Chapter 235 Worn Out


    Chapter 235 Worn Out


    TESSA


    40


    +10 Free Coins


    I felt lighter as I moved around the house. It felt like the chain that was awkwardly bounding me to Owen was finally snapped in half.


    As much as I tried, I couldn’t see Owen in the way he wanted me to. I had turned it over in my mind countless times, wondering if perhaps I was being unfair, if perhaps love was something that grew quietly like ivy and not something that struck like lightning. But even if I pressed and pressed, the truth never bent. My heart simply didn’t respond in that way. I was d he understood.


    I opened the fridge, scanning its shelves. Rowan still hadn’te by. My brows furrowed as I tapped a finger against the cool edge of the door. He usually stopped in at least once during the afternoon, slipping into the kitchen with that familiar half-smile, always hunting for a light snack. A piece of bread, a slice of fruit-something quick before darting off to his next task.


    Had he been summoned again? It seemed like every hour of his day was pulled at by someone else. My lips tugged downward. They were working him ragged, and while he neverined, I could see it in his eyes.


    I shook my head, closing the fridge with a soft click. “Fine then,” I murmured to myself. “I’ll just cook.”


    The idea came to me quickly. I’d make that stew-the very one he had eaten the night he first arrived. I remembered the way his shoulders had eased as soon as he tasted it. He’d eaten every spoonful without hesitation. The thought of it made me smile.


    I checked the ingredientsid out on the counter. Potatoes-yes. Onions-plenty. Herbs- thankfully dried and tucked into jars. But when I reached for the carrots, my hand came up empty. I sighed, shaking my head.


    “I’ll just get them from the garden,” I decided.


    green,


    With a basket in hand, I slipped out the back door. The garden spread before me, neat rows of leaves rustling softly as the wind brushed past them. Thisnd was generous. Vegetables grew here with little more than effort and care. It was one of the things I loved most about it, how life always seemed to find a way to flourish.


    I crouched down among the rows, brushing the soil aside to tug free a handful of carrots. The basket grew heavier as I added each carrot, but I barely noticed. My mind was already picturing Rowan walking through the doorway, catching the scent of stew simmering on the stove with a bright expression.


    Chapter 235 Worn Out


    40


    +10 Free Coins


    However, just before I could go back to the house, I saw a figure looming ahead. My heart stuttered violently against my ribs, my breath halting in my throat. For a single, dizzying second, the world narrowed to that one person.


    The basket slipped from my fingers, crashing to the dirt with a dull thud. Carrots spilled, rolling in different directions. My voice broke out before I could stop it. “Rowan!”


    ***


    It was so hard hauling an over six-foot man, probably 170 pounds, with his weight pressing on <ol><li></li></ol>


    “Rowan, please,” I muttered, nearly tripping as his arm dangled over my shoulder. His body sagged heavily against me, burning hot under my skin as though I were carrying a furnace instead of a man. By the time I reached the bedroom door, sweat was sticking to the back of my neck. I sighed in relief and used my hip to push the door open.


    Ca was still out in the clearing, ying in the fading afternoon sun. Thank goodness. That meant the bed was free. Without grace or thought, I plopped Rowan onto the mattress with a grunt, and just when I thought I was finally free, his arm tightened around my waist and yanked me down with him.


    Inded on top of him with a muffled yelp. His broad chest was solid beneath me, and I could feel the rumble of his shallow breaths.


    “Rowan,” I muttered, struggling, but he only groaned in response, his eyes shut and his body refusing to release me. His grip around my waist felt like iron. I pursed my lips in frustration, then narrowed my eyes. If this was how he wanted to y it…


    I pinched his nose shut.


    For a moment, he didn’t react. Then, like a startled child, he scrambled for air, his chest heaving as he finally released me. I darted away before he could trap me again.


    Was it brutal? Probably. But I needed to treat him.


    I grabbed the thermometer and ced it inside his axi. The reading climbed quickly, stopping at a number that made me curse. His temperature was rmingly high.


    “Did


    you wear yourself out?” I asked quietly, brushing damp strands of hair from his face. Now that I thought about it, the memory of him working under the pouring rain shed in my mind. He fixed the roof even when I’d told him to wait for the rain to stop, then hauled crates of vegetables right after. I’d even heard that he joined Winston and his friends for drinks that night.


    Chapter 235 Worn Out


    “No wonder,” I muttered, flicking his forehead lightly. “You should have taken a rest.”


    40


    +10 Free Coins


    That was the reason I had asked Owen to help me with the housework instead of Rowan. I had known Rowan was already too exhausted, but he never listened. He always acted like he had something to repay, some invisible debt that no one had asked him to shoulder.


