"Maybe we should leave the dancing to you," I suggested.
"Or maybe you just need a man." A familiar voice cut through the silliness of the moment like a knife, freezing me in place instantly.
He couldn't be here, I chanted in my head over and over as I turned. I kept my eyes squeezed tightly shut in a desperate attempt to rewind time.
I'd walked away. I'd chosen the safer path and this time, I'd been happy with that decision.
He needed to stay away.
I needed him to stay away.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Sarah's icy voice rang out as my eyes betrayed me and opened, and I came face to face with the one person who could tear my entire world apart.
Again.
"I just came to wish the bride congratulations," he said smoothly.
Everything about him was different. From the way he dressed, in a crisp black suit, to the rigid posture he held. Even his gaze was different-cold, heartless, and almost cruel.
Where did you go, August?
"You need to leave," I managed to say, my voice shaking with sheer effort.
"We need to talk." His eyes briefly traveled toward Sarah. "Alone."
Sarah's hand tightened around mine. "If you think I'm going to leave you alone with her … "
"It's fine, Sarah," I said softly, my words barely above a whisper.
Her wide eyes turned to me. "You've got to be insane. Why would you agree to this?"
Looking up, I caught the curious eye of the attendant and a few nosy customers. "I don't want to make a scene," I said into her ear. "If I just give him what he wants, he'll be in and out and it will be over."
"Ryan will never forgive me for this," she pleaded.
"Let me handle that," I said. "Just go wait outside by my car. I'll meet you out there when I'm done."
I could see she didn't want to go. After living together, and seeing days and weeks go by when I could barely pull myself out of bed, I understood why. August was the enemy-the reason for my pain and heartache. But as much as I agreed with her, I had also put much of the blame on myself. I'd made my decision. I'd chosen one man over the other.
And I'd chosen wrong.
Staring into those cold, lifeless eyes couldn't make that statement any truer.
"If you need anything, call me and I'll be back here in a second," Sarah said, squeezing my hand before she left with her head down, quickly moving toward the exit. Her gaze met mine briefly before she disappeared out the door, and I gave her a quick nod. Then she was gone.
And I was alone with August.
"It's cute how protective she is with you. Although, she did promise to tear off a few of my more precious limbs if things ever went sour between us … "
"You have me to thank for calling her off on that particular promise. She, unlike others, is good at keeping her promises."
He smiled, a menacing smile that made my skin go cold. "That's harsh."
"What are you doing here, August? How did you even find me?" I asked, not moving a muscle, as he took a confident step forward, loosening his tie.
"I told you-I came to wish you congratulations." He grinned, not bothering to answer my other question. "I hear you're engaged. Again. I'm really quite surprised at how quickly Ryan welcomed you back with such open arms, considering how quickly you ran from them when given the chance to fall into mine."
"You son of a bitch," I seethed.
He ignored my comment as his eyes slid down the length of my body, softening slightly. "You really do look quite stunning."
"If that is all you came for, than you can go." I began to turn away, but he closed the gap between us, making my heart stutter.
"I wanted to show you something," he said, the proximity of his body to mine making my breath rush in and out of my lungs like wind on a stormy day. When Sarah had stood beside me on the pedestal, she'd looked short and goofy. Even though I was still looking down at August, his presence was anything but silly, and I felt intimidated by his size even though I stood over him slightly.
He didn't give me a chance to speak as he delved into his explanation, pulling something out of his pocket but hiding it from view.
"Letting you leave was one of the hardest things I've ever done," he said, but it was said as more of a statement than a proclamation. I watched him warily, wondering where his humanity had gone since that last night I'd spent in his arms.
And only one word came to mind.
Trent.
"I spent days … weeks even, hating myself and the decision I'd made. I'd drowned myself in that damn box, looking over pictures of us-of you until I was near mad with need. It wasn't normal-what I was feeling, and I knew I'd never be able to exist without you. I needed you back. I grabbed several pictures of you, holding them between my hands for strength as I planned exactly what I'd say to get you back, and then something happened-something in a photo caught my eye."
He stepped up on the pedestal, causing me to stumble backward. His arm darted out, righting my stance before his hands fell back into his pockets. He tugged one out again and produced a single green stone.
"Do you remember this?" he asked.
My heart thundered in my chest as I nodded, my eyes frozen on that tiny bead in his hands.
"Remember how I asked you if you'd ever seen it before and you said no?"
I nodded once again, a single tear slipping from the corner of my eye. I took a ragged breath as I waited for the revelation of the single secret I'd held within me for nearly three long years.
Raising his other hand, he flipped over a single photo-one that had been taken years ago at one of my many burger birthdays. August was crouched behind me, his eyes alive and full of excitement, just like mine, as I blew out the candle stuck in my burger. We looked younger, carefree and happy.
"Do you see the necklace around your neck?" he asked, holding the photo up.
I swallowed slowly as I gave a single nod. "Yes." The word came out strangled and shallow as I stared at the picture. There I was, smiling back at myself with a beautiful green emerald necklace around my throat.
"The strangest thing happened when I saw that green beaded necklace wrapped around your pretty neck. My head felt fuzzy and my vision blurred and suddenly I was on my damn knees, reliving a memory. Only it wasn't a memory of this life-it was from my former life. Can you guess what memory I had, Everly?"
My lips trembled as I tried to keep everything tightly together.
"No? Let me remind you. You and me-in a dark alley? Only there was no one else. No evil muggers or scary robbers, as you conveniently reported to the police. Just you and me. How did I get in that coma, Everly? How?" he demanded.
"We have to go. We're not safe here," he pleaded.
"No, I'm not safe with you!" I yelled, struggling out of his grasp. He tried to catch me as I moved erratically in his tight hold, until finally I broke free, my fist making contact with his head as I turned. The pain of my necklace being ripped from my body made me swivel back around just in time to see his large body collapse to the ground, his head crack against the pavement as tiny green stones fell around him.
"Me," I cried. "I did it."
"Yes," he answered, taking my hand in his. It shook as he opened my palm and placed the tiny bead inside. His cold, lifeless eyes met mine as he said the words I'd feared since the night he awoke.
"And I remember everything."
The monster was back.
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Remembering Everly
Prologue
Guilt, regret, dread.
Three simple words that had the power to strip a man bare.
To make him feel powerless in the most primitive of ways.
That was what my life had been reduced to. Surrounded by money, unlimited wealth and affluence, and yet I couldn't protect her.
I couldn't keep her safe.
"Why aren't we taking a hired car?" Everly's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts as I turned to see her sitting next to me in the passenger seat. She was a vision tonight-the way the indigo blue of her dress brought out the crimson color of her hair. She wore the beaded necklace I'd given her so many years ago-maybe as a peace offering, hoping to bridge the gap of silence that had grown between us.
Because of me, and all of my many failures.
"I thought it might be nice if it were just the two of us tonight," I answered, sliding my hand across the center console to reach for hers. She didn't seek mine out, but she didn't resist my touch either.
The thought of my embrace didn't make her draw back in fear. There was still hope in her eyes that I hadn't become the monster she feared.
If only she knew.
"I thought we were going to the art gala," she said in disappointment.
"We were. But I know how much you hate those types of events, so I canceled and decided an evening alone would be much nicer."