What Lies Beneath

Adrienne tried to think of the right words for the moment. The thing to convince him she meant everything she said. There was only one thing left. “I love you, Will.”

“Get out.”

Panic seized Adrienne, her chest tightening so suddenly she almost couldn’t breathe. That wasn’t the reaction she was hoping for. Get out? He couldn’t really mean it. He wasn’t cruel enough to throw her out with nothing. She didn’t have a dime to her name. No cell phone, not even a driver’s license. Everything she owned was Cynthia’s. Adrienne had lost all her possessions in the crash. Even if she somehow managed to have her aunt wire her money, could she buy a bus ticket without ID? How was she going to get home?

“Will, please,” she begged. She had to persuade him to see reason.

“I said get out!” he yelled, his voice booming in the acoustic bathroom.

In that moment, Adrienne knew the battle was over. There was no way she could convince him of the truth. Nodding, she started for the exit to the bathroom, waiting for him to step aside so she could get through the doorway.

“You think you know what happened. You think I’m a horrible person. I can’t change that. But I meant what I said. I did fall in love with you.”

He stepped aside to let her by but turned his face away, unwilling to look at her for the sincerity or truth of her words. He obviously didn’t want to hear anything she had to say. Will had made his decision, delivered his verdict and executed the sentence. As far as he was concerned, Adrienne was as dead as everyone thought she was.

Defeated, Adrienne walked down the hallway, through the living room and out of his life.

Eleven

A drienne stood outside the storefront that had once been her boutique. Her funky little shop had a banner across the window announcing the grand opening of a new Baby GAP . She could see the overpriced clothes for baby yuppies hanging where her beautiful, artistic creations once were. She wanted to cry. To scream and throw a rock through the window.

It was bad enough when she’d lost her shop. Not everyone had the talent to make it, and she was mature enough to understand that. But now she knew she did have the talent. With the right connections, Cynthia’s network could’ve launched her career. Even if it had been as Cynthia Dempsey, it would’ve been fulfilling her dreams. And once again, she’d lost her chance.

Just like she’d lost her chance with Will. And that was even worse than her latest discovery.

She’d give up designing clothes to have the chance to make things right with him. He’d probably never forgive her or trust her again, but she wished he’d give her the opportunity to try. She’d never get it, though. Just like when he discovered Cynthia was cheating, he cut Adrienne from his life with one clean swipe. He was through. And even if he had second thoughts, they would come too late. Adrienne would be back in Milwaukee before long, working retail or finding some part-time job as a seamstress altering wedding dresses.

Somehow things were better when she was dead.

She clutched her arms to her chest, the cool breeze raising goose bumps across her bare flesh. She’d dressed for a lazy Sunday at home—a pair of comfy jeans, a cotton T-shirt and sneakers. She should’ve grabbed a coat before she left the apartment, but she didn’t want Will to accuse her of stealing Cynthia’s clothes. As it was, she was surprised he didn’t force her out of the apartment naked.

It didn’t really matter, though. No amount of cold air could distract her from the pain of the gaping hole in her chest. She thought she’d lost everything when the plane crashed, but she was wrong. What she’d lost since then was much worse. The man she loved hated her. The people she thought of as her family would, too, once they knew the truth. Adrienne didn’t know what to do.

She’d wandered aimlessly through the streets with no real destination in mind and found herself in her old stomping grounds in SoHo. She didn’t really know where else she could go. Hours had gone by and the sun was about to set, making her situation more serious by the minute. Her best option would be to see if she could crash at Gwen’s place until she could get the money to go home, but she didn’t have her phone number on her. Adrienne’s only other choices were to show up unannounced at one of her old friends’ places and give them a huge shock, since they thought she was dead, or find a homeless shelter.

From the penthouse to a semiprivate cot in just a few hours’ time. It was such a disaster. And to think she’d woken up believing the world was hers for the taking. She was in love, her career was taking off…there was only the nagging worry about her persistent amnesia and what it would mean for her.