Chapter 34 #2
Amelie’s eyes moved over my face. I didn’t see any maliciousness in them, only loving concern.
“I honestly don’t know. You and Poppy were very close.
You had a complicated relationship with the rest of your family.
They had never been supportive, and it caused you a lot of stress.
Perhaps forgetting them was just another coping mechanism. ”
She was right. The fact that I couldn’t remember my last name, yet I remembered our friendship, was a telltale sign of something bigger.
“Er. Speaking of Poppy.” Amelie twisted the bracelet around her wrist. “I should probably tell you something now that you’re remembering things.”
I stared at her warily. “What?”
“Um. After finding you on the boat, Dr. Maxwell called his twin about taking you away and distancing you from anything familiar that could trigger your trauma. He needed his brother to cover for him and deal with your family. But—” She swallowed.
“They didn’t even realize you were missing.
Dr. Maxwell was listed as your emergency contact, and no one visited you at the hospital other than Poppy. ”
“Of course they didn’t.” The words tasted bitter. I felt bad for Rose A and was glad to have erased her family from my memories, just like they had wiped away her existence despite being perfectly sound in body and mind.
Amelie gave me a sympathetic smile. “Poppy’s not like the rest of your family. She went ballistic after finding out you were missing and flew to the Bahamas. She called me earlier, demanding to see you. I texted Dr. Maxwell about it right before the gala.”
Ah. The text my loving partner had received that made him all but drag me here.
It only confirmed my suspicions. He wanted to seal the deal and announce our engagement before anyone could ruin his plans.
He thought Poppy would try to intercept if she showed up.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the security were under strict orders to keep her off this boat.
I huffed. “He kind of left that part out.”
She laced her fingers together, gaze darting to the floor. “I’ll take you to her hotel if you want. But Poppy’s arrival wasn’t the only thing I wanted to tell you about.” She paused and swallowed again before meeting my eyes. “There’s something else you should know.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What now?”
“You see—” She bit her lip, eyes darting away. Her shoulders tensed visibly. “The reason Poppy found out your whereabouts was because she had confronted her husband, and he told her the truth.”
“Poppy’s married?”
Amelie studied me quietly, seemingly nervous about the next piece of information. “Yes. And she’s here with her husband, Damon.”
How come I couldn’t remember Poppy dating anyone, let alone a husband?
Amelie’s eyes searched mine, her gaze unwavering. “I can’t imagine how you must be feeling,” she said quietly, fidgeting with her bracelet. “If there’s anything you want to know about them, just ask. I’m done keeping secrets. I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“I do have a question.”
Amelie’s eyebrows lifted, her head tilting slightly.
“Who’s Damon?”
She froze, blinking rapidly before her mouth fell open. “Um. Dr. Maxwell’s twin.”
My lips pursed before laughter bubbled up my throat. “So, Damon married my cousin, and now, Caden’s trying to drag me to the altar.” I shook my head. “Talk about keeping it in the family.”
“You’re not upset?” Her voice cracked with disbelief.
“That Poppy flew out to make sure Caden didn’t manipulate me while I was incapacitated with memory loss?” My voice was sharp and bitter. “I’m just glad someone cares enough to have my back.”
Amelie flinched at the comment. Her guilty eyes were cast to the floor. “That’s not what I meant,” she mumbled. “I’m just surprised you don’t care that Damon married Poppy.”
I scrunched my nose. “Why should I care if he married my cousin? Does he treat her poorly?”
“No. No. Nothing like that.”
My lips parted slightly in confusion.
“Babe, you were kind of in love with Damon.”
My jaw dropped. Oh God. I had the hots for both twins. “Eww. Please tell me I didn’t date him.”
She laughed at my scandalized face. “Don’t worry.
You didn’t even know Damon. To be honest, I don’t think you actually liked him.
You liked the idea of him because he was a philanthropist who helped people.
You weren’t exactly a risk-taker, and Damon was a safe bet.
You just wanted a goody two-shoes who’d never hurt you. ”
Clearly, Amelie wasn’t a fan. But if I were in love with Damon, why didn’t the name ring a bell? A lot of my memories surrounding Caden had returned, as did my relationship with Amelie and Poppy.
