My attention turned toward the address.
1023 Sea Cliff Lane, San Francisco.
I looked out the window, trying to see if anything beyond its paned glass brought back any hints or memories of a life I’d once led.
San Francisco.
Even though the driver’s license confirmed what the nurse had already told me, I still felt no connection with the city below. Nothing called out to me; nothing held my attention
Was there anyone down there that would remember my name?
I dug further through the wallet, finding a couple hundred dollars in cash, as well as several credit cards and a few membership cards to places I’d never heard of, but apparently belonged to.
Or had belonged to.
What happened to your life when you went into a coma? Did you disappear? Cease to exist, or did life carry on? I looked at the address on my driver’s license and wondered if I still had a home…a bank account? I wasn’t dead, but who had been paying my bills for the last two years?
Did I have money to pay the bills?
Fuck.
Suddenly, all I wanted was to slip back into that coma and never wake up again.
And then I saw her.
It was just a glimpse at first, the edge of a picture sticking out from inside the wallet—a wisp of hair that had me pulling at the picture to see it properly.
With the Golden Gate Bridge as our backdrop, a much younger, carefree version of myself held a girl in my arms and suddenly the world didn’t feel so lonely anymore. Copper red hair tumbled down her back like a fiery mane. Her bright blue eyes sparkled as if she held untold secrets waiting to be revealed. In my own eyes, I didn’t see harshness or the rigid void of nothingness. I saw her, reflecting back in spades, the love radiating between us.
I flipped the photo over, hoping for something…anything that would tell me who this girl was.
There was nothing but a date and a name.
August and Everly – 2005
Everly.
She had a name.
Now all I had to do was find her.
Chapter Three
Everly
A soothing hand caressed my forehead and my eyes fluttered open; that’s when reality came crashing back to the forefront of my mind.
August was awake.
Oh, God. Did he know?
Would he find me?
I bolted upright, nearly knocking Ryan out in the process. My heart kicked into high gear as my fight-or-flight response took over.
Too weak to fight. Must flee.
Need to leave.
Should never have stayed here.
I should have left. I should have moved far…far away like I’d always planned. But plans have a way of getting muddled and as my breath evened out and my eyes once again opened, I found the reason for my muddled plans staring back at me with nothing but concern and love written across his handsome face.
“It’s okay,” he said softly, gently pushing back a piece of my hair as he leaned in close. “I’m here. You’re going to be okay, Ev.”
Unshed tears stung my eyes and I fought to keep them in place. He pulled me into his arms and I willingly let him, gripping his shoulder as if it were an iron anchor. My body felt like someone had just dropped a hundred-ton lead weight into my arms, like I was carrying every single worry and panicked thought I’d stowed away over the last two years.
They all rose to the surface. All at once.
“Oh god, Ryan. I can’t do this,” I cried.
“You don’t have to do a thing. No one is making you do anything at all, Everly. He’s awake; that doesn’t have to mean anything to you.”
I knew he meant well, but he didn’t understand. He’d never understand.
“I can’t exist in a world where he does, Ryan,” I whispered, as the walls began to close in around me. Panic settled in my bones, had me pulling my knees close to my chest, rocking back and forth in Ryan’s strong arms. The tears continued to fall as I felt myself growing weaker, knowing August was mere miles away, growing stronger by the minute.
How long until he came for me? How long until he found me and ruined the little life I’d created? What happened then?
“Yes, you can,” Ryan vowed, turning me in his arms as he pulled me from the darkness and growing fear in my head. “This changes nothing.”
I shook my head, not so easily convinced. The only reason I’d carried on in his absence was because I’d convinced myself he was gone. For good.
Denial really was a cold-hearted bitch.
“What happened…after…I mean—did you talk to the doctor more?”
I felt him nod. “I hung up to take care of you, but after I got you in bed, I did call him back.”
“What did he say?” I asked, my breath barely audible as I waited for his response.
He pulled back, our eyes locking as he smoothed away the crimson hair from around my face. Warmth and tenderness met me as he spoke. “He wants to see you.”