Chapter 11
Eli
The coffee went cold a long time ago. I wasn't sure why I didn't throw it out. It just sat there, untouched, as a quiet reminder that I'd been sitting here too long with nothing to show for it.
I turned my phone over in my hand and unlocked the screen to read the message again: Can't this time. Sorry.
It wasn't unusual for Rowan to turn down an invite this time of year.
I could list half a dozen reasons why he would be too busy.
The new term started soon, and I knew how much of a nightmare it could be for him to get everything ready.
He'd always been meticulous about it and wanted everything in order before the first day.
I'd heard the excuse before. In fact, it was why I planned to leave this weekend. I didn't want to distract him when he was adjusting to a new schedule and new students.
But it wasn't just today. It was the same last time I asked. And the time before that. Lately, everything felt like a brush-off. Less texting, even. Vague responses meant to keep me at a distance.
I set my phone down and stared out the window.
I shouldn't have been reading this much into it.
But in past years, even when Rowan was buried in work, he still made time.
In fact, he'd told me once that our meetups helped him reset so he could focus and not drive himself into the ground. That was how it had always been.
This year was different.
And the only thing that had changed was Marcus.
A dull sense of irritation tugged at me, but I wasn't sure if it was directed at myself or at the situation. Or maybe at Marcus, though I didn't have anything solid I could call him out on.
That was the problem. I had my suspicions, but I couldn't prove anything. It was just a gut feeling that something wasn't right. And gut feelings didn't count for much if you didn't have anything to back them up.
I wanted to call Rowan and demand to know what was going on, make him tell me why he was pushing me away. But what was I supposed to say? Hey, I think your boyfriend's controlling you, but I don't have any proof?
That wouldn't go over well. If I was wrong, it could cause a rift. And if I was right...
Well. If I was right, I had to figure out another way to reach him.
I sighed and stared down at the screen again. Maybe I only had a feeling to go on, but if Rowan was pulling away, a conversation would tell me more than a text ever could.
Before I could change my mind, I tapped his name and brought the phone to my ear. It rang. And rang. And rang.
A sharp prickle crawled up my spine. He wasn't even going to answer? If he saw my name on the screen and planned to let it ring out –
"Hey."
Finally. That single word was quiet, though. Cautious. Rowan never answered like that. Not to me.
I tried to keep my voice even. "Hey. Got your message. Just wanted to check up on you."
A pause. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I've been ... busy."
The hesitation stuck with me. He was measuring every word before he said it. I'd known Rowan long enough to recognise when he wasn't being fully honest with me. Not outright lying, but holding back.
I leaned forward to rest my elbow on the table. "You've been busy a lot lately. That's not like you, Ro."
The sharp exhale on the other end gave the impression he was already tired of this conversation. "Elias, I told you. Work's been – "
"Yeah, I know. Busy. It always is this time of year. But that's never stopped you before."
Another pause. Longer this time.
"Rowan, I know something's up. Just talk to me."
Silence.
It stretched on just a little too long, and that sinking feeling in my chest deepened. I could almost see the look on his face as he debated about what to say and how to say it. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter. "I'll... I'll make more time soon, okay? We'll talk properly."
It didn't sound like a promise. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than me.
My grip on the phone tightened. I wanted to push, to tell him he wasn't acting normal. But before I could say a word, the line went dead.
No goodbye. Not even an excuse. Just a dial tone.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the screen. That definitely wasn't like him. He'd never hung up on me before.
I didn't know exactly what was happening, but it was clear that Marcus had too much power over Rowan's life. And whatever grip he had on him was tightening. But I had no clue how to reach Rowan without going through him first. And that scared me more than anything.
I stayed in my seat long after the call ended, staring at the phone like the screen might change or maybe I'd misheard something. But the longer I sat there, the more the conversation looped in my head – and the more that uneasy feeling took over.
Rowan wasn't okay. He was trying to pretend everything was fine, but he wasn't talking, and I couldn't make him. If I pushed too hard and he pulled away, I'd lose my only real chance to get through to him.
And as for Marcus...
I hadn't spent much time around him, but every instinct in me bristled at the mere thought of him. The way he carried himself, the way he spoke... There was something off about him. But I couldn't figure out exactly what it was. And I certainly couldn't bring it up without sounding paranoid.
I glanced at my coffee. It wasn't worth drinking now. I pushed the chair back and grabbed the cup, tossing it into the bin as I made my way outside.
The air had cooled a little now that the warmest part of the afternoon had passed. I stood under the awning for a while to listen to what little street activity existed. But I still couldn't shove down the frustration that was creeping up the back of my throat.
Rowan wasn't listening. Marcus was in the way. And I hadn't the slightest idea what the hell to do about any of it.