Amelie gave me a tight smile. “You’re not at all reacting how I expected. I’ve been on pins and needles about it, trying to figure out how to break the news to you.”
Once more, I combed through my memories for a positive emotion where Damon was concerned and came up short. I only remembered Caden. In the end, I concluded that if Poppy was the only family member I cared about, I was genuinely happy for her if she found love with Damon.
I shrugged. “I’m happy for them,” I said, genuinely meaning it. Frankly, I was much more interested in my past with Caden. “Do you know anything about my relationship with Caden when he was still my professor?”
Her smile widened into something almost triumphant, as if she had waited eons for me to brush Damon aside. “No, but I figured out something was up when he refused to leave your side at the hospital.”
“Caden was at the hospital with me?” I asked, my voice betraying my disbelief. I wrapped my arms around myself as I processed the information.
She nodded once. “He insisted on being your primary care physician. I worked as a nursing assistant at the university hospital. I saw him there for days on end, sleeping in the staff quarters so he wouldn’t have to leave you.”
My chest expanded. A bewildering ache spread through me as I tried to reconcile the image of that cold, calculating man sitting in a sterile room for hours, yearning for me. The idea of Caden longing for anyone or anything was so unexpected that it left me feeling empty on the inside.
Despite my best efforts, Amelie wasn’t giving me any ammunition to hold on to my anger. Before I could stop myself, I spoke to her as I would to my old friend. “Caden wanted me back then, and I turned him down numerous times. I-I think I hurt him badly.”
I had pushed Caden away for a man I didn’t even like. My chest tightened painfully at the thought.
“That sucks.” She seemed grief-stricken by my confession. Clearly, she was Team Caden all the way. She was momentarily pensive before adding, “There’s a Latin phrase I learned in my philosophy class— tabula rasa. Do you know what that means?”
I gave her a blank look. I couldn’t even remember sex or my last name, and she wanted me to remember Latin.
She waved me off with a knowing look. “It means a blank slate. At birth—or rebirth, in your case—a human begins without preconceived ideas, memories, or influences, and what happens next is shaped by their experiences. Back then, you spoke highly of Dr. Maxwell, but I’m assuming you kept your distance because of your boundary issues and misplaced feelings for Damon.
Since your memories have been wiped clean, you’ve built habits, feelings, and emotions as you see fit.
Yet, you still fell for Dr. Maxwell. Whether it’s the old you or the new you, both versions want this man.
Only this time, you chose to let him in.
I’ve never seen you this happy.” She beamed.
“No matter what happened in the past, you have the chance to start fresh with him,” she said encouragingly.
I rolled my eyes. “His idea of starting fresh is marrying me under false pretenses. It seems a little fucked, don’t you think?”
Amelie frowned. “I don’t see it that way. He’s smitten with you. He literally tries to impress your subconscious.”
When I opened my mouth, she quickly cut me off.
“I won’t pretend to understand his reasons for everything.
I’ll only say that he’ll do anything for you.
You should have seen him after you fled the hospital.
He combed the city for days without sleep and tried every avenue to track you down.
I mean, just look at his boat. It’s painted in your favorite colors.
I’ve seen him mimic your old OCD habits when he does your bandages, so you don’t rip them off for ‘disorderly placement.’ He even wears the colors you like, so you’ll find him soothing.
That man’s got Rose written all over him.
You, my friend, have managed the impossible.
You’ve turned the coldest, most untouchable and unattainable man into a lovesick puppy. ”
My throat tightened as I watched her beam at my fairy-tale ending. The sincerity in Amelie’s tone made me forget my anger entirely because most of what she said was true.
Although the smile stayed on her face, it dialed down a few notches. “I hope you can forgive me for lying to you. I only went along with Dr. Maxwell’s wishes because you seemed so happy.”
The familiar look of love on her face made me swallow hard. Lying to me had been eating away at her, and I didn’t believe she would have done it unless she thought it was for my benefit.
I gently touched her arm. “I know. It’s okay.” We smiled at each other, and relief flooded me at all she had disclosed. With my ire entirely erased, I tried steering the conversation to neutral grounds. “Do you know why I ran away from the hospital?”
