Chapter 52 FAMILY, LOVE AND NEW BEGINNINGS

Chapter 52 FAMILY, LOVE AND NEW BEGINNINGS
I’d been out of the ICU for three days and was finally starting to catch a vibe. Rowan was being a total sweetheart, making sure I didn’t have to do a single thing. After almost literally meeting my maker, life was actually feeling… chill?

Then the phone blew up.

Not mine—my mom’s. Someone decided to be a professional snitch and told my family I was in the hospital. I’d kept it on the low because I didn’t want them stressing over my mess.

Big mistake. Huge.

Within hours, my mom, Rose, and Rosa (the nickname I gave my sisters) were on a flight. I had barely had time to breathe before the door opened, and there they were.

“My baby!” Mom cried, rushing to me, wrapping me in her arms. Her hands shook as she pulled me close. “Why didn’t you tell us anything? How are you?”

I laughed a little, weakly. “I’m much better now, Mom. Please… stop crying.”

She didn’t listen. She only hugged me tighter, and I could feel the tears on her shoulder. I’d always known she was dramatic, but seeing her like this… I realized how much I had underestimated how much she loved me.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” she repeated, almost accusingly.

“I didn’t want to bother you,” I admitted.

“Nonsense. You’re my baby. You can never bother me.” She sniffled, her nose red, eyes bright. “You hear me?”

I nodded, letting myself lean against her. It felt so good to be home—even if I wasn’t home yet. Rowan was here too, standing slightly behind me, watching my family hug me, smile at me, and fuss over me. He didn’t try to interfere. He didn’t have to. He just stood there, silent and patient.

Then my sisters barged in.

“Althea!” Rose said, her voice full of worry but also excitement. “You naughty girl. You didn’t tell us everything. Don’t do that again!”

“Seriously,” Rosa added. “We were about to launch a search party. You can’t just—poof—disappear like that!”

They rolled their eyes, but I could tell they were relieved. Hugging them felt like sunlight, and for a moment, everything else—the accident, the hospital, the fear—I could forget.

Then Rose’s eyes flicked to Rowan. Sharp. Curious. Slightly teasing.

“And who is the gentleman?” she asked. Her voice was playful, but her eyes were searching. “Is he perhaps your boyfriend?”

I froze. “What?” I asked, completely caught off guard. My heart beat a little faster.

“Well… it’s complicated,” I admitted finally, glancing at Rowan.

Rose smirked. “Of course. It’s always complicated with you, Althea.”

Rosa laughed softly, shaking her head. “You should give love a chance. Marry for real, maybe.”

I laughed quietly, though my stomach fluttered. Rowan smiled faintly beside me, his eyes soft. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. He was right there, and that was enough for me.

Rose continued, teasing, “If you marry your best friend, marriage will be nice. You don’t have to wait forever, you know?”

I looked at Rowan, and my chest warmed. The past few months had made me realize so many things. Life flashes in front of you in moments you least expect, and regrets come faster than you can think. Seeing my life almost end made me realize how much I had wanted a start over with… one particular someone.

I looked at Rowan and said softly, “I’d be glad if I could have a start over with a particular somebody.”

He smiled, that soft, knowing smile that made my stomach do somersaults. And just like that, it felt like the world was right again, at least for a moment.

A few weeks later, I was discharged from the hospital. The doctors were confident I would continue to heal fully, and Rowan stayed with me the entire time. We joked about him being the most obsessive caretaker ever, but I couldn’t deny that his attention had made all the difference.

My family urged me to come home for Thanksgiving. Mom was insistent. “Come home, and this time, bring your boyfriend,” she said with a teasing smile.

I laughed softly. “Okay, Mom.”

Life had started to smooth out, at least on the surface. Rowan and I had begun dating again, quietly, without the noise of the outside world getting in the way. Things were different this time. Safer. Simpler. Honest.

And then there was the company.

Handing it back to him felt… natural. I’d done everything I could to get it running smoothly while I had it, and now it was time for him to take the reins again. I told him I wanted to work remotely. I’d received an incredible offer that allowed me to focus on content creation—the thing I had always dreamed of—and still work in the business world, just on my own terms.

Rowan’s eyes lit up when I explained everything. He smiled at me like I was brilliant, and then he said the one thing that made me pause.

“I’ll support you fully,” he said, “under one condition.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Condition?” I asked, curious but slightly wary.

He handed me a small piece of paper. The address was written neatly, with a time. He didn’t say anything else. Just looked at me, his eyes steady, unreadable, like he was challenging me in some way.

I held the paper carefully in my hand, feeling a flutter of nerves and excitement all at once. My chest tightened in anticipation. Whatever this condition was, I knew it would change something. Maybe a lot of things.