AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t apologize again,” she says firmly. “I mean it.”
My jaw snaps shut. “Right, I won’t. So, um… your hair looks nice.”
Rowan laughs. “Thank you. You look good, too. Especially for someone who has risen from the grave.”
“It’s been a trying few months being trapped in the mansion. First world problems, I know, but—”
“Hey, I get it. Even a castle can be a prison when you know you can’t leave,” Rowan says. “How did you manage to get out?”
“I pleaded with my husband.”
“Pleaded, huh? Is that all you did?” she asks suggestively.
I smile. “Things have been going well between us.”
“I can tell.”
“Really?”
She bats a hand at me. “Please, I’ve always been able to sniff out a good relationship in my friends. Ironic, really, considering I can’t seem to do it for myself.”
“It’ll happen for you, Rowan.”
She shakes her head emphatically. “Oh no. I’ve taken myself off the market. Some women are just meant to be single.”
“That’s fine if that’s what they want,” I say. “Is that whatyouwant?”
She hesitates. “I don’t trust myself anymore, Paige. I choose all the wrong men. I choose men like my father. If that’s my only option, I’d rather be alone.”
I take her hand and give it a comforting squeeze. “Maybe I should choose a man for you then?”
Rowan looks intrigued by that notion for a moment before the fear settles back into her expression. “I appreciate the offer. But I’m happy on my own.”
I squint at the forced smile on her face. She’s trying very hard to be convincing, but she’s not really selling it the way she thinks she is.
“I’ll keep my eye out for you all the same,” I say. “Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll be ready to shed the trauma and embrace your life.”
“Have you embraced yours?” she asks.
“It’s a process. But I’m trying. Even if it’s never going to be perfect, I’m still trying.”
“Forget perfect, Paige,” Rowan says with a sigh. “I’ll settle for peace.”
36
MISHA
Konstantin strolls into my office and drops the keys to his penthouse on my desk. “Are you taking off soon?”
I can tell from the look on his face that something is not right, but he’s trying to play it off like it’s no big deal. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing is—”
“Bullshit, Konstantin. Tell me.”
He sighs. “I didn’t wanna ruin your big night. But three of our men have gone missing.”
My fist tightens around my pen. “Since when?”
