Her head throbbed like a never-ending rhythm as she awoke. A disgusting dry taste stuck to her tongue, and her throat felt dry and itchy. Her eyelids fluttered open, but her vision was blurred; she blinked quickly to clear it.
Her muscles ached, as if she'd been pulled too tightly. Slowly, she lifted her head, her heart racing at the idea that she wasn't alone. She looked around the room, her eyes adjusting to the light.
Her gaze spotted a man standing there, tall and powerful. Soon, the man approached her, his intense gaze making her heart race. He smirked, his voice silky and cold. "Good, you're finally awake."
"Rolan," Rose called, looking at the man she had been hiding from for three years.
Fate had its own way of playing games. She had never expected that they would meet again after all these years. She blinked, her gaze lowering to her thighs, not wanting to look at him much.
She didn't know what to feel. Three years had passed since her rebirth, and she had let go of the memories of loving him with the time that had passed. She didn't know what to say to him right now.
Rolan had answered, "Yes, it's me, love," when she had asked. He took slow, deliberate steps, approaching her.
Rose was seated on a chair, her hands tied with a rope behind her. He had found her after three years, and there was no way he was going to let her escape from him again. She would tell him in detail her reasons for leaving him just like that. She would explain why she made it seem like she had stopped loving him.
Reaching close to her, he squatted next to her, taking her face in his hands, holding her chin, and bringing her face, which she was hiding from him, to face him. She was biting her lips in awkwardness, her eyes refusing to steady themselves on him.
He chuckled, ignoring the fear she was showing.
"Had enough fun in the rabbit hole you ran to for years?"
His eyes focused on hers, trying to get the answer from them.
She was courageous, always doing things he never expected. First, she plotted and got married to him unexpectedly. Then, she fled, leaving him to the marriage, leaving him with no explanation.
"Rolan, I..." Rose finally said, her eyes focusing on him, "don't understand the meaning of this. Please let me go."
This man had not loved her in her last life. Running away from him hadn't felt like much of a crime.
Rose retracted her eyes from him. He must have had fun with her sister, and yet he had the guts to kidnap her. What did he want now?
Rose tried to get up from her seat, and it was only then that she realized her wrists had been tied to the chair. She couldn't help glaring at him. In the past, she had looked at him with submissive eyes, even if he did not give her love and care.
But this was her new life. She had cut ties with him, and all the respect she had for him, she had left in the past.
Rolan chuckled when he heard her words. "Why should I let you go, Rose? You hurt my feelings, Rose." He chuckled again, then muttered, "You expect me to leave you? Running away for three years—wasn't it enough for you?"
His hand found its way to her face, caressing it, picking at the locks that stuck to her skin. Sweat was on her face, making her locks cling to it.
Her chest was heaving with intensity, making him wonder about the amount of emotions and thoughts she was having.
"My son... let me go, Rolan. Let me take care of my son," Rose subconsciously blurted out, shutting her mouth the instant she realized what she had said.
Zara was sick and in the hospital. Who would take care of Tobi? What were he and Zara going to do?
She hadn't meant to worry too much and mention him before Rolan.
"What did you say, huh?" Rolan asked, his brow raised. It seemed he was zoning out, looking at her. Rose thanked God for a moment, smiling secretly in her heart.
He hadn't heard what she said about having a son. It was good. She was keeping her distance from him, and everything related to him that might bring him back into her life was a secret.
Tobi was only her child and not his.
"Nothing. It was nothing," she stated falsely, looking at him with a slight smile, her eyes as if they were saying, What had he expected her to say?
"What do you plan to do with me, Rolan? Are you going to keep me here forever?" she asked with a slight frown. The thought of why he had tied her up started fumbling in her mind. What were his reasons for keeping her here?
She still needed to take care of her son!
Rolan chuckled faintly, seeing her panicked reaction when she realized he planned to keep her here.
"Yes, Rose dear. If it is in my power, I plan on doing so," he chuckled like a daredevil, adding more to Rose's fear.
She moved her lips, wanting to say something, but she closed her eyes afterward, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes, not wanting to look at his face.
Rolan did not mind her actions. He smiled slightly and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Rose opened her eyes upon hearing his words.
"I'm not hungry," she said, closing her eyes again with a slight frown, refusing to look at him. She could feel his intense gaze on her, even though her eyes were closed.
"Don't worry, you'll be hungry soon enough if I feed you. Don't you like the feeling of me feeding you?" Rolan laughed, leaving the room and closing the door with a thud.
Rose let out a low hiss when he had left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tobi got up from his seat, walking to Zara, when Rose had not come back from where she went.
Tobi was worried, his eyes filling with darkness as he had not seen his mom.
"Aunty, Mummy has not come back. Where is Mummy?" he asked Zara, his short hands poking her arm slightly. Zara turned to him.
"Tobi, your mummy is coming back. Just be patient, and your mummy will return," Zara responded in a hoarse voice because of her condition.
She, too, was worried.
She had no clue what had happened to Rose or where Rose had gone. She was just clueless. Her friend couldn't have disappeared into thin air. Her phone wasn't going through.
"Just take a seat in the other chair, Tobi. You can sleep if you want to," Zara nodded to Tobi, calculating ways in her mind to find Rose. She had many people on her list who might know what had happened to Rose.
"Aunty, can I go and pee?" Tobi asked, getting off his seat, a smile on his small face.
Zara glanced at him, not thinking much about it, then she permitted him.
"Sure, Tobi, you can go pee."
She believed he would be back within five minutes.
Tobi rushed out of the ward, not wasting time since he was allowed to leave.
He found a corner in the hospital, calling to his wolf.
"Darius, you know where Mummy is, right?"
Darius's mischievous voice replied, "Come on, brother, I do." He was ready for any mischief, especially since this mischief concerned their mother.
Tobi giggled with an innocent smile. "Now lead us to Mummy."
He would go and find his mummy. Aunty Zara's new fashion sense wouldn't let her chase him, from what he had observed.
Tobi was set; he stood waiting for his transformation. Blue light glowed from his body, brightening the place with its radiance. When the light had faded away, a tiny silver wolf bolted out of the hospital.