The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

Hanna was seething. As far as she was concerned, everything Rowan had been

through was Anastasia's fault.

The night Rowan showed up at her clinic, covered in blood, Hanna nearly fainted

from the shock. There was a nasty gash running down his face—so deep she

could see the flesh beneath. His stomach, arms, and legs were all drenched in

blood.

Rowan had refused to go to the hospital. He was barely hanging on.

Hanna spent the entire night patching him up, not leaving his side for two days

and nights until he finally woke up.

"Hanna," Rowan warned quietly, "this doesn't concern you. Leave."

She shot him a cold look. "You'd be dead if it weren't for me. So yeah, it does

concern me." Turning to Anastasia, Hanna's tone was even frostier. "Please leave.

You're not welcome here."

Anastasia could tell right away that Hanna cared for Rowan. That would explain

the chilly reception.

Standing up, Anastasia bowed deeply to Rowan. "I'm sorry. Thank you."

What more could she say? A sorry, a thank you—there was nothing else left.

She bit her lip, then added softly, "Take care of yourself."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Rowan's eyes darkened, but he didn't try to stop her.

Hanna saw everything, her heart tight with frustration and a bite of injustice on his

behalf.

"It's time for your meds," Hanna snapped, setting the pills down hard on the

counter. "Take them yourself."

Normally, she'd hand him the pills—maybe even fuss over him a little. But today,

she was mad. Mad that he didn't care about himself, mad that he'd gotten hurt like

this and still acted like it didn't matter. What was she supposed to do or say to get

through to him?

Leaving the pills behind, she stormed out and caught up to Anastasia in the

clinic's lobby.

"Anastasia—wait."

Hanna's face was cold, her dislike plain as day.

Anastasia paused. "Yes, Dr. Hanna?"

Hanna sighed. "Look, it's always

been Rowan chasing after you.

You're married now, and he still can't

let go. Sometimes I think, if you were

the one chasing him, maybe I could

tell you to leave him alone. But

Rowan—he's stubborn as a mule.

Once he sets his mind on

something, nothing's going to

change it."

She shook her head, exasperated. "I

don't really have anything else to

say. Just, please, take care of

yourself. As long as you're okay, that

stubborn idiot will be too. Why can't

you just stay home, do some flower

arranging, feed your fish, get your

nails done, go shopping that's the

life you rich wives are supposed to

have, isn't it? Why are you always

getting into trouble?"

Anastasia was stunned. She'd had her fair share of rivals—Julie, Gianna, Sandy

—all of them hated her, wishing she'd drop off the face of the earth.

But Hanna, even with her obvious resentment, didn't wish her any harm.

Anastasia studied Hanna. She really fit her name—skin pale as snow, bold

features, and an aura that made people feel safe. She wore her lab coat, dark hair

pulled back in a loose ponytail.

Even angry, Hanna just seemed… comfortable to be around.

Curiosity got the better of Anastasia. "How long have you known Rowan?"

"Thirteen years," Hanna said, her

voice softening a touch. "He was

sixteen when I met him. First time

out in the world, got into a fight with

some punks, ended up with his head

split open. We're both orphans. For

thirteen years, we've looked out for

each other."

Back then, Hanna had only been thirteen herself, fumbling through her first

attempt at treating wounds. She'd been so afraid he'd die.

That night, Hanna decided she'd become a doctor.

She had a real gift for it—what took most people five years to learn, she'd

mastered in three. Rowan paid for the clinic. Whenever he got into trouble, she

was always his first call.

They'd leaned on each other for so long. Hanna used to think that's how it would

always be—just the two of them—until Anastasia showed up.

"It's hard to explain," Hanna said quietly. "Nobody else really gets what we have."

Anastasia nodded, understanding flickering in her eyes. "Rowan and Asher are

brothers, right? So why—?"noveldrama

Hanna gave a wry laugh. "Brothers? Asher treats Rowan like a weapon, a guard

dog. Rowan's the only one who actually cares about family. He'd do anything for

Asher—even if it ruins him."