Chapter 26
Julia drummed her fingers against her forearm as she frowned. Despite remembering almost everything, her mind failed to recall the person she had identified as the driving force behind DG Industries.
Her relief over regaining her memories was short-lived as frustration set in over not being able to answer Grant’s question.
A tangle of emotions knotted in her chest, a mix of relief and exasperation. Each memory she’d regained represented a victory, yet the elusive shadow around the accident loomed large, an unsolved puzzle that gnawed at her.
“Stop trying to remember it, Julia, that’ll only make things worse,” Grant said as he grabbed her hand.
“I can’t believe I can remember everything but what happened right around the accident.” She rubbed her fingers against her forehead.
Grant squeezed her hand. “Well, that’s not surprising. I’m just glad you remember everything else.”
“So am I,” she admitted as Dr. Gray strode into the room with his tablet.
“Well, I see you’re awake and you’re remembering.”
Julia smiled at him and nodded. “Yes. I am. So, can I leave?”
“I’m beginning to think you don’t like me,” he said with a frown.
“It’s not you. It’s me. I’m fine. I remember everything. I feel fine. I want to go home.”
He glanced at her chart before he winced. “I’d rather you stay here for at least the night just in case.”
“I’d really rather go home.” The sterile white walls and soft hum of the medical equipment felt confining, a stark contrast to the freedom she yearned for. She longed for the familiar comforts of Harrington House, away from the clinical, impersonal surroundings.
“But here we have medical professionals to make sure you’re okay if anything should happen.”
She grabbed Kyle’s hand and smiled. “We have Kyle. He’s a doctor. He’ll take excellent care of me.”
She ignored the tensing of Grant’s jaw at the words, too investing in her desperate plea to not spend another night in the hospital.
Dr. Gray studied her for a moment before he flicked his gaze to Kyle. “Twenty-four-hour observation. Any signs of confusion, any blackouts…”
“She’s right back here,” Kyle answered.
“You win, Julia,” Dr. Gray said with a smile. “I’ll have them get your discharge papers ready.”
“Thank you,” she said with a relieved sigh.
“Umm, do we have to take Kyle with us?” Sierra asked after the doctor left. “We have eyes, and we can clearly see if you’re confused or blacked out.” She offered Julia a protective glance. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“There are other things to monitor, Sierra,” he shot back.
“Right, sure there are.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I missed the part where you got your medical degree.”
“Well, I didn’t miss the part where you use any opportunity you can to–“
“Okay, that’s enough out of both of you,” Grant said. “I’m not taking any chances with Julia’s health. Kyle is nonnegotiable.”
Kyle offered his sister a haughty glance as she scoffed.
“Ugh, fine. Crazy Kyle moves back in.” She wagged a finger at him. “Don’t get too comfortable.”
“Lydia is still there,” he said. “And she’s weirder than I am.”
“Don’t remind me,” Sierra said.
The mention of Lydia cast a pall over Julia’s brightening mood. The reminder of unresolved tensions lurking at Harrington House hung like a dark cloud on the horizon of her newly regained clarity.
The memory of her last conversation with Lydia popped into her mind. Grant’s losing interest in you. She slid her eyes sideways to her husband, wondering if any part of those words were true. With all her memories back, she recalled her strong feelings for Grant. But what she also recalled was his past. Was Lydia right?
Lydia’s insinuations about Grant echoed in her mind, intertwining with her own doubts. Did Grant’s past hold truths she hadn’t faced? The memories, complex, but sweet, painted a picture of a growing connection, but Lydia’s words cast a long, dark shadow over it all.
She chewed her lower lip as she tried to parse through everything that had happened since her accident.
“Julia? You feeling okay?” Grant asked, pulling her mind away.
“Yes, just anxious to go home.” Her hand instinctively went to her neck, feeling the absence of the familiar compass necklace. “Oh, my necklace.”
“Oh, the compass thingy?” Sierra said. “I put it in your jewelry box at home.”
“Thanks,” she said as the nurse entered with her discharge instructions.
Within fifteen minutes, she was in the car with Grant heading back to Harrington House. She smiled at James in the front, pleased to remember him. As the familiar streets flashed by, each one weaving into the tapestry of her rediscovered memories, the car”s interior retained its tranquil aura. It served as a peaceful sanctuary, guiding them from the sterile clinical world back to the intricate complexities of Harrington House.
She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over her face as the rambling, strategically lit facade of her current home came into view as they wound down the driveway.
Worthington awaited them as they entered the expansive foyer. The grandeur enveloped her, its familiar elegance a reminder of the life she’d stepped into.
Julia smiled at him. “Worthington, this time I remember you.”
Worthington grinned at her. “I am so pleased, Mrs. Harrington. We are so pleased to have you home again.”
“I’m glad to be back, especially with my memories.”
Kyle wandered in a few minutes after them, his bag in hand. “And now that you are, you need to rest.”
She heaved a sigh. “All I do is rest.”
“I agree. You need it,” Grant said. “After everything you’ve been through, we’re not taking any chances.”
“You two pick the worst times to agree.”
Grant slid his eyes sideways to Kyle. “Wonders never cease, I guess. Now, upstairs, Julia.”
