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SILENCE

Author: Wummie
last update Last Updated: 2025-09-15 03:06:31

ROWAN’S POV

When Father asked me how Piper had known I was in trouble, the question lodged in my skull like a splinter I couldn't pry out.

I stared at him, searching his face for impatience, for a smirk, for any hint that he was playing a game. He simply watched me with that cold steadiness he always wore…like a man who had seen every type of human fail and, strangely, learned to wait them out.

“I don’t know,” I said finally, because I didn’t. I grasped at every possibility—had she followed me? Has someone told her? Had she been watching me secretly? Each possibility felt both plausible and impossible. “Maybe she followed me last night. Maybe she heard something. I’m not sure.”

Father sighed in a way that meant he was disappointed.

“You keep falling into mistakes, Rowan,” he said quietly. The words weren’t venomous; they were factual. Like an observation. Like a conclusion he’d reached after weighing the facts and finding me wanting.

“I…” I started. I wanted him to tell me what to do
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  • Ties That Bind   EXPOSED SECRET

    PIPER’S POVHappiness is such a fragile thing. One moment you cradle it in your hands, the next, it slips through your fingers like water.That evening, I felt genuinely happy. I wanted to surprise Rowan by arranging his room myself instead of leaving it to the staff. It felt like a small act of love, a way to remind him of how far we’d come.I hummed softly to myself as I dusted the table, straightened the books on the shelf, and fluffed the pillows. Everything was going fine—until curiosity got the better of me.I pulled open one of his drawers, smiling to myself. “What are you hiding, Archer?” I teased softly, half expecting to find some forgotten cufflinks or an old notebook. Instead, my fingers brushed against something small and metallic.A chip.It looked ordinary, harmless, almost like it belonged to a camera. For a second, I thought maybe it held movies or documents from work. I shouldn’t have touched it..I know I shouldn’t have. But some part of me wanted to see a little mor

  • Ties That Bind   SHORT-LIVED JOY

    ROWAN’S POVI never thought those words would escape my mouth. Not to her. Not to anyone. But they had.“I love you.”It was out, raw and unpolished, but truer than anything I had ever spoken.Piper blinked twice, like she couldn’t quite process what she’d just heard. Her lips parted, her eyes wide and uncertain, searching my face for cracks, for insincerity.“Rowan,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Do you… do you mean that?”“Yes,” I said without hesitation, my chest tightening as I knelt there. “I mean every word. I didn’t expect this. I didn’t expect to care this much, to wake up thinking about you, to make your happiness my priority over everything else in my life.” My throat burned as the words tumbled out. “I’m sorry for not listening to you, for doubting you, for making you feel like your voice didn’t matter. I was wrong, Piper. I was wrong about everything.”Her eyes glistened, her face torn between disbelief and something softer.“You don’t have to say it back,” I added

  • Ties That Bind   AN OUTBURST OF FEELINGS

    PIPER’S POVThe whispers came first, light as smoke yet heavy enough to settle on my chest.“Isn’t he the one who was drugged?”“How come he’s back already?”“Guess the Archer name makes miracles happen.”I could hear them in the hallways, by the elevators, and even in the breakroom. They thought I wasn’t listening, that I was too wrapped up in myself to notice—but I heard every word.I decided to ignore it. If I let gossip dictate my day, then I’d never get anything done. So, I lifted my chin, forced myself into my office, and buried myself in the avalanche of orders.The ads had worked…too well, almost. Calls flooded in, emails piled up like stacked bricks, and my phone vibrated constantly with updates. I barely had time to breathe, let alone dwell on rumors.By late evening, exhaustion sat heavy on my shoulders, but a small satisfaction warmed me. I handled it. I’d proved myself, again. But as I gathered my things, a quiet unease twisted in my stomach. Rowan wasn’t around. Normall

  • Ties That Bind   SILENCE

    ROWAN’S POVWhen Father asked me how Piper had known I was in trouble, the question lodged in my skull like a splinter I couldn't pry out.I stared at him, searching his face for impatience, for a smirk, for any hint that he was playing a game. He simply watched me with that cold steadiness he always wore…like a man who had seen every type of human fail and, strangely, learned to wait them out.“I don’t know,” I said finally, because I didn’t. I grasped at every possibility—had she followed me? Has someone told her? Had she been watching me secretly? Each possibility felt both plausible and impossible. “Maybe she followed me last night. Maybe she heard something. I’m not sure.”Father sighed in a way that meant he was disappointed. “You keep falling into mistakes, Rowan,” he said quietly. The words weren’t venomous; they were factual. Like an observation. Like a conclusion he’d reached after weighing the facts and finding me wanting.“I…” I started. I wanted him to tell me what to do

  • Ties That Bind   EYE OPENING

    ROWAN’S POVThe weight of guilt filled up my chest so hard it felt like breathing was a chore. I kept replaying the scene in my head, the moments where I dismissed Piper, brushed off her instincts, told her she was overreacting. And now….now that the dust has settled….I realized she had been right all along.I leaned against the bedroom wall, staring at the dim light filtering through the curtains. The silence in the room wasn’t peaceful…it was punishing.“Piper…” I whispered, my voice cracked, my throat heavy with regret.But she didn’t respond. She just lay on her side, her back to me, her breathing slow and even. Either she was asleep, or she was doing what I deserved…ignoring me completely.I rubbed a hand over my face, frustration and shame colliding. How could I be so blind? I’d been so certain, so arrogant, convincing myself I was the rational one, the level-headed one, when in truth I was the fool. She had seen the danger, felt it, lived it..and instead of listening, I’d mad

  • Ties That Bind   REMORSE

    PIPER’S POVThe man paused. For one long heartbeat, the entire world held its breath. Then, because my staff were there and because the situation would not favor a fight in broad daylight, the men released Rowan. They pulled back, mocking restraint in their faces.“You’re lucky,” the taller one said, menace coating his words. “This could have been messy.”Alexa laughed, a high, sharp sound. “Messy? For you? Please. I will make him see. You think your paper promises will hold when a man wants to break them?”“You’re delusional,” I said. I stepped closer until I felt the charge of her warmth against me, the way she used proximity to try to rattle me. “This is not a game. Leave him alone.”Her expression curdled. “You can’t tell me what to do,” she spat.“I just did,” I said. “And if you care at all for your future ..or the freedom you have left ..you will step away.”She looked at me like I’d struck her. “You’ll destroy me,” she whispered, but it held no real threat. She was a storm tha

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