Chapter Eleven

Six Months Later

I entered the bakery, and the doorbell chimed softly as the delightful aroma enveloped me.

It was astonishing how much I had longed for the scent of freshly baked treats, yet I had kept my distance for so long.

"Oh, my dear, it's wonderful to see you back! Would you like your usual?" The elderly woman, her face bright with a warm smile, hurried to prepare my favorite—freshly baked pecan pie and a cup of coffee to go. She remembered my order perfectly.

With my takeout in hand, I stepped outside, inhaling the warm air of North Carolina, tinged with the refreshing chill of the rainy season.

Visiting my parents was the well-deserved reprieve from the mentally exhausting ordeal I faced six months ago. My divorce, which never materialized because Ro cleverly persuaded the judge to grant him another chance, left me in a state of uncertainty.

He promised to court me again, assuring me that the past would not repeat itself, that he would seek therapy, and by year’s end, he would present proof of his mental fitness from a qualified doctor.

The decision to proceed with the divorce was ultimately mine, and I found myself hesitating; the thought of losing Ro forever frightened me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Consequently, I acquiesced to the court's ruling regarding our divorce, and for his actions, he received a three-month prison sentence.

I had been away from Willow Crest and Ro for far too long, yet I had little information about him. My only connection to this place was Reese, and our conversations rarely touched on Ro. When we did discuss him, it was as if he had become a mere whisper, a ghost of the past, and despite my efforts, I couldn’t glean any updates about him.

Even Darius, whom I called weekly to check on Ro’s situation in prison and his plans for after release, could only tell me that Ro had severed ties with everyone, leaving him completely unaware of my husband’s whereabouts.

Driving to Darius' bar, I noticed him outside the gates, chatting with one of his MC members.

As I got out of my car, I rushed over to him, and he looked at me in surprise.

"Hey, I thought you’d be away for a few more months... Welcome back!" he said, pulling me into a hug.

"How have you been?" I could see he was still the same—grumpy but charmingly quirky.

"Could be better, if those crazy idiots would stop screwing up my schedule with their absurd work ethics."

He gave me a wry smile that made me laugh, then invited me to join him for a drink in the afternoon. Although I should have said no, I accepted and followed him inside, taking my usual seat while he went behind the bar to prepare our drinks.

"So, are you looking for a new place? Let me know if you need any help; I know some excellent brokers," Darius said as he handed me my drink and started on his.

"Not that I wouldn’t appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll manage. I plan to meet with Ro first before deciding whether to get my own place or just stay at Reese's." I smiled and took a refreshing sip of my margarita.

At the mention of Ro, I noticed Darius tense up, his shoulders tightening as he avoided my gaze.

"What’s wrong?" I fixed my gaze on him.

He let out a heavy sigh, rubbed his temple, and then excused himself to go to his office.

His odd reaction left me confused, but I stayed patient. When he returned with an envelope in hand, my bewilderment only grew.

He handed me the envelope and urged me to open it, and I did, feeling apprehensive about what was inside.

Taking the papers and scrutinizing every detail, my gaze instinctively shifted to Darius, confusion etched on my face, disbelief settling in.

"What is this?" My question hit like a punch to the gut.

He merely shrugged and gestured toward the document. "Don't ask, but it's definitely something you wanted, Amery. You requested it, and he delivered."

Was this way of speaking his new mojo?

"I know exactly what this is. I'm asking why, Darius. Ro said to give him another chance, so why would he send me divorce papers? It makes no sense."

I crumpled the documents in my grip, waiting for a response.

"I don't know. Don't ask me why... He just sent the papers over and emailed me to give them to you. Once you sign, I’m supposed to file them with the court." His explanation made my fists clench with frustration.

I understood that what transpired between us was wrong, but Ro promised he would change. He served his time during those three months in prison, so why this?

“I will come back to you, Mrs. Rowan. Nothing can keep us apart. There’s no force that can prevent me from loving you.”

His words linger in my dreams almost every night, interspersed with the memories I cherish from our time together.

