Dusk Snow Hides All Return (Rowan and Adrienne) novel Chapter 3

The next day, Rowan jolted back to consciousness through a wave of sharp pain and suffocating pressure.

He forced his eyes open, clutched his stomach, and pushed himself upright. His chronic gastritis was flaring up again.

He was about to get up and call for someone when it hit him that he wasn't lying in his own bed at home, but... he had been locked in the Storage Room!

The cramping in his stomach twisted tighter, causing his consciousness to even start blurring.

"Is anyone there? Open the door! Open the door! My stomach—I need help!"

He had no idea what was going on. All he could do was pound on the door with everything he had left, his voice raw and shaking.

Footsteps shuffled on the other side. Then a familiar, ice-cold voice. His mother.

"Rowan, stop yelling."

Mr. Ashford Sr.'s voice came next, heavy with blame and frustration. "You brought this on yourself! You agreed to let Adrienne terminate the pregnancy on the surface, but behind everyone's back, you had Desmond thrown into the Walk-in Freezer! Desmond's been terrified of the cold since he was a kid. Do you even know how long he was stuck in there? He nearly froze to death! We're only locking you up for one day. That's us going easy on you because you're still our blood."

The words hit Rowan like a lightning strike. His blood felt like it had stopped cold.

Throw Desmond into the Walk-in Freezer? Him?

"I didn't!" he shouted with everything he had, his voice distorted by the pain. "I never did anything like that! Bring Desmond here to confront me! Make him come here!"

"Rowan..." Desmond's voice came through the door, laced with just the right amount of fear and grievance. "I'm fine, really. Just a little cold, a little shaken... Mom, Dad, please don't lock Rowan in there. I'm okay..."

"You hear that? Look at how forgiving Desmond is!" Mrs. Ashford's voice rose with fury. "And look at you! So vicious! Desmond almost died because of you, and all we're doing is locking you in there for one day with no food or water. That's an enormous amount of mercy! And you still refuse to admit your mistake!"

One day? No food or water? And right when his gastritis was flaring up!

The whole thing was so insane Rowan's teeth were chattering from the cold and pain.

He forced back the crushing panic from his claustrophobia and tried to reason with them. "Dad... Mom... I have claustrophobia. I can't stay in here. And my stomach's killing me... please, just let me out, take me to the hospital..."

"Lies again!" Mr. Ashford Sr. snapped impatiently, cutting him off. "Claustrophobia? Gastritis? You're just trying to gain sympathy! We're not falling for your act anymore! Stay in there and reflect on what you've done!"

Rowan's heart sank, piece by piece, into a freezing void.

He stopped staring at the sealed door and turned in another direction, knowing that Adrienne had to be there too.

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