee before Rowan, his hands gripping the boy’s shoulders, his gaze filled with sincerity and a touch of desperation. “Buddy, I reckon you can’t bear to see your mom suffer like this. If you really want what’s best for her, you’ll let her go.”
Karla, overhearing this, furrowed her brow in disapproval. She understood Nicholas‘ desire to take Joana away, but the idea of asking a kid to green–light his mom running off with another man? That was just too much.
What in the world was going on? This was downright ludicrous.
Still, Karla also recognized that their tangled web was beyond any normal understanding. She asked herself, if she were in Rowan’s shoes, with a mom suffering at the hands of an abusive father, and she were presented with a chance to give her mom a shot at happiness, wouldn’t she agree?
Such a decision would come with its own set of consequences, including the harsh reality that she would become a child without a mother. It was too cruel to ask Rowan to make
such a choice.
Nevertheless, Rowan didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll help you.”
“Really? That’s fantastic! You’re a good kid, your mom will be so grateful,” Nicholas exclaimed, embracing him tightly.
Rowan’s face was expressionless. “Will she be happy with you?”
“Absolutely, she will.” Nicholas assured him.
After a pause, Rowan added, “Will she smile at me then?”
“Huh?” Nicholas was taken aback, not quite understanding.
Karla’s heart ached upon hearing this. Joana hadn’t given her boy a shred of love.
18:19
Chapter 21
After the party, Rowan left with Landon in their car. And Karla? She left the same way she came, hiding in the trunk, tagging along for the ride.
On the way back, Landon quizzed him. “Where were you?”
“I was playing in the garden.” Rowan didn’t lie. They had indeed spoken in the garden.
“Who were you with?” Landon pressed, locking eyes with him.
ཐྭ ▪ 。་–རྨ,,。ཉྙ➢
Rowan’s gaze flickered, and suddenly Landon yanked his collar, his face twisted in anger. “Nicholas came to see you, didn’t he?”
Rowan remained silent.
“Idiot!” Landon’s eyes widened in anger as he slapped Rowan across the face. He warned sternly, “If I catch you with him again, I’ll break your legs.”
With that, he pushed Rowan away. Throughout the ordeal, Rowan was like a puppet, unresponsive to the abuse, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth merely wiped away with a casual hand a sad testament to how accustomed he’d become.
–
Karla, hidden in the bodyguard’s car, was now aimlessly twiddling her thumbs, counting the minutes to home. The trunk was cramped, and she was tired of crouching. It had been a rough outing.
She waited in the car for what felt like an eternity, only emerging in the dead of night. Karla, supporting her tired back, walked back to Rowan’s room with her legs already numb and her face filled with pain.
The room was dark. Flicking on the lamp, she saw Rowan, unusually turned away, asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, Karla stretched and yawned, retreating to her makeshift bed in
the closet.
F
To avoid detection by Landon, she had been sleeping in the closet these past few days. Being discovered would mean game over.
Karla slept until eight, rudely awakened by the sound of Rowan practicing his piano. Rubbing her shoulders and still groggy, she shuffled over to bid Rowan good morning.