Chapter 287

The world spun, and suddenly she was swept off her feet-literally-lifted into his
arms.
“Let me go!” Anastasia struggled instinctively, her voice breaking. “I’m not going with you-mmph!”
But his arms, strong as steel, held her fast. No matter how she writhed, there was no escaping his iron grip.
Cradling her, Harrison strode out of the dorm building, his steps determined and unyielding.
A gasp rippled through the small crowd gathered outside. “What on earth
Everyone saw it happen-Anastasia, in tears and fighting to break free, while the man’s face was cold and forbidding, leaving no room for defiance as he carried her straight to the car.
Anastasia felt every stare burning into her, humiliation crashing over her in waves. She twisted, desperate, fumbling for the door handle the instant he set her down inside.
But before her hand could even brush the latch, he yanked her back, his grip unrelenting.
“And where exactly do you think you’re going, hmm?”
“It’s none of your business!” she snapped, breathless with anger.
His hold tightened, nearly trembling with restraint. “Are you trying to leave me, Ana?”
The question cut through her panic, slicing it with something sharper-fear. She looked up and saw a haunted wildness in his eyes, a look she’d seen before when his demons took hold, except now the intensity was even more frightening. “Ana?” His hand cupped her cheek, his gaze pinning her in place. “Are you trying to leave me?”
There was something in him now that made her want to shrink away, but beneath the fear was a deeper ache-pity, and love.
She jerked her face aside, blinking back tears. “I didn’t do anything wrong! You’re always dictating, forcing me to apologize. What’s so wrong about not wanting to see you?”
“You did nothing wrong?” Harrison shut his eyes, visibly struggling to keep his composure, his fingers digging into her wrist. “Then is it me who’s at fault?”
Before she could reply, his voice rolled over her, low and rough.
“You didn’t want me to go, you were scared I’d get hurt, scared something would happen to me. But did you ever stop to think about me?”
“Did you think about how I felt, knowing where you were going?”
“Did you think about what I would do if something happened—to you?”
Her tears faltered, caught in her throat.
He sounded exhausted, his voice gruff and raw. “Sweetheart, have you ever considered that, between us, I’m the one who can’t lose you?”
He pressed her head against his chest, shielding his face from her, but Anastasia could feel the faint tremor in his words, the emotion threatening to break free.
For a moment, she was stunned. Then something inside her-something she hadn’t known was fragile-collapsed with a soundless crash. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ.net
Mr. Harrison Lancaster: proud, untouchable, the kind of man who never bowed his head to anyone. Now he was here, asking her, pleading-If something happened to you, how would I go on? Have you ever thought that I need you more than you need me?
Her heart splintered with pain. Tears flooded her eyes, and she threw her arms around him.
“Darling, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!”
Guilt washed over her in a tidal wave. All this time, she’d only wanted to keep him from danger, never realizing how much she meant to him.
She remembered the hollow, haunted man he’d been before she came to Rosewood Manor. If anything ever happened to her, if she left him behind, he’d go back to that place or somewhere even darker. The thought twisted in her chest.
“I’m sorry, it was my fault… I never thought about any of that she whispered, her tears soaking his shirt.
Her surrender soothed something in him; the tension in Harrison’s arms eased, just a little.
“So, Ana’s not mad at me anymore?”
Without hesitation, she shook her head. “No, not mad… not anymore.”
“And will you come home with me now?”
She nodded, frantic and earnest. “Yes, yes I want to go home. Let’s go home together.”
“And Ana doesn’t want to