Dusk Snow Hides All Return (Rowan and Adrienne) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22.

Rowan stayed exactly the way he’d been. Didn’t refuse. Didn’t accept. Didn’t speak.

Whatever Adrienne gave him, he ate. Whatever Adrienne did, he didn’t stop her.

But his eyes were empty. Looking through her. Focused on something she couldn’t see.

That scared Adrienne more than straight–up hate or rejection ever could

Then, one day, Desmond’s call came through again.

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. The screen lit up with that familiar name,

Adrienne glanced at Rowan on the hospital bed, eyes shut, resting. She grabbed the phone and stepped out into the hallway.

The second she picked up, Desmond’s voice came through, gutted and wailing. “Addie! You have to help me! Mom and Dad kicked me out of the Ashford Estate! They don’t want me anymore! My depression is flaring up, I can’t take it, I don’t want to live anymore! Where are you?! Can you come back and see me? Please? I really can’t keep going…”

In the

past, hearing him cry like that, Adrienne probably would’ve cracked. Probably would’ve booked a flight home that same hour. Now? Listening to that same old voice, all she felt was a cold wall of disgust and pure irritation.

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“Desmond,” she said. Her voice was ice. Zero warmth. “You want to die? Go do it somewhere far away. Don’t dirty my ears.”

The other end cut off instantly. Just heavy, disbelieving breathing left.

“Addie? How can you… how can you talk to me like that?” Desmond’s voice jumped higher.

“Desmond, listen carefully.” Adrienne bit off every word, clear and sharp, cutting him off. “One. Whether your depression is real or fake–you know. I know. You want me to send you the diagnosis reports and the audio recordings of the doctors so we can go over

do not call me again. Do not harass Rowan again. Otherwise, I will have zero problem pulling them again? Two. From now on, some strings and sending you to prison so you can have some real quiet time to think about your life. Wise up.”

With that, she hung up decisively and blocked the number.

Done. She exhaled hard, turned to head back into the room—and froze.

The door to the hospital room had been pushed open a crack at some point.

Rowan had woken up at some point. He was propped up against the headboard, quietly watching her.

Her chest tightened. A weird flutter of panic hit her. She walked back in quickly. “Rowan, I-”

“Don’t bother.” Rowan cut her off, voice flat. He looked away, back out the window.

That same response. Again.

Every word of explanation she’d been about to say jammed up in her throat.

She stood there, deflated, watching him go right back to that shut–off, cut–off–from–the–world look. Something inside her hollowed out. And at the same time, weighed her down.

Right. There was no need.

Whatever she thought about Desmond now, whatever she’d finally woken up to–none of it mattered to him anymore.

He didn’t want her guilt. Didn’t want her to make it up to him. And definitely didn’t want her… love.

A few days later, Rowan was discharged.

Adrienne insisted on driving him back to his apartment.

Rowan didn’t push back. Or more accurately, he didn’t care enough to.

< Chauter 22

The car pulled up outside the old apartment building.

Adrienne got out first, circled around to the other side, tried to help him.

Rowan pushed the door open himself and stepped out.

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The sky was going dark. Streetlights had just flickered on, throwing weak yellow light everywhere.

And that’s when it happened. /

A man in a black mask and hat came charging out of nowhere, a dagger flashing cold in his hand, and lunged straight at Rowan.

It happened too fast. Rowan didn’t even have time to react.

“Watch out-!”

Adrienne’s pupils shrank. Her mind went blank. But her body moved before her brain could catch up.

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