Seven Years Lost: My Firefighter fiancé Saved Everyone But Our Love - Chapter 81: Chapter 81
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Going to a place beyond any country's reach, she needed to take her solo research with her.
But all the research data and samples were locked up in the lab.
To open the lab, they needed both her and Asher's fingerprints and passwords—both of them had to be there to unlock that door.
Soon after, Rosalind finally saw her son Nolan return. His face was streaked with tears, and he was passed out from exhaustion.
Rosalind kissed her son's forehead. "Nolan, would you want to leave with Mommy?"
Nolan's eyelashes fluttered as he looked at Rosalind, crying: "Mommy, I almost fell in the water."
A five-year-old kid already knew what was up.
The guy who took Nolan away was Asher's right-hand assistant.
Rosalind's eyes welled up.
"Nolan, if you come with Mommy, there won't be a Daddy anymore. Are you okay with that?"
Nolan wrapped his little arms around Rosalind's neck and nodded.
"Wherever Mommy goes, that's where I go."
Rosalind took Nolan to the company. Her fingerprint and password could get them to the high-level research lab.
But she couldn't open that damn door no matter what.
Through the glass, she could see the computers inside and all her experimental samples.
There was one experiment where all the data was her work alone—the only thing she needed to take.
"Mommy, it's not working. Daddy's not here, so you can't open it."
Rosalind's mind flashed back to when they built this lab, when Asher was setting up their fingerprints and passwords.
He'd held her, whispering in her ear: "Rosalind, don't tell me this password, and I won't tell you mine. All the company's most important stuff is in here. Only when we're both here together can we open this door and see everything. That way we'll always be connected, never apart."
When two people are in love, that's mutual dependence.
But when the love's gone? That's the perfect way to screw each other over.
Asher Kemnis, did you ever think about today five years ago?
The lab door stayed shut.
Rosalind took Nolan straight to their home on the second floor.
For years, she'd lived here at the company with Nolan and Asher. It wasn't until Claire showed up that they bought the house, trying to live like a real family.
Everything here was from before Claire appeared.
Rosalind and Nolan got to work.
Rosalind sorted through all her stuff—things Asher had bought her, gifts she'd bought him, and all those couple's items she'd secretly picked out with such stupid hope. Nolan packed up all his things.
"Mommy, Daddy bought this one—trash it. You bought this one—taking it. This is our family photo—don't want it."
The little guy had three bags, sorting everything lightning fast.
Rosalind held back tears, watching her son categorize everything so clearly.
Asher, do you know how smart Nolan is?
Without me saying a word, he already knows you gave up on him.
Nolan ran over and hugged Rosalind. His little hands wiped away her tears.
"Mommy, you've always wanted to work in that ocean lab, right? You said oceans cover three-quarters of our planet and we need to protect them. You've always wanted to be an ocean protector. Mommy's the best at everything—you're just gonna follow your dreams. I'm totally behind you, and I'm coming with you too."
Rosalind looked at a painting across the room.
Asher was really good at painting. It was an oil painting he'd done when Nolan was two—of Nolan and her together.
Rosalind walked over to it. Then she opened the paint box nearby, grabbed a brush and started painting over it, bit by bit.
Nolan immediately picked up a small brush and copied her, painting over himself in the picture too.
The little guy said sweetly: "Mommy, I'm gonna learn to paint and only paint pictures of you. I'm gonna be amazing—way better than this stupid painting."
Rosalind smiled faintly, stroking her son's face.
After they finished packing everything up, Rosalind made a call to had the waste management guys haul everything away.
Including the bed she and Asher had slept in, the couch, the kitchen stuff—everything.
All the cozy photos she'd hung on the walls, and Nolan's messy little scribbles—she tore it all down and threw it out, then grabbed fresh paint and went over the walls.
Until this 2,000-square-foot place was empty, not even a paperclip left behind with walls gleaming white.
Not a trace of their life remained.
Even the stomach medicine she'd always kept in the kitchen for Asher—every last pill was gone.
This whole thing took a day and a night. Nolan ended up sleeping on the floor.
Rosalind carried Nolan back to their house.
She pushed open the door.
The living room was thick with smoke, the ashtray piled high with at least fifteen cigarette butts.
Asher's usually cold face looked completely wrecked, his bloodshot eyes all red and raw.
His voice was ice-cold and bitter: "Claire got bullied the second she hit campus. She's laid up in her dorm room, covered in bruises, and doesn't even have money for medicine!"
Asher had been waiting for her, his face full of accusations, those freezing eyes cutting right through her like she was his enemy.
Rosalind glanced down at sleeping Nolan in her arms.
"Asher, whatever you've got to say, don't do it in front of our son."
Rosalind started heading upstairs.
