Shocking News
Rowan’s heart was beating so fast as he stepped on the dimly lit pavement, the cold air barely registering against his skin.
The lot was empty except for a single black car parked near the edge of the street, half-hidden by shadows. A low hum of an idling engine filled the silence, the faint glow of a cigarette flickering inside.
Rowan approached, his pulse steady but sharp, his mind running through every possible scenario. Inspector Sebastian never called unless it was serious.
He knocked twice on the tinted window.
A click.
The door unlocked.
Rowan slid inside.
The air inside smelled like leather, nicotine, and something metallic.
Probably a gun.
Sebastian sat in the driver’s seat, his expression unreadable, a thick folder resting on his lap.
“Vaughn,” he greeted, voice clipped.
Rowan shut the door behind him, his eyes landing on the folder immediately. “You sounded urgent.”
Sebastian exhaled, flicking the cigarette out the cracked window. “That’s because you’re not going to like this.”
Rowan’s fingers flexed against his thigh. “Then start talking.”
Sebastian tapped the folder. “It wasn’t easy. The information was buried. Your family went out of their way to make sure no one—not even you—could find it.”
Rowan’s jaw tightened.
Sebastian’s mouth twitched slightly. “And before you ask—I had to drug a janitor to get into one of the private archives.”
Rowan blinked. “You did what?”
Sebastian shrugged. “He was nosy. And also an informant for your grandfather’s security team. He’ll wake up in a few hours. Probably with a headache.”
Rowan exhaled sharply. “Remind me to give you a raise.”
Sebastian smirked, then flipped the folder open, pulling out a stack of documents. “Brace yourself, Vaughn.”
He handed over a sheet of paper.
Rowan took it, scanning the text. His stomach turned.
His name. Rowan Vaughn.
And beneath it—
Remelda Laurent. Now known as Remelda Vaughn.
The document was dated eight years ago.
It wasn’t just a file.
It was a marriage certificate.
Rowan’s breath caught in his throat.
No.
No, this had to be wrong.
His vision blurred for a moment, his pulse roaring in his ears. His grip on the paper tightened as his eyes dragged over the words again.
But it didn’t change.
Didn’t disappear.
He had been married to Remi.
Not just connected. Not just involved.
Fucking married.
He turned the paper over, like maybe the truth would be written somewhere else. That maybe—just maybe—it was a mistake. A forgery.
But the legal seals, the signatures—
It was real.
And so was the divorce papers.
Sebastian watched him, his expression carefully blank.
Rowan forced himself to breathe. “Explain.”
Sebastian leaned back, flipping through more pages. “Your marriage wasn’t public. It was buried so deep, even the digital records were encrypted. And the worst part?” He tapped a separate document—one with Rowan’s own signature on it. “This wasn’t just your family’s doing.”
Rowan looked at him sharply. “What do you mean?”
Sebastian handed him another paper. “You ordered it.”
Rowan’s blood went cold.
His own handwriting. His own fucking signature—on a legal document stating that all records of his marriage to Remi Laurent were to be sealed.
“From what I could recover,” Sebastian continued, “you didn’t just agree to this secrecy—you wanted it.”
Rowan’s throat went dry.
He stared at the papers, unable to process what he was seeing.
He chose this?
Why?
Why the fuck would he do this?
Sebastian cleared his throat. “And that’s not all.”
Rowan’s gaze snapped up.
Sebastian pulled out a small stack of photos.
Rowan’s fingers hesitated before taking them.
The first one hit him like a punch to the gut.
Remi.
She looked younger. Too young.
Dressed in something simple, her shoulders hunched, her eyes…
Hollow.
Empty.
Unhappy.
Rowan’s chest ached.
He flipped to the next photo.
Same girl. Same sadness.
But this time, she was standing next to him.
His past self.
The Rowan Vaughn from before the accident.
He was standing beside her, dressed in a sharp suit, his expression unreadable. But the one thing that stuck out—
They weren’t touching.
Not even close.
There was a distance between them. A cold, unspoken barrier.
Rowan flipped through more.
A wedding.
Their wedding.
But there was no joy. No love.
Just a contract signed in misery.
His grip on the photos tightened. “What the fuck is this?”
Sebastian didn’t answer immediately.
Rowan swallowed hard, forcing himself to ask the one question he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to.
“Why did we get married?”
Sebastian sighed. “That’s where things get… complicated.”
Rowan exhaled harshly. “Try me.”
Sebastian hesitated. Then—
“From what I’ve gathered, it wasn’t by choice.”
Rowan stilled.
Sebastian continued, “Your family was involved. But so was hers. There was pressure. A deal. And you…” He exhaled. “You weren’t exactly a willing participant, either.”
Rowan’s pulse pounded.
“My family hates Remi. So why would they want me to marry her?”
“From what I heard, one of her relatives saved yours. As repayment, they allowed it but she didn't meet expectations and they hated the fact that she lost the baby. The next heir to the Vaughn family heritage.”
Then why the fuck did I sign this secrecy order?
He wanted to ask.
But he wasn’t sure he was ready to hear the answer.
He flipped through the last few pictures.
And the last one—
Made his heart stop.
Remi. Sitting alone. Crying.
Her hands covered her face, shoulders shaking.
She looked so fucking small.
Rowan inhaled sharply, his chest tightening.
Something inside him twisted so violently he had to look away.
Sebastian was watching him carefully. “Not what you expected?”
Rowan’s voice came out hoarse. “Not even close.”
A long silence stretched between them.
Sebastian leaned forward. “You were never meant to remember this, Vaughn.”
Rowan exhaled, gripping the edge of the seat.
But he did remember.
Not in clear images, not in full detail—
But his body remembered.
The unease. The hesitation. The way his hands shook while looking at her photos.
Something inside him knew. That he was disgusted by her. Everything about her made him feel nothing but disgust back then.
And now…now he cares for her. He wanted her and knowing he may have been the source of hurt in her. Broke his heart.
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