Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
I remembered my reaction to it.
I’d been skimming through a stack of newspapers left on the counter by the woman who came in and kept the place tidy. I had obviously forgotten to cancel my delivery. I didn’t see much of interest until a familiar name caught my eye.
Bradley Bennett.
I unfolded the paper and read the announcement.
My hands tightened on my paper, fisting it so hard it tore under my fingers.
The good doctor was engaged and getting married in a few weeks.
He and his wife would be moving to Calgary, where he had accepted a new job at the hospital.
And there was a private party to celebrate two days from now.
My eyes were riveted to the picture of him and his bride-to-be.
Alexandra Robbins.
The glass of the beer bottle shattered as it hit the wall.
“You’ve been gone all this time?”
“I came back after my last assignment. But I had nothing here without her. She was gone—it was as if she disappeared.”
“But the first time, after you finished your assignment—you came home—you returned to her?”
“Of course I did. Why would you think otherwise? She left me, Emma. I didn’t leave her.” I snarled, then exhaled a long breath. I was beginning to lose my temper, and I needed to stay in control. Emma had the answers I needed.
She exchanged glances with Alan, then bent forward, her voice patient. “When you left for your assignment, Alex was terribly upset, and I came to town to see her. She was so worried about your safety. The news was full of what was happening where you were.”
“I hated leaving.” I rubbed my eyes. “It was a mistake. I never should have gone.”
She pursed her lips in agreement. “After she finally spoke with you, and she thought you’d hung up on her, she was so despondent. I had never seen her that way. I suggested she come with me to Calgary—just to get her away from here. I had a meeting with a potential buyer of my designs.”
I frowned. “I hired a PI. He never found airline tickets issued in her name.”
She shook her head. “They flew me out in a private plane. Ally came as my guest.”
I’d never considered that possibility. I rubbed the back of my neck. “I know she was upset. We’d argued the day I left about my leaving, my work—she wasn’t herself. I was so worried about her.” I exhaled hard. “But I didn’t hang up. I accidentally dropped the phone in the river. I was in the middle of nowhere, and it was the only satellite phone we had. There was no Wi-Fi where we were—we lost all communication.”
Emma nodded. “She told me about your argument. How terrible she felt. She was so conflicted about so many things. I suggested there had been some sort of mishap while you were talking since it made the most sense. I thought you’d call back as soon as you could.”
“I tried. I sent Tommy to get supplies and he left her messages, but she didn’t respond. Sean tried to get in touch with her, too. When I finally got my phone to turn on, I saw a few earlier texts from her, but then nothing for ten days.” I swallowed the thickness in my throat. “Then the next text I got, she told me she never wanted to see me again.”
Emma and Alan exchanged a look. Emma leaned forward, clasping my hand. “I don’t think she got the messages. And she couldn’t have sent you those texts. At that time, Alex was in the hospital, recovering from a head injury—caused by an accident. She had no memory of you or your relationship.”
I blinked. “What?”
“She suffered a partial memory loss. She can only recall bits and pieces of the past year, and a large chunk is gone completely. Starting before the time you were together. The last clear memory she has is when she was dating Bradley.”
I gaped at her, stunned by her words.
She stood. “I need that drink now.”
I felt numb, unable to even move. “The liquor’s in the cabinet.”
Alan stood as well, and a few minutes later, a glass was pressed into my hand. “I think you need this, Adam.”
I tossed back the shot, allowing the burn to settle through my chest before I spoke once more.
“When? What kind of accident?”
“Two days after your call got cut off, Ally flew to Calgary with me, and we were going to get coffee before my meeting. We were crossing the street, and a car came around the corner—the driver never stopped. He was drunk, and he hit us both.”
My stomach lurched. “Oh God.”
“Alex was in front of me. She took the brunt of the hit—she went forward, I was knocked backward.”
“How bad were her injuries?”
“Her ankle was badly broken, and she needed a rod and pins in her upper leg. She was covered in bruises and cuts. The worst part was that she hit her head after she rolled across the car and was in a coma for ten days. They operated on her leg, and she had to have a lot of therapy on it.”