When I shared the news about Ro with our families, neither his nor mine could accept it, and honestly, I still struggle to comprehend his actions. What transpired between us feels trivial compared to the overwhelming presence of one name: Willow.

I vividly recall how Darius had his crew keeping an eye on me. I was under constant watch from the moment Ro was arrested until I moved back to my parents' home.

While our families were in disbelief, they still stood by me. However, his parents had a request.

"I know you must feel disgusted by our son, and we do not condone his actions, but if there’s any chance you could find it in your heart to forgive him, we would be grateful." Ro's father had always treated me kindly, making it difficult to face him. Even though the guilt wasn’t mine, I felt a pang of sorrow for their pain.

His mother embraced me as well, offering her apologies for her son’s behavior.

They did everything they could to support my choices. They expressed, "Our only loss is losing a daughter like you, but we hope you’ll still consider visiting us on weekends if it’s not too difficult. If it is, we completely understand and wish you all the best for the future."

They treated me like family, and I never felt blamed or judged in their presence. It empowered me to believe that perhaps, despite everything, their parenting couldn’t have been so flawed that Ro would forget the meaning of consent in any relationship.

I didn’t mind his roughness, but I despised how he made me feel—like I was nothing more than a mere plaything for his desires. He made me feel used. Humiliated. Cheap.

His parents never shared what they discussed with their son during the phone call. However, the look in their eyes during my last visit before my flight to NC spoke volumes. There was a deep pain there, as if they were concealing a hurt that only they could comprehend. They were grappling with shadows that remained invisible to everyone else.

I longed to be part of their world again, even though I was the one who chose to step away.

"When was the last time you saw him?" I couldn't resist asking. My mind was racing with an unshakeable feeling that I had overlooked something significant about Ro.

"The day he got out." Darius tightened his jaw, and I stood there, wide-eyed and stunned, unable to process the information.

It had been over three months and two weeks, to be exact!

"Why did you leave him by himself?!" Anger surged through me. The thought of Ro being alone, struggling with his problems without anyone to confide in, infuriated me.

My breath hitched, a scream lodged in my throat, and my heart raced, each beat feeling hollow and lifeless.

Did he choose solitude as a form of self-punishment?

That wasn’t like him; he was never the type to seek isolation. He always needed at least one person by his side. He had always made sure of that.

"Take me to him. I need to see him. Right now, Darius. Please." My voice trembled, and I fought back tears.

"I’m not sure where he is, but we can start at the studio." His suggestion propelled me into action, and Darius quickly followed.

I was in no state to drive, so he took the wheel.

As we sped toward Ro’s studio, the trees, buildings, and streets blurred into a haze around us.

The unsettling sensation grew stronger, and nausea clawed at my throat. I took deep breaths to quell the rising tide of anxiety, but the helplessness and fear, for reasons both known and unknown, seeped into my very bones.

As soon as we arrived at Ro's studio, I leaped from the car, racing like the wind, and stood at the doorstep, ringing the bell frantically, but to no avail.

He wasn't there.

For the first time, the Ro who could spend endless hours lost in his artwork didn’t answer the door for me, the only girl he ever devoted his time and attention to.

It was hard to accept, especially after months of grappling with the rumors about Willow and Ro, the idea that he could truly fall out of love with me.

It felt impossible, yet undeniable; the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I was fighting a losing battle.

She was, without question, the most breathtaking person I had ever seen.

Still, I clung to the hope that he would never betray our vows.

When she came to my house and somehow managed to disable the alarm and lock, her gaze was heavy, hollow, and filled with resentment.

She confessed that she was in love with my husband, and I had already witnessed how he cherished her company, confirming that he had indeed fallen out of love with me.

The sting of that truth was unbearable, and I asked her to take a note along with my wedding ring to Dimitri, not caring about what she wrote on the mirror with my lipstick.

To this day, I have no idea what her message was. Darius blocked my view of the mirror, and Reese quickly erased the words that were meant for my husband.

When she was questioned about breaking into our home, I selfishly defended her, driven by spite, wanting to show Ro that I had used his lover to get back at him.

