Free Web NovelChapter 181: Chapter 181
Gravel and twigs crunched under every footfall as she sprinted after her brother’s surprisingly agile pace. Her arms pumped at her sides in a determined rhythm, her muscles burning with the effort of pushing herself faster. Her mind had narrowed to a single objective— to catch Rowen—and everything else blurred around her.
For a long stretch, the only sounds in her ears were the pounding of her heart, the rasp of her own breath, and the heavy thuds of her shoes as she ran.
Rowen had managed to keep ahead of her for far longer than she anticipated, his small frame darting and weaving with the kind of childish nimbleness she had long outgrown.
But now she was gaining on him, steadily closing the gap he had created.
He convinced her to give him a long head start before the game began, insisting it would be unfair otherwise since she was still taller, stronger, and older. A full-grown young woman versus a child. Circe had relented, amused by his logic. But as she pushed herself harder to catch up, she deeply regretted granting him such an advantage, especially because the little rascal had clearly capitalized on it.
His laughter rang across the open field, high-pitched and effervescent, bubbling with a joy so pure it lifted some invisible weight off her chest.
Even though his laughter was meant to taunt her slowness, she found herself smiling. The corners of her mouth tugged upward almost involuntarily, her first genuine smile in days, since she learned the truth of her father’s betrayal.
She still had no idea how to explain any of it to a child as young as Rowen. How did one tell a little boy that the adults meant to protect him had failed him? How did one soften a truth that sharp?
She hated them for it. Hated her father. Hated Torben. Hated that they had thrust this responsibility onto her shoulders, as though she existed for no reason other than to fill in the spaces where they lacked. She didn’t regret anything she had sacrificed for Rowen but she resented that she was the only dependable person in his world, the only one who had ever put him first.
With effort, she shoved the bitter thoughts aside. Not now. Not while Rowen was laughing like sunlight come to life.
His delighted shrieks echoed between them, renewing her determination. This had once been a cherished childhood game she and Torben played, before everything soured between them, and before they grew into strangers living under the same roof.
The rules were simple. One person ran, and the other had to get close enough to tackle them to the ground. Back then, she and Torben had laughed the entire time.
"Just you wait," Circe called between breaths. "I’m going to get you!" She tried to muster bravado, though her lungs were burning and her legs growing sluggish from fatigue.
She didn’t slow. Pride wouldn’t let her, not when Rowen kept glancing back at her with that gleeful sparkle in his eyes.
But then, he veered towards a new direction.
In one impulsive movement, Rowen pivoted sharply and bolted toward the thick line of woods bordering the estate grounds.
Circe’s smile faltered instantly. A jolt of cold panic spiked through her chest. Out here in the open field, he was safe. In the woods, with its gnarled roots and low branches and uneven ground. One misstep could seriously injure him.
"Rowen! Stop! Don’t go in there!" she shouted. But he didn’t slow, not even a glance over his shoulder this time. He must have thought she was trying to trick him into stopping so she could win.
He vanished through the treeline, swallowed by shadow, and Circe’s heart lurched.
"Rowen!" She pushed herself harder, ignoring the stitch blooming in her side, and followed him into the woods.
Running here felt like fighting the terrain itself. She had to weave between trunks, duck under low hanging branches, and watch her footing carefully. The earth was uneven, riddled with roots half exposed like wooden traps waiting to be sprung. Her pace slowed, and frustration curled up in her chest.
"Fine, you win! Just stop running before you—"
Her warning caught in her throat.
Her foot snagged on a thick tree root and her momentum betrayed her. The world flipped. One moment she was upright, the next the ground rose violently to meet her.
She hit the forest floor with a brutal impact, a sharp cry ripping out of her as her left shoulder slammed into the earth. Pain burst across her body in a blinding white rush. She rolled instinctively, leaves and dirt scraping her skin, until she finally skidded to a halt a few feet from where she’d fallen.
For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. The pain was hot and pulsing, spreading down her arm and up her neck. Nothing felt broken but her shoulder throbbed in time with her heartbeat. She sucked in a shaky breath, then another, working through the worst of it.
Somewhere deeper in the woods, twigs snapped. Footsteps pounded toward her. Rowen burst back into view, his hair wild, cheeks flushed, chest heaving with panicked breaths.
"Circe?" he gasped, skidding to her side. His voice shook. "Circe, are you okay?"
He hovered over her, eyes huge with worry as he scanned her body for injuries. The guilt on his face was immediate and crushing, and Circe felt her irritation dissolve. She had wanted to scold him but the fear in his expression made her swallow back the reprimand. It wouldn’t help. Not when he looked so genuinely terrified to have caused her harm.
She exhaled slowly, bracing her good hand against the ground as she tried to sit up.
"I’m alright," she managed, wincing. "Just give me a second."
She pushed herself upright, wincing as the motion tugged at her shoulder. The ground beneath her was a scatter of twigs and fallen leaves, and she could already feel several of them tangled in her hair.
Circe brushed off her skirts, noticing the smudges of dirt marring the fabric.
"Let’s head back inside. Playtime is over." Her tone left no room for argument. freewёbnoνel.com
The dull ache in her shoulder sharpened with every step they took leaving the woods and crossing toward the manor. Rowen trailed at her side, casting anxious glances her way.
