Chapter 178: Protecting Mom

Rowan's POV

Being this close to her... it sent an insane feeling of joy running through me.

Valeria was actually dancing with me, her hand in mine.

It almost felt unbelievable

I'd imagined being this close to her so many times. I'd imagined what it would feel like to have her standing this close, to hold her hand, to have her looking at me without that wall between us.

And now it was actually happening.

I'd watched her dancing alone from a corner, and I couldn't help but walk up to her and ask for a dance. Surprisingly, she accepted.

I should have felt nothing but happiness. Instead, guilt was eating away at me somewhere deep in my chest.

Because I knew this wasn't exactly right.

Zayne had just broken up with her, and it wasn't because he stopped loving her. But because he had to put her safety first.

What kind of asshole would I be if I took advantage of that?

A selfish one.

I knew that. I fucking knew that.

But I couldn't help myself.

I had always wanted this. I had always wanted to be this close to her, even when I knew she was completely out of reach.

And now that she was finally standing in front of me, my hands around hers, a part of me didn't want to let go.

It was selfish. Maybe even wrong. But for these few minutes, I wanted to pretend it wasn't.

The music played around us as we moved slowly across the dance floor.

Neither of us said anything. Valeria didn't look uncomfortable. In fact, she looked safe in my arms. She simply followed the rhythm, her gaze lowered slightly.

I looked at her. Like... really looked at her.

The soft lights reflected against her face, making her look even more beautiful.

Fuck.

I wanted this. I wanted to keep dancing with her and forget that she'd once belonged to someone else.

I wanted to forget that Zayne was my brother. That he had trusted me enough to tell me why he had ended things with her. I wanted to forget that I knew he still loved her.

With a soft sigh, I held her closer, shutting out my thoughts and concentrating more on the dance and her warmth.

When I reopened my eyes, they drifted toward the entrance.

And that's when I saw him.

I froze immediately.

Zayne was standing outside the glass doors. He wasn't looking at anyone else. His eyes were fixed on us.

He wasn't dressed for prom. He wore his black leather jacket and black pants, looking completely out of place among the suits and formal dresses inside.

His face wasn't angry.

That would've been easier.

Instead, there was something in his eyes that made my stomach twist.

It wasn't anger or jealousy.

It was pure fucking pain.

He looked like he'd walked into the wrong place and accidentally stumbled across the one thing he didn't want to see.

Shit.

What the hell was I doing?

I immediately loosened my hold on Valeria. Then I stepped back.

She looked at me, confused. "What?"

I glanced toward the entrance again. Zayne was was no longer there.

I swallowed.

"Is there a problem?" Valeria asked.

I forced myself to look at her. "No."

She didn't look convinced by my answer.

"I just..." I took in a deep breath. "I remembered something I have to do."

Her brows drew together. "Now?"

"Yeah." I nodded quickly. "I'll see you later."

Before she could ask anything else, I turned and walked away.

I wanted to turn around and go back to her. I wanted to keep dancing with her and pretend I hadn't seen the look on Zayne's face.

But I couldn't. I felt like a betrayer.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and walked through the crowd, my jaw clenched.

The prom eventually came to an end.

One by one, students began leaving the gym, the once-crowded dance floor slowly becoming empty.

I left after I was sure I wasn't needed for any other reason.

As I walked toward my car, the guilt was still eating at me. I couldn't shake the image of Zayne's face from my head.

I sighed as I climbed into my car. I started the engine, my jaw clenched throughout the drive back home.

When I reached home, I took a deep breath before opening the door.

These days, I hated being at home.

I stepped inside. I had barely made it past the foyer before my mother's voice stopped me.

"Rowan."

I looked up.

She was standing near the living room, still awake and waiting for me. Her face immediately lit up when she saw me.

I took a quick gulp, bracing myself to talk to her. Ever since I'd watched that video, I couldn't look at her the same way.

"How was prom?" she asked, smiling.

I forced a small smile. "It was fine."

"Fine?" She raised a brow. "That's all you're giving me?"

I shrugged, slipping my hands into my pockets. "It was okay."

She studied me for a moment. "Well, congratulations."

I raised a brow. "For what?"

Her smile widened. "You won prom king."

I almost rolled my eyes. I had even forgotten about that.

Of course she was sitting here in the Ashford mansion while her eyes were on the events happening at my school.

"And Valeria was crowned prom queen," she added. "The two of you looked wonderful together."

I forced another smile. "Thanks."

She walked closer, looking far too pleased. "You know, I've always thought you two looked good together." She shrugged. "There's no harm in going for more, you know."

I didn't respond.

The words felt different now. Everything she said felt different.

The crazy part of it was that... she was still my mother. She was the same woman who had raised me and pampered me for most of my life.

But now I knew there was another side of her. A side I wished I'd never seen.

And every time I looked at her, all I could think about was that video.

"How is Valeria?" she suddenly asked.

"She's fine."

"Are you two getting along?"

"Yeah. I've told you before. We're cool."

She smiled knowingly. "I knew it. I've always said—"

"Mom, please."

She stopped.

"I'm tired. I think I'm stressed out," I said, lowering my gaze.

Her expression shifted into worry. "Oh. You need a massage?"

"No, I'll be fine. I'm just gonna go to bed."

She nodded. "Alright. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight."

I turned and headed upstairs. I didn't rush so it wouldn't look suspicious. I didn't want to give her any reason to think something was wrong.

As soon as I reached my bedroom, I closed the door behind me and locked it. I stood there for a few seconds, staring at the door before I released a long breath.

My gaze shifted to my shoe rack. I walked over and pulled out one of my sneakers. Digging my hand inside, I pulled out the flashdrive.

I'd hidden it there earlier, tucked away where nobody—I mean, my mother—would think to look.

For a long moment, I just stared at the small black device resting between my fingers.

This was the thing that could potentially clear Zayne's name.

I knew should give it to him. I knew that. But every time I thought about handing it over, another image flashed through my mind.

The video of my mother with that man. Her name appearing many times in different documents.

If Zayne got this flash drive and handed it over to those men, everything on it could get out.

If that video leaked... her life would be destroyed. Including her reputation, our family's name, everything.

My fingers closed around the flash drive.

I knew what the right thing to do was.

But she was my mother. And despite everything I'd seen, despite the disappointment and disgust twisting inside me, I wouldn't be the one responsible for her destruction.

I was protecting her.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.