“I agree. I’m just going to put my bag in my room and come to check on you.”
Julia mounted the stairs with a sigh and a slight roll of her eyes.
“Don’t make me come up there, Julia.”
“I won’t do anything,” she promised, already planning to check a few things out in search of the force behind DG Industries.
“Keep an eye on her,” he murmured to Kyle. “She’ll be onto something within minutes of walking into that room.”
“Not on my watch,” Kyle promised him as he followed behind her.
With a sigh, she snaked through the halls to her room and leaned against the door as she scanned it. This time it seemed so much more comforting. She crossed to the jewelry box and tugged open a few drawers in search of her pendant.
Her eyes fell on the sapphire necklace, a flood of memories from one year prior. She recalled the night of the gala, the gift from Grant, and the arrest later. Their marriage certainly had started off with a bang.
A bittersweet pang twisted her heart, and she shoved the drawer closed. In another drawer, she found the compass. Her eyes slid closed as she wrapped her fingers around it. Another rush of memories raced across her mind, warm, sweet, less complicated.
She bit into her lower lip before she slipped the necklace around her neck, feeling its weight and appreciating the comfort it brought her.
She dug her phone from her pocket and scrolled through the contacts to Alicia, pressing the call button next to her name. After two rings, her sister’s voice filled her ears. “Hey, Juju.”
The image of the woman filled her mind, and she grinned, biting back tears. “Hi, sis.”
“You feeling better?”
“I am,” she said. “Much, much better.”
“Well, that’s good. So, are you smashing away at that manuscript?”
“Not just yet. I just…wanted to hear your voice.”
“My voice?” Alicia chuckled as she spoke. “Ohhh, wait a second, this is the best time for me to ask you to come home. If you missed my voice, you’ve got to miss the entire package.”
Julia laughed as she settled into her chair. “I do miss you. I just…”
“Can’t come home. I know, I know. And I’m sure my rough past few calls haven’t made you want to come running back.”
“Ally, it has nothing to do with that. I’d want nothing more than to be there to help you through this with Ethan, but…”
“But now that I’m having trouble with Ethan, you’re even more convinced coming home is the wrong move. I get it. Luke is…Listen, the next time he’s out of town, I’ll call you, and you can come visit me then.”
Julia’s smile faded as her hand went to her necklace. “We’ll see. If I don’t get working on this manuscript, I won’t be going anywhere.”
“Well, go get working on it so you can come home.”
“Yeah, yeah. I will.”
“Hey, Juju,” her sister said before she could hang up, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you can’t avoid him forever.”
Julia licked her lips, her mind whirling. Maybe she could. Could she really never go home again? A knock interrupted her thoughts. She rose and opened the door, finding Kyle in the hall.
“Okay, lecture over. And I’m sorry. Just please come home soon. Face it, then you won’t have to keep avoiding it, and we can actually see each other.”
He followed her inside as she shuffled back to the chair, resting a hand against the wing. “I’ll think about it. I just…I need a little more time.”
“Don’t take too much. I miss you. And I need you.”
“Okay.”
“Yeah, okay. That’s a no. I’m not going to stop asking. Just so you know. Be prepared to be exasperated. Because I’m going to bug you.”
Julia smiled. “Consider me warned.”
“Consider yourself lucky I’m letting you off with a warning and not coordinating with the New Orleans police to have you extradited back to Harbor Cove.”
“I’m not a criminal, you can’t do that.”
“Oh-ho, you’re not a criminal right now. But a few little taps on my keyboard, and suddenly, you’re wanted in five states. Don’t tempt me.”
“Very funny. I’m hanging up now.”
“Bye, sis. Don’t make me make you a criminal.”
“Bye,” she answered before she ended the call and twisted to face Kyle. “Sorry.”
“Should I ask or is it too complicated?” he asked.
“It was my sister. I just wanted to hear her voice now that I actually remember her.”
He pressed two fingers against the inside of her wrist. “And the part about you being a criminal?”
“She’d really like me to come home. She threatened to give me a criminal record so I’d have to.”
“Your sister sounds frightening.”
“She can be,” Julia answered. “I hope I can avoid her for a little longer.”
“Because she has no idea you’re married. So you don’t want to go home and explain that ring on your finger.”
Julia flicked her gaze to the floor as she rubbed her thumb over her engagement ring. “I don’t want to explain any of it.”
“And you can’t leave here to see her even if you leave the ring behind.”
“That’s not true,” she said. “I’m certain if I wanted to see Ally, Grant wouldn’t have an issue.”
He pulled his stethoscope from around his neck and donned it. “Then do that. Then you won’t be in any danger of being transported back there like a criminal.”
The cold metal pressed against her blouse, sending a shiver down her spine. “Sorry, next time I’ll warm it.”
“It’s not that.”
“Oh, yeah? Is it about why you’re avoiding going home?”
She slid her eyes up to his. “It’s complicated.”
“Oh, Julia, everything seems to be complicated with you.”
“Let’s just drop it,” she suggested. “Do I check out?”
“That depends,” he answered.
“On?”
“On what you’re planning to do now.”
“I’m not going to do anything,” she promised.
