He Left Me Broken Now He Wants Me Back Chapter 23
I flinched, shutting my eyes.
A heavy, sickening thud landed right beside my ear.
Rowan had pulled me into his arms, taking the blow for me.
Security tackled the man to the floor. Jenna was on the phone with 911, while another staff member secured the lobby’s surveillance footage.
Rowan was still holding me.
He looked even paler than before, and his left arm hung limply at his side.
I spun around.
“Rowan!”
He used his good hand to pat my back.
“It’s probably just a minor fracture. Don’t be scared.”
“Why would you do that?”
My voice rose, high and sharp.
“If that had been worse, you could have permanent nerve damage. You might never hold a scalpel again, even if you wanted to.”
He smiled as if it were nothing.
“It’s okay.”
That only made me angrier.
“I know you quit your job.”
His smile vanished.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to find out.”
I didn’t know why he was apologizing.
But I think I understood.
This man, who had always lived by a rigid set of internal rules, was finally starting to see the people outside of them.
After the police took statements and arrested the attacker, the theater issued a lifetime ban and turned the surveillance footage over to law enforcement.
I supported Rowan on his uninjured side.
“Come on. I’m taking you to the ER.”
We got X-rays, had his arm set in a cast, and waited while a nurse cleaned and dressed the cuts on his face.
Hours passed. The whole time, he sat beside me, his eyes never leaving my face.
When we finally reached the hospital entrance, he lingered, clearly reluctant to leave, as if trying to invent one more reason to stay.
I let out a sigh.
“Rowan.”
He turned immediately.
“You’re learning.”
Confusion flickered across his face.
I didn’t explain.