But then Claire appeared at the top of the stairs.
She was wearing this white nightgown, her hair cascading down to her waist in waves, that innocent face all twisted up in panic.
Her nervous hands were clutching at her nightgown.
"Rosalind, I... I promise I won't bother Asher anymore. Please don't send me away."
The girl stood there with tears streaming down her face, looking at Rosalind like some kicked puppy.
Asher was already off the couch, heading straight for Claire on the stairs.
He brushed her hair aside with his fingers, revealing the clear handprint marks on her pale cheek where someone had slapped her hard.
Claire collapsed into Asher's arms, sobbing.
"Rosalind, the people who hurt me said someone paid them to do it. You sent me to that top music school, so it definitely wasn't you bullying me."
Asher's eyes went completely cold, his icy stare fixed on Rosalind downstairs.
"Rosalind, you don't have to like Claire, but I told you—I'm taking care of her until she graduates at 25, until her uncle comes back."
"But every time I cut you some slack, you just keep screwing with Claire."
Rosalind noticed her son had woken up. He tried to turn his head, but Rosalind stopped him.
"Nolan, close your eyes." Rosalind fought to keep her voice steady.
"Asher, Berklee is one of the top three music schools in the world. If there's bullying going on, you can call the cops or go investigate it yourself instead of coming at me with this crap."
Claire was crying hysterically: "Rosalind, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Claire dropped to her knees and begged.
"Please, Rosalind, I just want to stay in school here in London. I'll live on campus, I promise I'll only come home once a month—no, half a day is fine."
Claire's tears had Asher completely under her spell. He scooped Claire up right in front of Rosalind.
Those vicious eyes boring into her.
"We're talking in my office later. I gotta take care of Claire first."
Rosalind numbly headed upstairs.
Nolan, still leaning against her shoulder, said in his little voice:
"Mommy, can we ditch Daddy sooner?"
Rosalind rubbed her son's back, her heart breaking: "Yeah, sweetheart. Mommy's gonna try."
Rosalind carried Nolan down the second-floor hallway, heading to Nolan's bedroom.
As they passed Claire's room, she noticed the door wasn't shut all the way—just a tiny crack.
Through that gap, she saw Asher pinning Claire down on the bed and his hand sliding up under Claire's white nightgown.
Her body went completely rigid, her eyes filling with pain.
Asher, is this how you "take care" of her?
But all the research data and samples were locked up in the lab.
To open the lab, they needed both her and Asher's fingerprints and passwords—both of them had to be there to unlock that door.
Soon after, Rosalind finally saw her son Nolan return. His face was streaked with tears, and he was passed out from exhaustion.
Rosalind kissed her son's forehead. "Nolan, would you want to leave with Mommy?"
Nolan's eyelashes fluttered as he looked at Rosalind, crying: "Mommy, I almost fell in the water."
A five-year-old kid already knew what was up.
The guy who took Nolan away was Asher's right-hand assistant.
Rosalind's eyes welled up.
"Nolan, if you come with Mommy, there won't be a Daddy anymore. Are you okay with that?"
Nolan wrapped his little arms around Rosalind's neck and nodded.
"Wherever Mommy goes, that's where I go."
Rosalind took Nolan to the company. Her fingerprint and password could get them to the high-level research lab.
But she couldn't open that damn door no matter what.
Through the glass, she could see the computers inside and all her experimental samples.
There was one experiment where all the data was her work alone—the only thing she needed to take.
"Mommy, it's not working. Daddy's not here, so you can't open it."
Rosalind's mind flashed back to when they built this lab, when Asher was setting up their fingerprints and passwords.
He'd held her, whispering in her ear: "Rosalind, don't tell me this password, and I won't tell you mine. All the company's most important stuff is in here. Only when we're both here together can we open this door and see everything. That way we'll always be connected, never apart."
When two people are in love, that's mutual dependence.
But when the love's gone? That's the perfect way to screw each other over.
Asher Kemnis, did you ever think about today five years ago?
The lab door stayed shut.
Rosalind took Nolan straight to their home on the second floor.
For years, she'd lived here at the company with Nolan and Asher. It wasn't until Claire showed up that they bought the house, trying to live like a real family.
Everything here was from before Claire appeared.
Rosalind and Nolan got to work.
Rosalind sorted through all her stuff—things Asher had bought her, gifts she'd bought him, and all those couple's items she'd secretly picked out with such stupid hope. Nolan packed up all his things.
"Mommy, Daddy bought this one—trash it. You bought this one—taking it. This is our family photo—don't want it."
The little guy had three bags, sorting everything lightning fast.
Rosalind held back tears, watching her son categorize everything so clearly.
Asher, do you know how smart Nolan is?
Without me saying a word, he already knows you gave up on him.
