But one night, when I reached for his hand in bed, he flinched.
“Sorry, Mik. I’m just really tired.”
I knew he was lying.
Then he started locking our bedroom door in the afternoons. Once, when I knocked to ask about lunch, he snapped: “I’m fine, Mikayla. Please, just… not now.”
Rowan never snapped at me. And he never locked doors.
Doubt crept in. Did he regret marrying me? Was Mom right?
One afternoon, Mom called.
“I made too much baked ziti. Want me to swing by?”
I hesitated, then agreed.
That day, I left work early and beat her home. The apartment was silent—no music, no TV, not even the sound of Rowan’s wheels.
Then I heard a heavy thud from the bedroom. A dragging noise. Another thud. Quick, ragged breathing.
“Rowan?” I called. Silence.
I knocked. “Honey, are you alright?”
From behind the locked door: “I’m fine, Mik. Don’t come in.”
But his voice was clipped, breathless.
I searched for the emergency key, fumbling. Just then, the front door opened—Mom’s heels clicking on the tile.
“Mikayla? I brought the ziti! Is Rowan… wait, what’s happening?”
I didn’t answer. I unlocked the door and threw it open.
Mom followed, casserole dish in hand.
What I saw made my knees buckle.
Rowan was gripping the bedframe, sweat dripping down his face, arms trembling. His new prosthetic legs—sleek but foreign—were strapped on. His right hand was scraped raw.
He looked up, startled. “I told you not to come in,” he said, voice cracking.
Mom gasped. “Oh, sweetheart…”
