Chapter 14 My Soulmate’s Trust
MY SOULMATE’S TRUST
ROWAN
If your love had a scent, what would it be?
ChaosInPurple: Love, to me, smells like a rain-soaked letter. The ink is running, the words are beginning to blur, and yet the story refuses to fade.
That’s how I believe true love is. It doesn’t wilt under pressure or wither with time. It carries the marks of life like a badge of honor. It grows deeper and richer with every experience.
So yes, the lingering smell of rain on a soaking love letter. That’s the scent of my love.
I knock on the door of the guest room, which is now also Violet’s room, the one wedged between my gym and the living room.
She doesn’t look up from where she’s sitting on the edge of the bed.
Her gaze is locked on the painting across from her, a Cherrywood Lake sunset frozen in hues of amber and red.
I knock again, louder.
Violet’s head jerks up, eyes wide with alarm before recognition settles in. The tension slowly eases from her face.
Her things are still exactly where I left them at the foot of the bed. I step inside and pull out my phone. That familiar, ugly pit opens in my stomach.
How long, Rowan? How long before this—before I—become exhausting?
It would be easier to use text-to-speech, easier to not have pauses stitched into every conversation. But I can’t lie—I felt the surge of relief when she asked me not to use it.
I’ve always fucking hated that voice. It’s too smooth, too confident, too fucking perfect. Nothing like the one I lost, and nothing like the one that’s left in me.
Using the software feels like borrowing someone else’s mouth and pretending I’m not fractured. It’s a constant reminder of what I can’t do, what I’ll never get back. And who the hell wants to be reminded of that?
Violet pushes herself up from the edge of the bed.
I lift my phone. Do you need anything?
She reads the words and shakes her head. “No, thank you. This room is really beautiful.”
She isn’t wrong. The room is warm, calm, and thoughtfully put together by Mom. But I am no fool to believe that she’ll be at peace and cozy on this unfamiliar furniture. None of that matters when you don’t recognize the walls around you.
I type again.
Our dinner was delivered earlier. If you’d like, we can eat outside on the porch.
She smiles. “Yes.”
That single word does something reckless to me. I wasn’t sure whether she would prefer to be alone or to spend time with me, and I wouldn’t blame her if she chose the former.
I’ll put it in the oven to warm up. Is it okay if I step outside for a few minutes?
Her smile falters immediately. I type before I she can overthink it.
I’m not going far. I’ll be right outside. Actually, my dad’s here. He just wants to make sure everything’s okay. That you’re okay.
Her brows knit. “Why isn’t he coming in?”
I hesitate, then type.
He doesn’t want to overwhelm you.
“Really?”
I nod.
“Please tell him thank you for me. That’s… very thoughtful of him.”
She isn’t wrong. That’s exactly who my dad is. It was his idea to meet outside when I called him. He’d reminded me that two unfamiliar men in an unfamiliar house might be too much for Violet.
When I don’t leave immediately, Violet says, “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
But how can I not?
I’ll just talk to him and come right back. If you want, I can help you set up your new phone afterward. Copy everything over from the old one.
I leave Violet’s room with hurried steps. I’m trying to get somewhere faster, but every instinct in me is already pulling me back to her. I don’t like leaving her alone, not for a second longer than necessary.
I find Dad leaning against the hood of my car when I reach the driveway.
He’s in worn jeans and a button-down with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.
The faint smell of motor oil clings to him, which tells me he’s been working on the RV.
That means my parents are leaving soon. Somewhere, there’s a rescue dog who needs fostering and more patience than most people are willing to give.
“H-how is everything?” he asks, his head tilting briefly toward the house.
I swallow hard. The words sit lodged at the back of my throat, and for a moment I worry they won’t come out, even for Dad. But I force past the tightness, and they finally scrape out one at a time.
“She looks better than I expected.”
His eyebrows lift a fraction, surprise flickering across his face. Even though I can talk to Dad, I rarely do. But today the circumstances are different.
I want this conversation to end as quickly as possible. Every second I’m standing here is a second Violet is alone with her thoughts, and she doesn’t need that right now. She doesn’t need an empty room echoing with questions she can’t answer.
“L-looks can be d-deceiving,” Dad says gently. “Sometimes the r-reality cr-rashes in after the s-storm has passed.”
I nod. I understand that truth well enough. “I’m here for her.” My words come out like a vow I don’t need to dress up or soften.
“G-good. I expect n-nothing less from you.” Then, casually, too casually, he smiles.
“S-so… I heard you pr-roposed.” His eyes crinkle at the corners.
“Vienna and I… w-we’ve always wanted a d-daughter in the house.
