Chapter 18
Julia chewed her lower lip as she stepped over the threshold of Harrington House, her heart pounding hard as she wondered if her memories would return in a triumphant flood or if she’d merely end up disappointed with a broken memory that showed no signs of being fixed.
It loomed large over her, its grandeur feeling more oppressive than welcoming. The scent of polished wood hung in the air, unfamiliar but oddly comforting.
She tried to picture her first time coming through this door. Had she been here before the wedding? Had she spent time here?
If she had, she had no recollection of it. The marble floors, the curving staircases, the ornate features, none of it brought back any memories. She still only had the one, though she now knew where they stood when he’d pressed his lips against hers.
It had been in this very space. She slid her eyes closed for a second. She’d kissed her husband’s son under his roof.
“Mrs. Harrington, so lovely to have you home,” an older man said.
Julia studied his white hair and kind features, searching for any sign of recognition, but found none. “Worthington, right?”
“That’s correct, Mrs. Harrington.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t remember you. I wish I did.”
Grant rubbed her shoulder. “It’s okay, Julia.”
But she felt as though it was anything but. She couldn’t remember a single person outside of Kyle. Why? There had to be a reason for that. Was it an emotional connection or something else?
“Would you like me to show you to your room?” Worthington asked.
Kyle cleared his throat.
“Not just yet, Worthington,” Grant said, his grip tightening on her shoulder. “I need to speak to Julia for a few moments.”
“Why don’t we go into the living room?” Kyle suggested.
“It may be better if I–” Grant began.
“Not a chance,” Kyle answered. “I think Julia will appreciate the support from all of us.”
Julia crinkled her brow. Support for what? Her heart began to thump out a heavy beat as she wondered what she’d hear. Their behavior was tense since she’d woken up. Why?
Her throat parched. Was Grant aware of whatever was going on between her and Kyle? Was their marriage on the rocks?
She froze as she stepped inside, her eyes lingering on the massive wedding photo of them mounted above the couch. It captured their smiling faces. She grinned up at Grant who cupped her face in his hands. He smiled sweetly at her. “Whoa.”
They looked happy. She looked happy.
“Do you remember anything from that day?” Sierra asked.
Julia stared at the massive picture again, searching her mind for any spark, but only darkness met her prodding. She shook her head, fear and disappointment welling inside her.
Grant eased her onto the couch, perching on the coffee table across from her and grabbing her hands. Sierra took a seat next to her.
Grant studied her, his features pinching. “Julia, there is something you need to know.”
“Okay.” She shifted on the leather couch as her stomach twisted in knots. There was something wrong. Was it her health or their relationship?
“It’s about our marriage.”
One question answered. She knew what was coming. They’d likely been on the verge of a divorce. She’d cheated…with his son. Was she a cheater? She didn’t know anything about herself to know if she was or wasn’t.
“Julia…when we got married…I…we…”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Julia, your marriage is nothing more than a contract set up to save Grant’s image,” Kyle said.
Julia snapped her gaze to Kyle, the words sending a similar set of shock vibes through her as when she realized she lost her memory. Contract? She shifted to study Grant. “Is that true?”
Grant licked his lips, a glimmer of an unreadable emotion flickering in his eyes. “Yes. It is. We…” He swallowed hard. “We met by accident, actually. You were looking for Sierra, and I was looking for someone to help improve my image. We discussed it, and agreed you were perfect for the role.”
Julia tried to fit the pieces together, a mix of disbelief and a strange, hollow betrayal. The room spun and each word echoed in a surreal cadence. Was their entire relationship a well-orchestrated lie? Did this make sense? Could she remember any of it? She’d assumed they’d married for love. Maybe that’s why her memories had been slow to return. But even with this information, she couldn’t recall a thing from her past.
“We got married a little over a year ago. We were supposed to stay married for one year.”
“Why are we still married?” she asked.
“Well, umm,” he said as he rubbed his chin, “we were still working through what we’d agreed to, and we extended the contract for another year.”
Her features pinched as she struggled to make sense of this. “Working through what? I’m sorry, I don’t remember any of this.”
