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)
That explained the limp I had seen. It also clarified Emma’s statement that Ally hadn’t sent me any texts. She couldn’t have if she’d been unconscious. I had to clench my hands into tight fists to stop from grabbing something.
“What happened to the driver?”
“It wasn’t his first offense. He went to jail.”
“I hope he rots.” I inhaled a calming breath. “And your injuries?”
Alan clasped her hand, his face filled with sorrow. “I recovered,” she replied in a low voice. “I wasn’t as badly injured as Alex—physically. I was released from the hospital after a few days.”
I had a feeling there was more to her story than she was telling me, but I left it for now.
“Why didn’t anyone try to contact me? Or even Sean? He would have sent someone to me and let me know what was going on.”
Emma sighed. “Sarah told me she did contact you—right away. When I asked about your lost call to Ally, she said that your communication problem had been resolved. She certainly wasn’t pleased, but she said she spoke to you.”
“She lied. I never spoke to her. I had no missed calls or messages from her. The only thing I had were the texts from Ally’s number.” I growled in frustration. “If I’d known, I would have come back right away. Chartered a plane to get to her, Emma.” I stood, unable to stay still any longer. “Fuck. I love her! You think I wouldn’t be here for her? Even if it was days later? I would have come home immediately.”
“Love?” she repeated. “You still love her?”
“I will always love her. That is never going to change.”
Emma sighed, rubbing her head. “Sarah said you asked to be kept updated, but you refused to come back. She told me she spoke with you directly. I had no way to contact you to verify it, and I really had no reason to disbelieve her.”
“She fucking lied. I spoke with no one.”
I paced, a feeling of nausea bubbling in my stomach. The whole time I was working on assignment, a stupid job, Ally had been in the hospital. Alone. Needing me. And I had no idea. I had left her with promises of coming back and starting our life together, when I should never have left her in the first place.
Alan lifted his glass as he looked at Emma. “I think Sarah lied about many things. You’d better tell Adam the whole story.”
“Yes. Tell me everything.”
“Sarah and Ronald were contacted and they flew to Calgary, and Sarah basically took over. Ronald didn’t stay long. Once I was discharged, I was lucky if I was allowed to go into her room.” She paused and eyed me warily. “Even Bradley flew in.”
I couldn’t help the hiss that came out of my mouth. “But no one fucking called me.”
“I didn’t have your number. Looking back, I should have insisted that she give it to me, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was too worried about Alex. Sarah had her cell phone and tablet—and she assured me she was keeping you updated when she could get hold of you.”
“You didn’t question the fact that I wasn’t there?”
“No, I didn’t. I’m sorry, Adam. I didn’t know you very well, having only met you once. I knew Alex was in love with you, but she was pretty private about things.”
“We tried to stay private because of the hassles Sarah and Ronald gave her all the time. They didn’t like me.”
“They don’t like anyone. They’ve always been very controlling.” She shook her head. “I had no idea how controlling until right now.”
“Continue, please.”
“Alex finally woke up, and right away, it was obvious something was wrong. She was confused and agitated. She didn’t know the proper date or why my hair was longer. They did a lot of cognitive tests and realized a big chunk of her life was missing.”
“What happened next?”
Emma frowned. “You have to remember who was in charge. Once Sarah was involved, I was shoved aside. When I was able to see Alex, it was only for brief visits, and I was never alone with her. Sarah was given power of attorney for Alex for decision-making—and that continued after she woke up with so much of her memory gone.”
They took over her life again, this time with full control. I shuddered at the thought. “How convenient.”
“When she woke up and we realized what had happened, Sarah came to me and said she would be staying with Alex through her recovery. She told me it was time to get back to my life now that the danger had passed. She would handle things from there.” Emma paused, fidgeting a little. “I asked her about you, Adam. She told me when she spoke with you and told you of Alex’s memory loss and condition, you informed her you didn’t have time to play nursemaid to someone who didn’t know you. She said—” Emma swallowed and cleared her throat “—she said you wished Alex a good life, but you weren’t going to be part of it anymore.”