Page 98 of The Image of You

I blinked. “What?”

“She suffered a partial memory loss. She can only recall bits and pieces of the past year, and a large chunk is gone completely. Starting before the time you were together. The last clear memory she has is when she was dating Bradley.”

I gaped at her, stunned by her words.

She stood. “I need that drink now.”

I felt numb, unable to even move. “The liquor’s in the cabinet.”

Alan stood as well, and a few minutes later, a glass was pressed into my hand. “I think you need this, Adam.”

I tossed back the shot, allowing the burn to settle through my chest before I spoke once more.

“When? What kind of accident?”

“Two days after your call got cut off, Ally flew to Calgary with me, and we were going to get coffee before my meeting. We were crossing the street, and a car came around the corner—the driver never stopped. He was drunk, and he hit us both.”

My stomach lurched. “Oh God.”

“Alex was in front of me. She took the brunt of the hit—she went forward, I was knocked backward.”

“How bad were her injuries?”

“Her ankle was badly broken, and she needed a rod and pins in her upper leg. She was covered in bruises and cuts. The worst part was that she hit her head after she rolled across the car and was in a coma for ten days. They operated on her leg, and she had to have a lot of therapy on it.”

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.”