SWNOVELS Chapter 43
Chapter 43
At two in the morning. Rowan was tossing and turning in his bed, wide awake, with not a hint of sleep in sight. He slipped out of bed and cracked open the door a sliver. There was Karla, still curled up on the couch, wrapped up tight in a blanket like a little burrito, huddled into a ball.
The living room was chilly, winter having settled in.
Rowan had offered her his room at first. After all, times had changed, and how could he possibly let her sleep on the couch?
Karla wouldn’t hear of taking his bed, insisting the couch was fine. In her eyes, Rowan was still growing, needing all the good food and sleep he could get. And as a grown–up, how could she swipe a bed from a kid?
After making sure she was still there, Rowan closed his door, intending to settle down for the night. But half an hour later, he was up again, peeking out to check on her, repeating the routine so often he lost count.
Unaware of his vigil, Karla was out like a light.
It was only around four or five in the morning that Rowan finally dozed off, snagging less than three hours of sleep. Thankfully, it was the weekend, and he didn’t stir until eight.
After neatly folding his blanket, Rowan stepped out to see if Karla was up, only to find the couch empty, the living room still and quiet. A flash of panic crossed his face. Had she left? Or had last night been just a dream?
Just as the tears threatened to come, Karla emerged from the kitchen wrapped in the blanket, yawning and drawling a sleepy “Good morning!”
“You! I–I thought…” Rowan began, almost blurting out his relief that she hadn’t left and it wasn’t a dream. But catching himself, he switched gears. “Why are you coming from the kitchen?”
“Just getting coffee.” Karla had just woken up not long ago, still sleepy–eyed. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the change of season, but she felt lazy and lethargic, unable to muster any energy and feeling qui
She plopped back onto the couch, resuming her horizontal state.
- d.
Rowan watched her for a moment before heading into the kitchen. Once the coffee was made, he poured it back and forth between two mugs to cool it down. When it was warm, he woke Karla for a drink.
After some coffee, Karla felt somewhat refreshed.
“I’m going to run out and grab you some toiletries and breakfast,” Rowan offered.
“Sounds good,” she murmured, half–asleep, curling up on the couch like a lazy kitten, content to stay put.
Karla could relax so easily thanks to Rowan. When she last visited, Rowan was younger and Karla had to be constantly on guard, especially in such an unpredictable place. But here, things were different. There were no sudden attacks to fear, and Rowan could handle things on his own.
While he was out shopping, Karla allowed herself a bit more sleep, but before even thirty minutes passed, there was a knock at the door..
Disturbed, Karla wondered if Rowan had forgotten his keys. She opened the door to find two strangers–a woman in heavy makeup, dripping with jewelry, exuding opulence, and a middle–aged man in a crisp suit, standing respectfully, white–gloved hands hanging by his side.
Karla thought about how in the last century, wealthy people often had personal drivers who were more like butlers than mere chauffeurs. They were always at the beck and call of their employers, providing constant service.
As Karla sized them up, they were doing the same to her.
The woman, Lisa, stood with a regal air, her gaze dismissively lofty, radiating an aura of superiority. Noticing
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Chapter 43
that it wasn’t Rowan who answered the door, but a woman in a blanket, disheveled and bleary–eyed, Lisa made her assumptions.
“I knew it,” Lisa said with a smirk. “He skipped out on the dorms to rent a place, just to keep a woman hidden away, right?”