She shook her head. “I came to your room one day, and you were just gone. The hospital’s close to the river. My best guess is that you were disoriented when you woke up and wandered off.”
Caden suggested I’d seen someone who scared me into running. But according to Amelie, the only person constantly around me at the hospital was him.
“God, Rose. I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what you must have gone through.
Dr. Maxwell hired so many men to search for you and enlisted my help, too.
He didn’t realize you had lost your memories and thought you ran away because you were disconcerted.
He only agreed to do the cruise’s final inspection because your family owned a bunch of sailboats on the pier and he thought you might be hiding in one of them.
He planned on searching them afterward. Considering his effort, I still have no idea how we didn’t find you sooner. ”
Probably because I was too scared to leave the dumpster. “Is that why he has guards following me everywhere I go?”
She nodded with a smile. “He was worried you might forget and run away again.”
“Oh.” My mouth dragged downward, wondering how long the “escorts” would continue. It was hard to breathe freely with them always around. “How did you end up working for Caden anyway?”
“I’m guessing that has less to do with me and everything to do with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was a nursing assistant at the hospital and became a registered nurse after graduation. But starting salaries are too low. This two-week gig pays better than two months at the hospital. I think he wanted to be in your good graces by helping your friend. I desperately needed the money.” Amelie glanced at her empty flute, her despair palpable.
“Amelie, what’s wrong?”
She looked as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. “I-I don’t want to burden you with my problems. You already have enough on your plate.”
“You’re not burdening me. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“My boyfriend went through something awful recently.” She paused and then held up her hand. She was wearing a silver band on her left hand. “Well, I guess he’s my husband now,” she said coyly.
“Oh, wow.”
It seemed everyone around me had gotten married in the time I had been indisposed.
Life moved on, not waiting for anyone to play catch-up.
Considering I had exactly one family member visiting me while I was in a medically induced coma, the idea of marriage and gaining a new family suddenly seemed exciting.
I pulled Amelie into a hug, hoping she found a home in her new husband, though I barely remembered him. “Congrats. I’m so happy for you.”
“I wish it were under better circumstances.” She sighed. “His folks passed away.”
“Oh God. I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. They were young and left behind three little kids. We got married so we could take over their guardianship.”
“I really am sorry.”
She waved it off. “The point is that Dr. Maxwell helped my family when we were in a bind. He got me this job and covered all the expenses for the funeral and guardianship. And he did it because he thought it might make you happy.”
“I provided financial assistance to someone who had done me a favor. Cavendish wasn’t thrilled about it.”
Caden admitted to making a generous donation to a mystery acquaintance, and Amelie fit the bill. She had done him a favor by hiding the truth from me. She was right, it did make me extremely happy to hear it. But why would Cavendish want to bankrupt Amelie?
As if on cue, a short waitress with bangs and pink glasses interrupted us. “Amelie.”
“Yes?”
“You’re needed in the medical suite. We have a guest with a hand injury.” She lowered her voice to whisper, “He’s a total hottie, by the way.” She turned her head to the side.
Kai Cavendish stood there in all his glory, gaze steadfast on Amelie. A bloodied linen napkin was wrapped around his right hand, though he seemed oblivious to the pain. The way he watched her made my stomach drop.
Amelie didn’t seem to notice. “Duty calls.”
I quickly grabbed her wrist. “Do you know that guy?”
She gave me a befuddled look. “No. I’m guessing he’s a guest.”
Despite the queasy feeling in my stomach, I slowly released her hand.
“Watch out for him.” I had no way of confirming whether Caden was referring to Rose, and Kai wanted to mess with Amelie’s finances.
So, I kept my explanation nondescript. “He got into it with Caden earlier. I just have a bad feeling about him.”
“Okay. Hey, let’s meet up tomorrow. I’m excited to catch up now that you’re remembering things,” she said, her eyes brightening.
Before she could leave, I couldn’t help pressing her about one more thing. I didn’t think my curiosity could wait until tomorrow. “Actually, I have one more question.”
“Yeah?”
“How did Caden end up being my doctor? How did he even know I was at the hospital?”
Amelie gave me a bemused look. “Dr. Maxwell was with you when the accident happened. He was the one who rushed you to the university hospital.”