    I sighed, digging through the small box of supplies I kept tucked in the cab. Fever strips, water, antipyretics. I wasn’t an all-powerful healer. My gifts worked only for intoxication- purifying poison from the body. But for ordinary illnesses like this, I was helpless. Rowan was developing a nasty cold, and all I could do was treat him like any other human.


    I ced the fever strip on his skin, pressed a cool towel to his forehead, and coaxed him to swallow a tablet with water.


    Suddenly, his eyshes fluttered, and his voice rasped, “Tessa?”


    I froze, then leaned closer. His gaze was hazy but focused enough to recognize me. He tried to sit up, but I quickly pressed my hand against his chest.


    “You’re sick,” I said firmly. “Did you know you copsed?”


    His brow furrowed. “What time is it?”


    “Four in the afternoon.”


    His frown deepened. “I promised to help with a delivery,” he muttered. He pushed the nket and was about to get up. “I have to go.”


    “You’re not going anywhere,” I said sharply.


    He looked away, sulking like a scolded child. “But I promised.”


    “I don’t care,” I shot back, adjusting the nket to cover him again. “You wouldn’t even be able to lift the packages in your condition. Just stay here and rest.”


    He shook his head stubbornly and began to swing his legs over the bed. I grabbed his shoulders, pressing him firmly back against the mattress.


    “The medicine hasn’t even kicked in yet,” I scolded.


    “I’m fine,” he muttered weakly, though his flushed cheeks and trembling hands betrayed the


    lie.


    I pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling slowly to keep my patience. “What do you want?”


    Chapter 235 Worn Out


    “Huh?”


    “What do you want so you’ll stay here?” I repeated.


    40


    +10 Free Coins


    He stayed quiet for a long moment, his lips pressing into a tight line. His eyes avoided mine, drifting to the window where the golden afternoon light spilled across the floor. Finally, his voice came out soft.


    “A kiss.”


    My breath hitched, my mind scrambling to process what he had just said. My heart beat loud and quick in my chest, echoing in my ears.


    He still didn’t look at me. His gaze was fixed anywhere but my face. “Forget it,” he muttered. “I’ll just go—”


    But before he could sit up, I leaned down, my hand cupping his chin to hold him still. I pressed a quick, soft kiss against the corner of his mouth.


    “There,” I muttered as I pulled back. “Now, you have to stay.”


    Chapter 235 Worn Out


    Chapter 235 Worn Out


    TESSA


    40


    +10 Free Coins


    I felt lighter as I moved around the house. It felt like the chain that was awkwardly bounding me to Owen was finally snapped in half.


    As much as I tried, I couldn’t see Owen in the way he wanted me to. I had turned it over in my mind countless times, wondering if perhaps I was being unfair, if perhaps love was something that grew quietly like ivy and not something that struck like lightning. But even if I pressed and pressed, the truth never bent. My heart simply didn’t respond in that way. I was d he understood.


    I opened the fridge, scanning its shelves. Rowan still hadn’te by. My brows furrowed as I tapped a finger against the cool edge of the door. He usually stopped in at least once during the afternoon, slipping into the kitchen with that familiar half-smile, always hunting for a light snack. A piece of bread, a slice of fruit-something quick before darting off to his next task.


    Had he been summoned again? It seemed like every hour of his day was pulled at by someone else. My lips tugged downward. They were working him ragged, and while he neverined, I could see it in his eyes.


    I shook my head, closing the fridge with a soft click. “Fine then,” I murmured to myself. “I’ll just cook.”


    The idea came to me quickly. I’d make that stew-the very one he had eaten the night he first arrived. I remembered the way his shoulders had eased as soon as he tasted it. He’d eaten every spoonful without hesitation. The thought of it made me smile.


    I checked the ingredientsid out on the counter. Potatoes-yes. Onions-plenty. Herbs- thankfully dried and tucked into jars. But when I reached for the carrots, my hand came up empty. I sighed, shaking my head.


    “I’ll just get them from the garden,” I decided.


    green,


    With a basket in hand, I slipped out the back door. The garden spread before me, neat rows of leaves rustling softly as the wind brushed past them. Thisnd was generous. Vegetables grew here with little more than effort and care. It was one of the things I loved most about it, how life always seemed to find a way to flourish.


    I crouched down among the rows, brushing the soil aside to tug free a handful of carrots. The basket grew heavier as I added each carrot, but I barely noticed. My mind was already picturing Rowan walking through the doorway, catching the scent of stew simmering on the stove with a bright expression.


    Chapter 235 Worn Out


    40


    +10 Free Coins


    However, just before I could go back to the house, I saw a figure looming ahead. My heart stuttered violently against my ribs, my breath halting in my throat. For a single, dizzying second, the world narrowed to that one person.