He collapsed into the chair. “Good, then you won’t mind me staying to make sure.”
She pressed her lips together as he ruined any plans of her tracking down information. “You really don’t have to. I’m just going to sit here.”
She plopped into the chair.
“Well, you are now.”
She sat for a few minutes before she sighed. “I can’t take anymore. I was actually going to search my phone for clues about whoever I thought was behind DG Industries.”
He tugged the phone from her hands. “No. You’re supposed to be resting. And as your doctor, I’m going to make certain that’s what you do.”
She heaved a sigh as her mind whirled, trying to search her memory for the information but finding only blackness.
“Julia, can we talk?”
“If it’s about why I won’t go home, or how controlling Grant is, no,” she answered.
“It’s not. It’s about us.”
Julia shifted in her seat, not wanting to tackle that minefield either.
Kyle offered her an uncomfortable glance. “I don’t want to pressure you, I just want to make sure we’re okay after what happened.”
She snapped her eyes to him. “It’s fine. I told you in the hospital, those memories just startled me. And with the limited information I had at the time, I panicked. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
“I do. It must have been upsetting.”
“It couldn’t have been as upsetting as it was to you. Both times.” His penitent expression spoke volumes.
“It’s over. Let’s put it behind us.”
He heaved a sigh, seeming to be relieved. “Thank you, Julia. I hate that we have that between us.”
“You weren’t in a good place then.”
“I wasn’t. But I’m trying to change that.”
“Well, that’s all that matters,” she said with a soft smile. “And it would also go a long way if you could do something else for me.”
“Name it.”
“I never got those cookies.”
He chuckled as he shook his head. “You aren’t serious.”
“I am. I was this close to cookies before those memories interrupted.”
Kyle heaved a sigh as he rose and grabbed her phone. “I’ll get cookies.”
“Why are you taking my phone?”
“Because I don’t trust you, Julia,” he said as he slipped into the hall.
Julia heaved a sigh, considering searching her computer for any clues but she’d likely never get any information before Kyle returned.
A knock sounded at the door, and she nodded. “Nope, I never would have had enough time.”
She shuffled to the door and pulled it open. “You didn’t have to…knock.”
Her features melted from an amused smile to a serious expression as she stared at the figure looming in her doorway. “Lydia.”
“Julia. I see we’ve had another health scare.” She pushed through the door into the room.
“Please, come in,” Julia said.
“I already have. This must be the confusion Grant was talking about.”
Julia let her gaze float to the ceiling as she searched for patience. “I’m not confused. I was being sarcastic. Did you want something, Lydia? I hope not more free advice.”
“No,” she said with a raise of her shoulder. “You know how I feel about your little game here. But that’s not it. Grant said your memory’s back, so I think we have to get a few things straight.”
“About?”
“DG Industries.”
The name stopped Julia’s heart. She narrowed her eyes at Lydia, her forehead creasing. Lydia stormed toward her and slammed the door closed, locking it before she grabbed Julia by the arm and hauled her to the chair. “Sit down, Cupcake. We need to talk.”
“Lydia, I don’t know–”
“Spare me the innocent act. I heard your little story about all your memories returning except one key thing from the night of your accident.”
“That’s true, but–”
Lydia set her hands on her hips, her features settling into an unimpressed stare. “But nothing. I don’t believe you. So, what do you want?”
“I don’t want…” Her voice trailed off as she recalled being at the Harrington Global office. She’d left, driven to Riverside Park, and waited to see who Christopher Metcalfe was meeting with after his cryptic text. Her eyes centered on Lydia. “You.”
“Yes, Sweet Cheeks, me. I’m one of the forces behind DG, as you well know.”
“How could you do this?” Julia cried.
Lydia’s lips tugged back in a smirk. “How couldn’t I? You’ll see, Julia. It’s only been a year. But soon enough, you’ll be tossed over for wife number six. Younger, prettier. Whatever tickles his latest fancy.”
“You left him!” Julia answered.
“I had my reasons. You’ll see.”
“No, I won’t. I’m telling Grant,” she said, as she rose from her seat.
Lydia shoved her back into it. “I don’t think so, darling. You’re not going to say anything to Grant. In fact, you’re going to help me with my little project.”
“I’m not helping you destroy him. Lydia, you nearly killed him! Did you think of what that would do to Sierra?”
“I did. It would make her a very rich woman.”
The statement made her sick. “So, you’re after money.”
“No, I’m after his blood.” Her eyes held a glint of something dark, her voice dripping with venomous intent. “This isn’t just about money. It’s a reckoning for years of being sidelined. You, my dear, are just a pawn in a much larger game.”
Julia sighed as she shook her head, her stomach turning over. She clenched her fingers into fists. “I’m not helping you, Lydia.”
“Yes, you will.” She lifted her chin and arched an eyebrow.
“What makes you think I’d do that?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll destroy both you and Sierra.”
Julia’s heart raced, a mix of fear and disbelief swirling within her. The cold grin of Lydia’s words clutched at her, a stark realization of the danger now shadowing both her and Sierra. Trapped between her conscience and Lydia’s malevolent demands, Julia saw her newfound world slipping away again.