The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 901

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.”

“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—?”

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.”