I grab his hand once I’m close enough as he’s about to reach for the front door to leave, and he stops but doesn’t face me.
“Look at me, Hendrix,” I beg.
He faintly squeezes my hand as I feel Dash’s presence somewhere behind us.
“Did you sleep with him?” he asks.
My chin wobbles at his question but my silence answers for me. He tries to pull free from my grasp, but I hold on to him tighter.
“Don’t leave like this, Hendrix,” I beg harder with tears streaming down my face.
“I won’t watch you hand your heart to him, London. That’s not who I am.”
“But we’re still not sure?—”
He cuts me off and faces me this time. “You seem to think you know who you are for sure. But until we have concrete evidence that you’re not London, it’s who you are to me. Do you understand? So, in my mind, I just saw the woman I’m in love with half naked and in bed with another man. What do you want me to do? Give you my blessing to sleep with him while we don’t know the truth, even though it points to you being my…”
He trails off and glances at Dash behind us before his gaze drops to the floor.
I can’t stop the trail of salty tears continuing to drip from my chin.
“Someone knows the truth, Hendrix. They’re taunting me and all of us with it.”
He takes both of my hands in his. “The truth I know is I saw London the night of the accident. She was wearing what you came into the hospital wearing. She was covering for Lennon, so she was driving her car. It all points to you being London.I know someone may be messing with you…with all of us. And I know something more happened that night than what anyone but you, your sister, and this stalker knows. But short of you remembering those details and who you are for yourself, I believe you are London.”
He takes my face gently in his hands. “Until you remember, I’ll continue loving you as London.”
He kisses my forehead but doesn’t wipe away my tears this time. He starts to leave again, but I can’t let him go like this.
I turn to Dash and wipe my face. “Can you give us some time to talk?”
Dash swallows and his shoulders drop like he was hoping I wouldn’t say that. But he doesn’t argue, he just goes back into the bedroom to grab his clothes and shoes. He’s fully dressed when he comes back out.
Hendrix has moved into the living room and is staring out the window at the birds as they chirp in the morning sun.
Dash stops in front of me with a defeated expression. He leans his head against mine.
“I know you have to do what you feel is right, Valkyrie. I won’t ask you to betray what your heart remembers and what it tells you. But don’t forget the last few hours as you navigate the wreckage we’re all trapped in,” he whispers.
“I could never,” I whisper as he smiles against my cheek.
“Call me when you can. I won’t be far. Stay safe while I’m gone. Someone is playing a dangerous game while we’re scrambling to find the truth.”
He kisses my cheek and acknowledges Hendrix with a nod before exiting the apartment. It’s odd but even as they each want to be the one who holds my heart, they both understand the other in a way no one else could, what has been lost and what they still stand to lose once we learn who I am.
My chest literally aches for all of us.
“Why did you sleep with him? How do I forget that?” he asks as soon as we’re alone.
“Hendrix. I know you believe I’m London, and it’s true, I could be. But what if I’m not? It would mean I didn’t betray you or anyone else. It would mean I slept with the man I love.”
He faces me. “If you’re London though, then you betrayed me and Lennon both. Do you really think she’d want you to be with the man she loved?”
I step closer because I hear him, and I’ve almost made myself sick wondering the same, but I need him to hear me too. “How would you feel if I get my memories back and they belong to Lennon?”
He covers his mouth with his hand and shakes his head. “I don’t know how to answer.”
I hold my arms open as much as my left one allows to signal I’m waiting on a better answer.