But now, I find myself lost, unsure of what I’m doing or why I’m doing any of it.

"He’s not here, and staying won’t change anything. Let’s head to your place and hope he’s there."

The reassurance did little to quell the turmoil within me.

I followed Darius back to the car, and we drove to the house that I shared with Ro. He had put it in my name when we moved here, despite my hesitations.

As we arrived, I whispered in despair, taking in the sight of the place in disarray, as if it had been abandoned for ages.

It was surreal. The house felt more like a graveyard than the cherished home I had built with my husband.

“Fuck! Since your place is on the outskirts, I rarely pass by, so I couldn’t check on it. It looks like something out of a horror film.” If he intended to lighten the mood, he missed the mark completely.

I was overwhelmed by a sense of emptiness. The more I felt it, the deeper I sank into a pit of self-blame and guilt. It was hard to accept that my one choice had shattered everything, not just our relationship.

I couldn’t bring myself to exit the car and approach the door. From what I could see, it was clear that Ro wasn’t there. He was meticulous about appearances and had a classic taste. This disarray was far from what he would consider home.

“Should I file a missing person report?” I wondered, contemplating the idea rather than seeking advice from Darius, who seemed out of sorts.

“Let me call a few people... I’m sure we’ll track him down,” he replied, pulling his phone from his jeans pocket and starting to make calls.

By four in the afternoon, Darius was inching closer to my suggestion of filing a missing report. So far, thirty-six calls had been made, two members from the motorcycle club were dispatched to check every possible location Ro might have gone, and despite all our efforts, we were met with failure.

Ending another call, he tossed his phone onto the dashboard, honking the horn in frustration, and leaned back, rubbing his face in sheer despair.

Where the hell has Ro disappeared?

I couldn't hold back any longer; tears streamed down my cheeks, shattering the silence in the car.

"It's all my fault. If only I had listened to him, if I hadn't rushed things and made hasty decisions without thinking. If I hadn't turned everything that happened into an exception to my better judgment and just approached it logically." I cried, my sobs echoing in the confined space.

The longer we sat in that silence, the emptiness inside me grew.

It's insane how I could even consider leaving the man who made me feel so alive, so happy, and so deeply in love.

"I just want to see him, even if it's just once, Darius. Just once." I managed to get the words out between my loud sobs and gasps, feeling like I was sacrificing everything within me, because without him, I felt utterly lost.

Darius sighed. "Don't blame yourself... It was my idea to confront him, and I selfishly asked you to come and witness his behavior. If I had suspected something different and hadn’t provoked you without knowing the consequences, maybe none of this would have happened. I’m the real villain in this situation, Amery. If you need to place blame, it should be on me."

If blaming could somehow lead me to Ro, I would take every ounce of blame there was to take.

I jumped in my seat feline, startled by the sudden call from Darius' phone.

He quickly answered, and whatever the person on the other end said, I could tell he was not happy about it.

When he ended the call, I braced myself for whatever he was about to say, knowing it wouldn’t be good news either.

"Ace called… Do not panic… He’s at Willow’s estate."

I growled so loudly that Darius flinched. Nevertheless, he moved the car into reverse, and made a U-turn, steering us toward the unsettling part of town, which felt even more ominous now that night had fallen. This area, where the mansion stood, was one that the townsfolk typically avoided.

As we approached, the surroundings grew increasingly desolate and forsaken, and at one point, even the street dogs, who usually howled like lunatics at night, vanished from sight.

The engine finally stopped, and Darius exited the vehicle. I followed him out, only to be confronted by the Victorian manor that had become the subject of criminal tales and ghostly legends told by those who still feared the supposed curse of Willow Crest.

Darius and I shared a glance as we stepped forward together, making our way to the manor's front gate.

The lake beyond the manor was shrouded in fog, and the surrounding willow trees sent a chill down my spine. I was terrified; this place was no laughing matter. I hated it before. I hate it now too. Nothing has changed.

