Jack. That’s right. Jack Collins, the man who ‘blessed’ my marriage to Julian. “No. I didn’t have the chance.”
His brow furrows. “So how do you?—”
I let out a short laugh. “I thought they were nightmares. These things I keep seeing up here.” I tap my temple. “But I knew one of those guys was my dad. Now I know one was myhusband. You… I’ve seen you in my mind, but I’ve also seen a man who looks enough like you that I can’t believe I didn’t put two and two together yet. They’re not nightmares, are they? They’re my memories.”
“You remember?”
“A little,” I admit. “I remember how he came to my house, told me that, if I didn’t end things with you…” My words trail off. End things with Dallas. That’s right. I married Julian to save Dallas. To protect Dallas.
Because I loved Dallas.
I shake my head. It doesn’t matter. Five years ago, that Lucy Wright loved him enough to sacrifice her freedom and her future for his. Now I know Jack is dead, Julian has to be, my dad is nowhere to be found, and the one man I was willing to do anything for has been lying to me for a month because he…
He…
He wants to be my husband.
He wants to bemine.
My stomach jolts. Maybe… maybe this is right. Yeah, I’m pissed that he lied to me, but with my memories a black hole, maybe it was the best thing he could do. Why would I want to remember the years I spent as another man’s wife? Especially when he tried to kill me? Despite all of the lies, I have no trouble believing that; my limited memories, plus the evidence of who was there that night, makes it so that I don’t doubt that part at all. My amnesia shielded me from all of that the same way Dallas immediately slipped into the role he’s wanted all along.
Because he wantsme.
“Dallas—”
His name is barely out of my mouth before he moves. There’s that wild look in his eyes again as he quickly closes the gap between us. His hands go to my upper arms, hefting me off of the couch, setting me down easily on my feet.
He’s squeezing me, though, and it hurts.
“What are you?—”
“You remember,” he barks out, not quite rattling me, but it’s close. “How much do you remember?”
If this conversation happened this morning, I would’ve thought there would be relief on his end that I was finally recovering. But that was this morning, before I visited his office. Now? There’s an edge of anger to his tone, warring with something else I can’t quite name.
I quail under the weight of his stare. “Not a lot. I get flashes here or there, mostly when I’m sleeping. Like, I remember the day I left. How much I didn’t want to, and how I hated having to say goodbye?—”
His composure cracks even further. At first, I think it’s because he’s reliving that day with even more recollection thatI can, but then he thins his lips and says, “And my mom? What about her? What did your precious Julian mean when he said you knew what happened to her?”
I have no fucking idea what he’s talking about. My mom left town after a divorce. Dallas made it clear that the topic of his mother was off-limits. I only know that, like his dad, she is dead. And ‘precious Julian’? If he thinks Iwantedto be married to that monster, he has another think coming. I mean, he obviously hated that man enough that hekilledhim. Julian tried to killme. Why would he be my precious anything?
“What? I don’t... I don’t know.”
This time, he does shake my arm, and I yelp.
“Dallas… you’re hurting me.”
For a moment, the look on his face tells me that he just doesn’t give a shit about that. It only lasts a moment, though, before his expression is replaced with one of horror and he releases me so quickly, it’s like his palms burn to touch my skin.
I take a few hurried steps away from him, closer to the door leading out of the living room in case I need to get even further away.
He drags his hand over his face. “Lucy… Luce, baby. I’m sorry.” Heshouldbe. “I didn’t mean to lose my shit with you. You know I didn’t.”
See, now, that’s the problem. After that outburst, I’m not so sure I know him at all. Remembering all of his lies… I don’t know if I everdid.
“You lied to me.”
My whisper is soft, but the accusation is loud.
