Allegedly

Chapter 3: The Road to Emma's House

The highway stretched out before Rowan like an endless ribbon of asphalt, the landscape around him blurring into shades of brown and gray. The drive from Hugo to Fort Worth was long, but it gave him time to think-or more accurately, time for his mind to unravel further.

He pressed his foot on the gas, the hum of the engine vibrating through his bones as his old pickup rattled down the road. He hadn't been back to Texas in years, and the familiarity of it gnawed at him in a way that felt both comforting and suffocating. He could still remember the last time he drove this road, back when life made sense-when reality wasn't some twisted puzzle he couldn't put together.

As the miles ticked by, Rowan's thoughts drifted in and out of focus. Emma's message weighed heavy on him, the sense of urgency growing the closer he got to Saginaw. Her words echoed in his head, "I can't see, but I know something terrible is going to happen."

What was waiting for him in that house?

His phone buzzed on the seat beside him, and he glanced at it briefly-no new messages, just the same one from Emma. A part of him still doubted whether it had been real. The line between reality and hallucination had always been thin for him, especially when the withdrawal set in.

The sky darkened as the truck rolled past the outskirts of Fort Worth, the city fading into the wide, open fields of Saginaw. His eyes strained against the fading light, but the ranch house was just ahead, sitting at the end of a long gravel driveway. The place was as massive as he remembered, looming in the dusk like a ghost of the past.

Rowan pulled the truck to a stop and sat for a moment, staring at the house through the windshield. There was no movement, no sign of life-just the wind rustling the dry grass around the property. His pulse quickened, the sense of unease settling in his gut like a stone.

With a deep breath, he got out of the truck and approached the front door. The gravel crunched beneath his boots, each step heavier than the last. His hand hovered over the doorbell, but before he could press it, the door swung open.

Ada stood in the doorway, her expression unreadable in the dim light.

"Rowan," she said, her voice low and smooth. "You're here."

He hadn't seen Ada since they were both younger-since before everything in his life had fallen apart. She was different now. There was a hardness in her eyes, something guarded. Yet, at the same time, there was something undeniably magnetic about her. He felt it the moment she looked at him.

"I got a message from Emma," Rowan said, shifting awkwardly, trying to ground himself in the moment. "Is she okay?"

Ada's eyes flickered for a moment, but she didn't answer right away. Instead, she stepped aside, gesturing for him to come in. "She's resting."

Rowan hesitated before stepping inside. The house felt the same and yet different, the air thick with tension. The walls seemed to close in on him as he followed Ada down the hall. His senses felt dulled, like he was walking through a fog, unsure of where reality ended and his own mind began.

They reached a room at the end of the hall-one of the guest rooms, if he remembered right. Ada paused by the door, her fingers trailing along the frame.

"You look tired," she said, her voice softer now, almost intimate.

"I'm fine," Rowan muttered, though he wasn't. His body ached, his head pounded, and his mind was a mess of jumbled thoughts. He could barely focus on her words, but the way she was looking at him sent a strange shiver down his spine.

"Why don't you rest for a while?" Ada said, her lips curving into a faint smile. "You've had a long drive."

There was something in her tone that tugged at him, something dangerous and inviting all at once. His heart raced, and he couldn't tell if it was from nerves or something else. Rowan wasn't the kind of man to act on impulse, but there was a pull he couldn't resist. She stepped closer, her breath warm against his skin, and before he could think it through, his hand brushed against hers.

The touch ignited something deep in him-desire, confusion, need. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was drowning in her presence. Ada closed the distance between them, her body pressing against his. It was electric, and for a moment, Rowan let himself fall into the sensation, his mind going blank as he pulled her closer.

Her lips met his, and the world around him disappeared.

The next few minutes were a blur of heat and urgency, their bodies tangling together in the dim light of the room. Ada's hands moved over him with a practiced grace, and Rowan found himself lost in the moment, lost in her. It was unlike anything he'd felt in a long time, like some part of him had finally come alive again after years of numbness.

But just as quickly as it began, it was over.

Rowan blinked, his head spinning as he pulled back, breathless and disoriented. Ada was gone. The room was empty, the bed neatly made, as if nothing had happened.

He stood there, staring at the empty space, his mind reeling. Had it been real? Had any of it been real? He could still feel her touch on his skin, the ghost of her lips on his, but the room was quiet, still, untouched.

His heart pounded in his chest, confusion flooding his senses. Rowan staggered back, rubbing his face, trying to shake off the fog that clouded his thoughts. He couldn't tell what was real anymore, couldn't trust his own mind.

Maybe it had been a dream. Or maybe his mind was playing tricks on him again, weaving fantasies out of his deepest desires and fears.

He stumbled toward the door, his hand gripping the handle as he tried to steady himself. The house was silent now, too silent. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him, something just out of sight.

As he opened the door and stepped into the hallway, the weight of what just happened-or what he thought happened-pressed down on him. Ada was nowhere to be seen. The air felt cold, charged with something unsettling.

Rowan's mind raced as he made his way down the hall, his thoughts swirling in a chaotic spiral. Was Emma really in danger? Or was he?

He needed answers, but the house seemed to offer only more questions. And Ada... she was a mystery he couldn't yet unravel.