    The basket slipped from my fingers, crashing to the dirt with a dull thud. Carrots spilled, rolling in different directions. My voice broke out before I could stop it. “Rowan!”


    ***


    It was so hard hauling an over six-foot man, probably 170 pounds, with his weight pressing on <ol><li></li></ol>


    “Rowan, please,” I muttered, nearly tripping as his arm dangled over my shoulder. His body sagged heavily against me, burning hot under my skin as though I were carrying a furnace instead of a man. By the time I reached the bedroom door, sweat was sticking to the back of my neck. I sighed in relief and used my hip to push the door open.


    Ca was still out in the clearing, ying in the fading afternoon sun. Thank goodness. That meant the bed was free. Without grace or thought, I plopped Rowan onto the mattress with a grunt, and just when I thought I was finally free, his arm tightened around my waist and yanked me down with him.


    Inded on top of him with a muffled yelp. His broad chest was solid beneath me, and I could feel the rumble of his shallow breaths.


    “Rowan,” I muttered, struggling, but he only groaned in response, his eyes shut and his body refusing to release me. His grip around my waist felt like iron. I pursed my lips in frustration, then narrowed my eyes. If this was how he wanted to y it…


    I pinched his nose shut.


    For a moment, he didn’t react. Then, like a startled child, he scrambled for air, his chest heaving as he finally released me. I darted away before he could trap me again.


    Was it brutal? Probably. But I needed to treat him.


    I grabbed the thermometer and ced it inside his axi. The reading climbed quickly, stopping at a number that made me curse. His temperature was rmingly high.


    “Did


    you wear yourself out?” I asked quietly, brushing damp strands of hair from his face. Now that I thought about it, the memory of him working under the pouring rain shed in my mind. He fixed the roof even when I’d told him to wait for the rain to stop, then hauled crates of vegetables right after. I’d even heard that he joined Winston and his friends for drinks that night.


    Chapter 235 Worn Out


    “No wonder,” I muttered, flicking his forehead lightly. “You should have taken a rest.”


    40


    +10 Free Coins


    That was the reason I had asked Owen to help me with the housework instead of Rowan. I had known Rowan was already too exhausted, but he never listened. He always acted like he had something to repay, some invisible debt that no one had asked him to shoulder.


    I sighed, digging through the small box of supplies I kept tucked in the cab. Fever strips, water, antipyretics. I wasn’t an all-powerful healer. My gifts worked only for intoxication- purifying poison from the body. But for ordinary illnesses like this, I was helpless. Rowan was developing a nasty cold, and all I could do was treat him like any other human.


    I ced the fever strip on his skin, pressed a cool towel to his forehead, and coaxed him to swallow a tablet with water.


    Suddenly, his eyshes fluttered, and his voice rasped, “Tessa?”


    I froze, then leaned closer. His gaze was hazy but focused enough to recognize me. He tried to sit up, but I quickly pressed my hand against his chest.


    “You’re sick,” I said firmly. “Did you know you copsed?”


    His brow furrowed. “What time is it?”


    “Four in the afternoon.”


    His frown deepened. “I promised to help with a delivery,” he muttered. He pushed the nket and was about to get up. “I have to go.”


    “You’re not going anywhere,” I said sharply.


    He looked away, sulking like a scolded child. “But I promised.”


    “I don’t care,” I shot back, adjusting the nket to cover him again. “You wouldn’t even be able to lift the packages in your condition. Just stay here and rest.”


    He shook his head stubbornly and began to swing his legs over the bed. I grabbed his shoulders, pressing him firmly back against the mattress.


    “The medicine hasn’t even kicked in yet,” I scolded.


    “I’m fine,” he muttered weakly, though his flushed cheeks and trembling hands betrayed the


    lie.


    I pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling slowly to keep my patience. “What do you want?”


    Chapter 235 Worn Out


    “Huh?”


    “What do you want so you’ll stay here?” I repeated.


    40


    +10 Free Coins


    He stayed quiet for a long moment, his lips pressing into a tight line. His eyes avoided mine, drifting to the window where the golden afternoon light spilled across the floor. Finally, his voice came out soft.


    “A kiss.”


    My breath hitched, my mind scrambling to process what he had just said. My heart beat loud and quick in my chest, echoing in my ears.


    He still didn’t look at me. His gaze was fixed anywhere but my face. “Forget it,” he muttered. “I’ll just go—”


    But before he could sit up, I leaned down, my hand cupping his chin to hold him still. I pressed a quick, soft kiss against the corner of his mouth.


    “There,” I muttered as I pulled back. “Now, you have to stay.”