We halted at the imposing gates, and Darius pressed the doorbell, but nothing happened. He glanced at me, then pressed the bell again, this time lingering on that infuriating switch, yet to our dismay, no one answered.

I felt crushed.

Even for the sake of our shared history, I longed for Ro to come out and see me, to let me glimpse him and reassure myself that he was doing well, even without me.

The sound of crunching leaves and the clatter of a shovel perked my ears.

In an attempt to calm my frayed nerves, I clutched the edge of Darius's t-shirt, and he shot me a disapproving look before pulling me along with him around the house, leading us from the yard toward the expansive lake and a garden that was barely discernible.

Yet, the sweet fragrance of flowers and the strangely lit atmosphere felt out of place.

In the garden's corner, a shadowy figure stood with a shovel, and I instinctively inched closer to Darius.

The man had a dark, brooding presence, and as he pressed down on the shovel with his foot, forcing it deeper into the earth, my fingers slipped from their hold on Darius' t-shirt.

I didn’t need anyone to tell me who he was. My feet moved toward him instinctively, despite Darius warning me about the potential danger of my actions.

Ignoring Darius, I hurried to the man and stood beside him. He lifted his gaze, and even in the pitch black, his striking blue eyes sparkled under the faint moonlight and the mist that hung in the air. They shone like a precious gem pulled from the depths of the sea, and I found myself momentarily breathless.

"Ro." The name escaped my lips, and he recoiled, his eyes widening in shock. He tossed the shovel aside and turned to flee into the manor, but I quickly followed, seizing his arm to prevent him from escaping.

Darius didn’t say a word, but he helped illuminate the surrounding with his phone's flashlight, and I gasped at the sight before me.

Cuts. Bruises. Gashes and wounds.

Each mark marred his once flawless skin, each one a silent testament to a pain I was desperate to understand.

"Ro," I murmured, tears streaming down my face. "What happened?"

He wrenched his arm from my grasp, his gaze not on me but directed at Darius, filled with a fierce rage.

"Why the hell did you bring her here? What happened to the divorce papers I sent?" His voice was laced with desperation, yet the intensity of his anger was terrifying, causing me to flinch.

"I tore them." The words slipped out before I could consider their impact, and his gaze shifted to me, predatory and merciless, leaving me feeling vulnerable and exposed.

I swallowed hard, brushing away the tears that threatened to spill. Even with his tough and intimidating demeanor, the pain and emptiness reflected in his eyes and on his face shattered my heart. He was still the man I loved, yet everything about him felt different now.

"That's what you wanted, Amery."

I wished he would just end it for me right here, because hearing my name from his lips instead of Mrs. Rowan— the only title that made me feel alive— was unbearable.

"No. You promised you'd come back. I waited for you, Ro. I'm still waiting."

My tears softened his gaze. Despite his rough exterior and the visible wounds that cried out for care, I still found myself drawn to him. Time and again, I forgave him.

"I forgive you, Ro. Please, let’s go home. Let’s return to our place." I was desperate, willing to beg if it meant bringing him back to me.

I needed my husband back.

I wanted my husband back.

I had to have him.

"Mrs. Rowan..." I gasped, looking into his striking eyes. They resembled the Ro I once knew, and in their depths, I saw a reflection that was truly beautiful.

"Let’s go..." I reached for him, but he stepped back, his gaze darting around before settling on me again.

"I’m grateful you chose me as your husband, and I’ll always cherish that you were my wife, Mrs. Rowan. But some stories must come to an end, and ours has reached its conclusion. Just sign the damn papers and walk away. Do it for my sake, if not yours. Goodbye, Amery."

He offered me a lopsided smile before turning to Darius.

"Take her away, and I’ll send over the new documents." He walked off, and Darius roughly pulled me away, shoving me into my car and driving off.

I couldn’t hold back the sobs that escaped me.

"Darius... My Ro—"

"He needs help. I had a feeling something wasn’t right, but fuck, damn it... I should have looked into it more. He’s trying to protect you through this divorce... But he could have reached out to me!!" He growled, and despite my crying, I heard him loud and clear.

My Ro needs me.