Nolan ran over and hugged Rosalind. His little hands wiped away her tears.
"Mommy, you've always wanted to work in that ocean lab, right? You said oceans cover three-quarters of our planet and we need to protect them. You've always wanted to be an ocean protector. Mommy's the best at everything—you're just gonna follow your dreams. I'm totally behind you, and I'm coming with you too."
Rosalind looked at a painting across the room.
Asher was really good at painting. It was an oil painting he'd done when Nolan was two—of Nolan and her together.
Rosalind walked over to it. Then she opened the paint box nearby, grabbed a brush and started painting over it, bit by bit.
Nolan immediately picked up a small brush and copied her, painting over himself in the picture too.
The little guy said sweetly: "Mommy, I'm gonna learn to paint and only paint pictures of you. I'm gonna be amazing—way better than this stupid painting."
Rosalind smiled faintly, stroking her son's face.
After they finished packing everything up, Rosalind made a call to had the waste management guys haul everything away.
Including the bed she and Asher had slept in, the couch, the kitchen stuff—everything.
All the cozy photos she'd hung on the walls, and Nolan's messy little scribbles—she tore it all down and threw it out, then grabbed fresh paint and went over the walls.
Until this 2,000-square-foot place was empty, not even a paperclip left behind with walls gleaming white.
Not a trace of their life remained.
Even the stomach medicine she'd always kept in the kitchen for Asher—every last pill was gone.
This whole thing took a day and a night. Nolan ended up sleeping on the floor.
Rosalind carried Nolan back to their house.
She pushed open the door.
The living room was thick with smoke, the ashtray piled high with at least fifteen cigarette butts.
Asher's usually cold face looked completely wrecked, his bloodshot eyes all red and raw.
His voice was ice-cold and bitter: "Claire got bullied the second she hit campus. She's laid up in her dorm room, covered in bruises, and doesn't even have money for medicine!"
Asher had been waiting for her, his face full of accusations, those freezing eyes cutting right through her like she was his enemy.
Rosalind glanced down at sleeping Nolan in her arms.
"Asher, whatever you've got to say, don't do it in front of our son."
Rosalind started heading upstairs.
But then Claire appeared at the top of the stairs.
She was wearing this white nightgown, her hair cascading down to her waist in waves, that innocent face all twisted up in panic.
Her nervous hands were clutching at her nightgown.
"Rosalind, I... I promise I won't bother Asher anymore. Please don't send me away."
The girl stood there with tears streaming down her face, looking at Rosalind like some kicked puppy.
Asher was already off the couch, heading straight for Claire on the stairs.
He brushed her hair aside with his fingers, revealing the clear handprint marks on her pale cheek where someone had slapped her hard.
Claire collapsed into Asher's arms, sobbing.
"Rosalind, the people who hurt me said someone paid them to do it. You sent me to that top music school, so it definitely wasn't you bullying me."
Asher's eyes went completely cold, his icy stare fixed on Rosalind downstairs.
"Rosalind, you don't have to like Claire, but I told you—I'm taking care of her until she graduates at 25, until her uncle comes back."
"But every time I cut you some slack, you just keep screwing with Claire."
Rosalind noticed her son had woken up. He tried to turn his head, but Rosalind stopped him.
"Nolan, close your eyes." Rosalind fought to keep her voice steady.
"Asher, Berklee is one of the top three music schools in the world. If there's bullying going on, you can call the cops or go investigate it yourself instead of coming at me with this crap."
Claire was crying hysterically: "Rosalind, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Claire dropped to her knees and begged.
"Please, Rosalind, I just want to stay in school here in London. I'll live on campus, I promise I'll only come home once a month—no, half a day is fine."
Claire's tears had Asher completely under her spell. He scooped Claire up right in front of Rosalind.
Those vicious eyes boring into her.
"We're talking in my office later. I gotta take care of Claire first."
Rosalind numbly headed upstairs.
Nolan, still leaning against her shoulder, said in his little voice:
"Mommy, can we ditch Daddy sooner?"
Rosalind rubbed her son's back, her heart breaking: "Yeah, sweetheart. Mommy's gonna try."
Rosalind carried Nolan down the second-floor hallway, heading to Nolan's bedroom.
As they passed Claire's room, she noticed the door wasn't shut all the way—just a tiny crack.
Through that gap, she saw Asher pinning Claire down on the bed and his hand sliding up under Claire's white nightgown.
Her body went completely rigid, her eyes filling with pain.
Asher, is this how you "take care" of her?
End of Seven Years Lost: My Firefighter fiancé Saved Everyone But Our Love Chapter 81. Continue reading Chapter 82 or return to Seven Years Lost: My Firefighter fiancé Saved Everyone But Our Love book page.