“It’s okay, Julia. I don’t expect you to. We were working on figuring out who was behind a series of attacks on my company and this family. They’re using the name DG Industries. You actually stumbled on it. We haven’t sorted out who it was yet. But before your accident, you called me and said you thought you’d figured out who was behind it.”
As the words sank in, time seemed to slow. Each second stretched out, filled with the weight of her unremembered past. The voices around her became distant, muffled by the rushing sound in her ears as questions filled her mind.
What had her life been like for the past year? She wondered if she’d kept notes or something she could use to sort through this.
“Julia,” he said, his voice softening, “I’m sorry. This has to be very confusing and upsetting. I didn’t want to tell you at the hospital because I knew how upsetting this would be.”
She pinched her eyebrows together. She supposed he was correct. It was upsetting in a way. She’d gone from having a husband she couldn’t recall to being told she was in a loveless marriage in less than twenty-four hours. Her head spun.
“Julia, say something. Do you have questions or…anything?”
She sucked in a breath and flicked her gaze up to him. “I…I’m not sure where to start. But I am really sorry that I don’t remember any of this. That’s not going to help you much, is it?”
He shook his head. “I’m not concerned about that right now. I’m concerned about you.”
“Yeah, Julia. We all are very attached to you,” Sierra said as she rubbed her arm.
“And I knew who was doing this?”
“That’s what you said on the voicemail. I missed the call.” He glanced at the floor as though he deeply regretted that. She imagined he did. They would have had it solved, and he could have moved on with his life.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t remember this. I…” Tears welled in her eyes.
“Okay, I think that may be enough for now,” Kyle said as he strode toward them. “She’s clearly upset.”
“I can see that, Kyle. You’re the one who insisted we dump this on her the minute she got home.”
“I insisted she know the truth. It’s not fair to keep her in the dark and make her think you actually care about her when you’re just using her to salvage your precious company.”
Grant leapt from his seat, his hands curled into fists. Kyle matched his stance.
The two men, their faces etched with years of unresolved conflict and the weight of unspoken history between them, made her feel even more isolated and adrift in this unfamiliar world.
“Whoa, that’s enough!” Sierra shouted as she jumped up. “Don’t you think Julia’s had enough shocks for today without you two coming to blows again?”
Again? Had they physically fought before?
Grant stretched his neck as he let his hands relax and took a step back. “She’s right.”
“I’m taking Julia up to her room to rest. Maybe you two ought to go to separate corners,” Sierra said as she tugged Julia up to stand.
The two men stared at her as Sierra marched her from the room. “So sorry about that, Julia, but as you’ll learn–or remember–Daddy and Kyle aren’t very fond of each other.”
“Oh, look, she’s home!” Lydia said as they stepped from the room.
“Can it, Mom. No one wants to hear from you!”
Julia stared at her before she glanced at Sierra as they ascended the stairs. “Does she live here, too?”
“Unfortunately,” Sierra answered. “We’re all hoping she moves soon.”
“Did you say Grant and Kyle had been in a physical fight before?” Julia asked.
“Yep,” Sierra answered.
“Over?”
“You,” she answered as they snaked through the opulent halls. “Sort of. Daddy didn’t know Kyle existed until recently. It’s a long story.”
They arrived at a set of double doors, and Sierra pushed them over. “This is your room. Your home office is through there.”
She pointed to a set of doors leading to another space. “You should probably rest.”
“Right,” Julia said as thoughts crowded into her brain. She stared at the plush bedding, wanting to crawl into a ball under the covers and hide from the world.
“Oh, Julia,” Sierra said as she reached the door.
Julia twisted to face her.
“You aren’t just an employee to us. We do care, despite what Kyle says.”
“Thanks,” she said with a fleeting smile before the woman disappeared from the room.
Julia stared at the oversized room, wrapping her hands around her midriff as she tried to recall any of it. She’d lived here for a year, and she couldn’t remember a thing.
Her marriage was a sham. Her husband’s son had feelings for her. Some strange organization was attacking the Harringtons, and apparently, she’d discovered who was behind it only to lose her memory.
