My fiancé became a stranger all over again. He’d come off condescending and threatening—the complete opposite of how he’d been with me all morning. When he moved for the door, I swung my gaze away and pretended to look out the window.
“We’re all finished up here,” he said, carefree. Like the conversation in the hallway never happened.
“That’s it?”
“Staples out.” He shook the bottles of pills in his hand. “New medication. You want to go into the old city and see the beach?”
“Medication?” My voice was heavy with skepticism.
“This is supposed to be better. Fewer side effects.”
After the altercation in the hallway, I doubted I’d get any answers from the doctor. I reluctantly stood from my seat, let him take my elbow and lead me toward the exit.
The drive down to the beach was thankfully short. He parked beside a marina, giving us a view of the coast that was dotted with resorts along the white sand. A large yacht anchored offshore bobbed gently in the calm, blue water.
“It’s beautiful,” I said.
“This is the best beach in all of Croatia, but not too many people know about it.”
That made me shiver, although the heater in the car was on high. He pulled a water bottle from the cup holder, opened it, and retrieved one of the pill bottles from his jacket pocket.
“The doctor said an empty stomach’s best. I told him that wasn’t a problem for you.” He dropped the triangular yellow pill in my hand.
I held it and stared at the markings, unsure.
“What’s wrong?”
Everything.I had no idea who I was, and very little seemed to make sense.
“I’m sitting on a beach in Croatian with a stranger who just handed me drugs. I’m trying hard not to run screaming into the ocean.”
“Please don’t do that. I don’t have a change of clothes for either of us.” The way he said it, I couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not. “I know this is hard for you, trust me.”
“It’s hard to trust someone you don’t remember.”
The statement didn’t seem to hurt him. “Have I done something to make you think I’m not trustworthy?”
My curiosity won out over my desire to avoid confrontation. “I heard you talking in the hall with the doctor. It seemed like you... upset him.”
“I did.” He looked strangely relieved. “Because he was trying to shake me down for more money, and I wasn’t having it.”
The little yellow pill was burning a hole in my hand. I rolled it around on my palm, not sure how to react.
His tone was soft and colored with embarrassment. “What you saw was me losing my temper. I can’t stand being manipulated. I’m sorry.”
I took a breath. Shouldn’t I feel relief? Because I didn’t. “The language barrier makes it hard to tell what’s going on.”
He nodded. His gaze drifted down to my hand, like he was impatient and trying not to show it.
“I can’t stand this feeling. You’re going to have to tell me.” I popped the pill into my mouth and took a swig of the water bottle to get it down. This was my concession, and now it was time for his.
“Tell you what?”
“Everything.” Judging by the look on his face, he didn’t like this idea, but I didn’t care. “I have to know.”
He went quiet and stared out through the windshield to the water in the bay. Was he not going to say something?
“You weren’t single when we first met,” he finally admitted. “And you didn’t want anything to do with me. You made that crystal clear. But I was persistent.” He looked guilty. “I wore you down, and eventually you gave in.”