But I couldn't just sit back and watch it happen, either. I wasn't going to let Rowan slip away without a fight.
I shoved my hands into my pockets as I started off down the road. I didn't really pay attention to where I was going, other than I was headed in the general direction of my hotel. I just needed to move, and hopefully the walk would calm me down.
"Elias?"
I turned and spotted Tom, another teacher at Rowan's school, headed my way. He looked surprised to see me, but he lifted a hand in a casual wave.
He smiled as he caught up and fell into step beside me. "Didn't think I'd run into you out here."
I forced myself to smile back. "Yeah. Just taking a walk."
"Good day for it. Been trying to enjoy the quiet before term starts."
I huffed a small laugh. "Still got a little time before all that chaos kicks in."
He adjusted the strap of his bag. "True. Though Rowan's been acting like it's next week already. Been staying late, from what I've seen."
That snagged my attention. "Yeah?"
"Mm-hm." He hesitated just a fraction too long before continuing, his tone carefully neutral. "Half the time, though, he's just sitting at his desk. Not even doing any work, really. Just staring at his laptop like he's somewhere else entirely."
That made me uneasy, but I tried to keep my expression relaxed. "That doesn't sound normal for him."
"It's not." He glanced at me as if he was trying to decide how much to say. "I think he's been spending a lot of time with that boyfriend of his."
I did my best not to let my worry show too much in my voice. "Yeah, I figured. He hasn't had much time to talk lately."
Tom studied me for a moment, then lowered his voice slightly. "I don't know... He just doesn't seem like himself."
I looked over at him properly now, my frown deepening. "What do you mean?"
"Look, I don't want to overstep. But based on the conversations I've had with Rowan, I get the feeling the boyfriend doesn't want him talking to you."
I forced my attention forward to avoid reacting before thinking. "What makes you say that?"
He glanced at me again with an unreadable expression. "Rowan used to talk about you all the time. But now... Now he doesn't even mention you."
I tried to shove the uneasy feeling down. "He's probably just busy," I muttered.
"That's the thing, though. Rowan's always made time for you. If he was just busy, that'd be one thing. But this feels different."
I didn't say anything to that.
He let the silence stretch, then shook his head with a sigh. "It's probably nothing. I just... I've seen this kind of thing before, you know? A person gets involved with someone, and they stop being themselves a little bit at a time."
There it was.
Tom gave me a brief, considering look. "Anyway. I should get going. Just thought you should know."
"Yeah. Thanks."
He gave me one last nod before heading off, leaving me standing there with my heart pounding and my thoughts racing.
I'd been waiting for something I could act on. Now I had it.
* * *
I sank onto the edge of my bed and ran a hand down my face.
Tom’s words still echoed in my head, and now that I knew I wasn’t the only one seeing it, they wouldn’t leave me alone.
Something in Rowan had changed. He stayed late at the school but didn't work.
He looked drained. He stopped talking about me.
He was pulling away. Not just because he was busy.
I get the feeling the boyfriend doesn't want him talking to you.
That was the part that stuck out the most. Because if that was true and Marcus was actively trying to keep Rowan away from me, then Rowan wasn't cutting me out on his own.
I reached for my laptop and opened it. I was probably being ridiculous and wouldn't find anything, but I needed to do something. If I just sat here stewing, I'd drive myself insane. I typed Marcus's name into the search bar and hit enter.
A flood of results popped up instantly, and at first glance, nothing looked unusual.
Professional profiles. LinkedIn. Business articles.
A sleek, minimalistic website with some polished tagline about financial security.
A few interviews, mostly dry pieces about "wealth management" and "financial strategies" – which, frankly, read like an AI bot had written them.
I clicked through the links, scanning them one at a time. I didn't see anything obviously wrong. No scandals, no bad press. But there was also nothing else. No social media. No casual mentions. No old posts buried in forum threads.
Most people had something floating around the internet, even if it was just a tagged picture or an abandoned Facebook account. But Marcus... His entire presence had been scrubbed down to only what he wanted people to see.
I frowned and continued scrolling.
A few pages deep, something caught my eye. An old review on a site connected to his work. Just one, half-buried under polished testimonials: Wouldn't recommend. He's not what he seems.
That was all it said. No details. No explanation. Just vague enough to be ignored, and just clear enough to make my anxiety spike. Beneath it, someone had replied. But the message had been deleted. Only the timestamp was still there.
I tried digging further by searching variations of his name, checking for anything that might link to his personal life, a past, anything that made him seem real. But after another hour of clicking through page after page of the same pristine, curated results, I came up with nothing.
I closed the laptop and tossed it aside. There was something here. I could feel it. I just didn't know what I was looking at yet.
But I did know that I needed to see Rowan. And I needed to do it soon.