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Piper: Have a good night, Finn.
Finn: At least answer one question.
Finn: Don’t leave me hanging.
Finn: Fuck, why do you always have to do that? It’s annoying.
ChapterNine
Piper
The nurse insistsI stay in bed, but it’s impossible when I know my family is in danger and my conversation with Archer messed with my head. I have to walk or find a way to distract myself before I go crazy. Thankfully, they assigned me the guest room on the main floor and provided me with crutches. I’m clunking my way around the main room toward the kitchen when Mr. Gil spots me.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” he asks, eyeing me skeptically.
“It’s hard when there’s so much happening…” I press my lips tight. Does he know what his son is up to?
“Understandable. Finn’s second job is nerve-wracking,” he replies, an unreadable expression on his face. “But I support him because he does what he loves while helping others.”
I cock my head in surprise. “Second job?” Then I remember Finnegan Gil writes books and… I snort. He might not use the name Archer, but he’s the same man I married so long ago.
“Of course he has a second job, and I bet he has a third one too, doesn’t he?”
Charles Gil nods, squinting at me. “I assume you used to know him before… Was he in an accident? Why didn’t you look for him?”
I scoff. “We don’t know what happened to him, but we searched for him for a long time. We’ve been looking for him since he disappeared. When did you… He has a father, you know?”
He offers a small, sympathetic smile. “Why don’t we get some tea and cookies so we can talk more about this?”
“Please don’t think I’m being ungrateful,” I say, as I clumsily force my legs and crutches to follow him. “Just knowing he wasn’t alone all this time gives me some comfort.”
When I enter the kitchen, Charles is already pouring water into the electric kettle.
“How old was Finnegan when he went missing?” he asks, flipping on the switch to heat the water.
“Twenty-three.” He doesn’t acknowledge me, so I say, “Archer. His name is Archer St. James.”
A brief moment of silence follows, then Charles nods his head in understanding. “It makes sense.”
“What?” I inquire in confusion.
Taking a deep breath, he says softly. “Why we couldn’t figure out who he was. We assumed he had been kidnapped at an early age. Searching for a missing child is a lot different than…” He shrugs. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You two were close?”
I stare at the solitaire ring on my finger and nod.
“Oh, you two were—”
“In love,” I mumble, my voice barely a whisper. “But he doesn’t remember me or anything that happened between us.”
“It must be shocking to realize that he’s not dead.”
“Oh, I knew he was alive.” I shrug, my voice soft and heavy with sadness. “No one believed me, but I knew. At least I understand why he never came back to us.”
Once he finishes pouring the water in the mugs and setting them on the small kitchen table, he gestures for me to sit before asking, “Why don’t you tell me a little about you? What is it that you do for a living, Piper?”
He wants to know about me? It’s not important, what matters is that… I sink into the chair, my skin tight with disbelief. Archer is closer than I could ever fathom, but he’s unreachable. His mind can’t remember who he was or what he meant to me. And this stranger in front of me has been caring for him during those years I couldn’t.
Pain grips my heart like a vise. I was the person who knew Archer the best, and now I’m nothing to him. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I struggle to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. The weight of loss is suffocating, and I can’t shake the feeling of being replaced.