She perched on the edge of the bed as her thoughts overwhelmed her. Nothing jarred her memory, either. That was the truly frightening part. What would happen if she never remembered? Would she be chucked out on the streets to find her own way? She’d be of no use to them, probably.
How had Sierra described her? An employee?
Her heart sank, and her stomach twisted in knots. She glanced at the doors Sierra had motioned to earlier. Office.
With determination filling her, she rose and crossed to it. She found a large workspace. Shredded papers filled one table. She picked a few pieces up and studied them before she grabbed two taped-together forms. They listed partners in a limited liability corporation. Had she pieced this together?
She eased into the supple leather office chair and twisted toward the computer. As she shimmied the mouse to wake it, she caught sight of the wedding photo next to it.
It was a window to a life she couldn’t recall. Her own smiling face, so full of joy and love, was like looking at a stranger. The dissonance between her blank memories and the vivid happiness in the photo sent a pang of loss through her heart.
Was she an accomplished actress? She looked happy. Why? It had all been a sham.
She flicked her gaze to the glowing screen instead, pulling up an internet browser and typing in a simple search for her husband.
Results populated the screen. She clicked on a few news articles from the past few months.
The first detailed his campaign for Senate. A series of scandals rocked it, including the latest which suggested an affair that he vehemently denied.
She clicked the video and watched herself stand by his side as he read a statement saying the photos had been doctored. A reporter asked her a question, and she defended him. She supposed that had been scripted, though she’d done a convincing job.
Another recent story announced Julia Harrington as interim CEO of Harrington Global while Grant pursued a Senate seat. She studied herself as she smiled at the camera. Had she really fulfilled that role?
She dug further back into the articles. Her heart thudded as she clicked on one that said Explosion at Harrington Wind Farm Wounds CEO. She perused the scant article detailing an explosion that had trapped Grant for hours and required emergency surgery to save his life.
The next article described a public brawl between Grant and Kyle over a woman who she assumed to be her, recognizing her image in the grainy cell phone video that captured it.
Another news story discussed a foiled kidnapping. Julia’s mind whirled as she realized she’d been involved. She perused one about Grant’s being arrested for murder, followed by one entitled Billionaire Bride Backs Him Up; Spins New Narrative. A photo of them, hands clasped, topped it.
She ended her trip through the past year with a photo of her and Grant at a restaurant, captured mid-laugh. The article suggested the city’s most eligible bachelor was off the market, having fallen for an unknown beauty.
She clicked back to the search page, as she tried to make sense of the missing chunks of her life. A deluge of emotions built in her, ranging from confusion to upset and ending with panic. How had this been her life? How did she not remember it?
And most importantly: what was she going to do about it?
She gulped down the bile rising in her throat as she tried to recall any of this but found her memory a black hole. Her hands shook, and her knees wobbled as she rose. She needed to get away. She didn’t know where, but her panic pushed her to spill into the hallway. She stumbled forward as confusion and trepidation drove her frenzied steps.
As she rounded a corner, she plowed into a figure. Bouncing back a step, she raised her wide eyes, spotting Kyle.
His features registered concern as he reached for her. “Julia? You okay?”
She stood stunned for a moment before her features pinched, and she shook her head.
“Okay, come on,” he said as he slid an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Where?” she asked, her voice breaking.
“Somewhere quiet where you can think.”
She allowed him to lead her through the halls and down the stairs to the front door. By the time they reached the foyer, her heart raced. Kyle’s grip, firm, but gentle, guided her across the cold marble floor. A storm of emotions raged within her.
Before they reached the door, Grant strode toward them. “Julia? Are you okay?”
“No, she is not,” Kyle said.
Grant’s forehead creased as he shifted his gaze between them. “Okay, why don’t you try to rest–”
“No, she’s not going to go rest. I’m taking her out of here so she can think.”
Grant fluttered his eyelashes at the words before he scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
“Stand aside, Dad.”
Grant skirted him and stood in front of the door. “I will not. You’re not leaving here with Julia.”