He was fully sensible now—and he still had no idea who she was.
“My wife,” he slowly pronounced. He searched her face, but those glittering blue eyes she remembered as full of laughter and mischief were now focused, pinpointed on her like a hawk’s.
A sudden nervousness rose in her stomach, as if she were a misbehaving student put on the spot by a teacher. She’d often tried to reconcile the Simon she’d met in Vegas with Simon Montague, the CEO of Aries Tech, and right now, she was getting the latter.
“You’re not my wife.” He scoffed. “I’m not married!”
“It happened quickly. We met in Vegas. Your company was having a conference, I was …”Sucking at my life, as usual.“There. We had a few drinks, then we decided to get married in a chapel nearby. The next day …” She rubbed her fingers together. “You went home and had the accident.”
He sat back down, supporting his forehead with his hand. “I remember Vegas like it was yesterday. We unveiled our newest phone.” He stared into the distance. “I’d remember if I got freaking married that night!”
Shanna resumed her seat at the dining table, gazing at him from the corner of her eyes as her heart sank deeper and deeper. Despite everything, despite her life telling her otherwise, she’d held on to hope that Simon would be the exception. The one to remember her. Like in a fairytale, their love would be too strong, even for her curse. Some would call her a fool for believing in such love.
Those people would be right. She was a fool—not just for believing in fairytales, but for thinking one drinking date with a handsome, funny guy would end her curse.
“We both drank,” she said, hating how close her voice came to breaking. “I suppose we did some stupid things. Can’t blame you for forgetting.” The words about her curse hung on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t utter them. Perhaps, if it were the Simon from that night, she would. With him, she’d have gone to the end of the world.
“I can’t believe it.”
She got up and rummaged through her bag left on the sofa. She brought back the marriage certificate and their photo—hugging and laughing under the flower arch, he in his rumpled business clothes, she in the cheap taffeta wedding dress she’d gotten from the girl in the bathroom, both drowning in golden confetti.
Simon stared at the photo and the certificate as she put them in front of him. “Fake,” he said. “Photoshopped.” But he narrowed his eyes, inspecting the photo as if he didn’t quite believe his own words.
“I have the actual paperwork, too.” She followed with the contract. “If you still don’t want to believe it, I don’t know how else to prove it.”
His eyes continued to narrow as he read through the contract, then gazed at the picture again. “This—”
A bang rattled the front door, and it burst open as Jinx rushed into the room.
Of all the tricks she’d tried to teach her dog, door opening had not been one of them—and of course, it would be the one he’d mastered.
Jinx tilted his head and perked his ears. Simon twisted in his chair, and as if Jinx had been given a signal, he sped toward him, tail wagging in full circles like a helicopter about to take off. Witha leap, he jumped at Simon, who reacted just in time to catch Jinx’s front paws. “Whoa, boy!”
“Jinx!” Shanna clapped her thighs, but it was useless—Simon was the center of Jinx’s universe.
“All right now, take it easy.” Simon scratched Jinx behind the ears, still leaning away. “Uh … Jinx.” He tilted his head and frowned. “Jinx?”
“Yes, that’s his name,” Shanna said.
Simon ignored her, continuing to stare at Jinx. “I remember this dog. But he was a puppy.”
“He was four months old back then, yes.” She hated that she immediately regained a sliver of hope. If he remembered Jinx, maybe he would—
“But why do I remember the dog and not you? If I were that drunk, I’d have forgotten everything.”
She swallowed, forcing her voice into a more cheerful tone. “Oh, who knows. Strange are the effects of alcohol.” As he continued to pet Jinx, she asked, “So you believe me now?”
“It’s so bizarre. I remember Vegas. I remember the color of the carpet in the casino, which floor the auditorium was on, I remember playing with this puppy by the Golden Luck Fountain …” His eyes softened a touch. “But everything you say—drinking with you, marrying you,you… I can’t remember. I’m sorry.”
There wasn’t as much regret behind thatI’m sorryas she wished for, but it was all moot, anyway. No amount of regret would bring that Simon back.
And perhaps it was time for her to finally let him go.
She collected his coffee mug and headed for the kitchen counter. “Your stuff is in the box over there.” She pointed to the woven storage box next to the front entrance. “Your wallet and clothes—well, Raleigh’s clothes, so you might not like them. If you want, I can drive you into town to buy anything else you need. And then you can … leave.”
“Thanks.” He checked the box, scowling as he pulled out a leather biker jacket. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Shanna nodded and turned away, absently patting Jinx. She brought out the golden heart locket, hidden under her tunic, and brushed the worn-down surface. For three years, she’d carried Simon’s soul in it—since the day she’d realized the mistake she’d made during the resurrection ritual. While in it, Simon couldn’t do anything, but sometimes she felt like the locket warmed up, and she imagined it was him, trying to let her know he still remembered, still cared. That he trusted her and waited for her to fix him so they could finally be together.