Th-though, I thought it’d be Ar-rcher who w-would make me a father-in-law f-first.” Amusement threads through his voice.
“B-but your mom r-reminded me today th-that you’ve never done anything the w-way any of us expect. ”
There it is, that familiar, unshakable pride that I always struggle to feel inside me, even though my parents handed it to me freely, without conditions or doubt.
Dad shakes his head, almost to himself. “I d-don’t know w-why I ever doubted her. Vienna’s always r-right. Es-specially when it comes to you boys.”
I guess my face gives me away. Dad’s smile falters, converting into a frown. “W-what happened? Violet w-will get her m-memories back, Ro. It’ll t-take time, but st-ressing yourself or her w-won’t be helpful.”
Right now, I would give anything for one of Dad’s honey-ginger candies.
And like he’s always done my entire life, he reads me without needing my words.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls two out, then holds them between his fingers before handing one to me.
He puts his into his mouth first, watching me patiently while I wrestle with words that feel too sharp to let loose.
“It’s not that. I mean… I am worried about her. But I’m also worried about how she’s going to react to something I did.”
His posture shifts instantly. The casual lean disappears. Dad straightens, hand sliding back into his pocket. “W-what did you do?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, replaying it all, searching for an alternate version of events where I’d chosen differently. But every road still leads to the same place. At the hospital, I didn’t see another option. So why does the guilt feel like it’s hollowing me out from the inside?
“T-tell me.”
“We never talked about getting engaged. Not the way she thinks.” I force myself to keep going. “I never proposed. She never said yes.”
The silence between us stretches.
“B-but I thought there was a r-ring involved.”
Of course he knows about the ring. There aren’t really secrets in my family. I’m sure by now all my cousins, uncles, and aunts know about Violet and me.
I swallow hard. “It’s her grandmother’s ring,” I explain. “I knew she wanted it to be part of her engagement someday.”
Dad’s eyes tighten. “You knew.”
Even the honey-ginger candy does nothing for my throat now. It sits there useless, sweet and sharp.
“Violet sent me a picture of it. It’s a family heirloom. When she woke up and saw the ring, she… assumed we were about to get engaged.”
My words stall as I remember the exact moment Violet called me her fiancé for the first time.
“She was so freaking scared in that hospital, Dad. She woke up not knowing who she was, where she belonged, or who she could trust. But now I need to tell her everything.” The words that have been clawing their way up my throat for hours come out fast. “About the date that never took place and the engagement we never discussed.”
Dad’s brows draw together. “Hold on a s-sec. You want to t-tell her now?”
“Yes.” My hands curl into fists. “I don’t want to build our relationship on a lie. She deserves the whole truth about us.”
He studies me for a long moment. “She j-just woke up into a w-world she doesn’t r-recognize. She doesn’t k-know her own h-history, Ro.”
“I know.” My voice cracks. “But that’s exactly why I should tell her. She’s choosing me based on something that isn’t accurate. I can’t let her live inside an assumption.”
Dad pushes off the hood of the car and stands straighter.
“Ar-re you telling her b-because it’s right?” he asks quietly. “Or b-because you c-can’t carry the g-guilt?”
“It’s both,” I admit. “But mostly because she deserves to choose based on all of the information.”
I don’t say out loud that I desperately hope she’ll still choose me, even after knowing the truth.
Dad nods slowly. “Th-that’s the right instinct. B-but your timing is wrong, Ro, especially for her. Sh-she is still in sur-vival mode.”
I stare at the gravel. With my chest caving in and my thoughts splintering apart, I’ve never felt so out of control in my life.
“I don’t want her to think I took advantage of her, Dad. She called me her lighthouse.” The words barely hold as I admit, “I can’t lose her. She is… she’s the one. She’s my soulmate.”
The truth feels terrifying and undeniable all at once.
Dad places his hand on my shoulder. “You w-won’t lose her.
From th-this moment on, p-put her above everything, even your own f-fear.
Th-that means give her t-time to realize that you, the man she doesn’t r-remember but has s-still chosen, will always be b-by her side.
Pr-rove to her th-that you are her lighthouse.
Going f-forward, be completely honest w-with her—no m-more omissions, no m-more secrets. ”
Dad squeezes my shoulder once. “And m-most importantly, give her s-something real to hold on to so that w-when she learns the t-truth, she can still tr-rust you without getting l-lost. R-remember, you’re not lying. You’re p-protecting her by p-preparing.”
So I decide to wait. I have to do this right for Violet.
I have to prove to her that I will protect her physically and guard her heart, as it’s the most important thing I’ve ever been trusted with. I will carry her emotions when they get too heavy, and make absolutely sure she never has to face anything alone again.