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“Why? Because no one found you?”
I give her a puzzled glance. She knows about my past?
“You lost your memories,” Triss says, confirming my suspicion. “But your family didn’t. They must have looked for you, but they didn’t find you.”
“You’re right. They didn’t. No one did. Not even the people who tried to kill me.”
Her jaw drops. “What?”
“You’re not the only one hiding,” I tell her. “I am, too. As you said, I lost my memories. I don’t know what happened to me, but I was found on the brink of death. Someone tried to kill me and nearly succeeded, and I don’t know who.”
“And your family? Do you think they’re still alive?”
“They could be dead. Maybe that’s why they haven’t found me.”
Triss clasps her hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry… for what I said. It was rude of me. And mean.”
I shake my head. “You’re just scared. People say things they don’t mean when they’re scared.” I take her hand in mine. “But I’m telling you that you don’t have to be. I will keep you safe. Both you and Lara. Just stay.”
Triss meets my gaze. “Really? Are you sure you want me to stay? Because yesterday, it seemed as if you couldn’t stand the sight of me.”
What? I try to recall what happened yesterday. I came home. Triss cooked curry. We laughed. Then I had that flashback which made me so uneasy that I spent the rest of the day in my room. It’s happened before, but I suppose this is the first time it’s happened around Triss. Is that why she left? Because she thought I was mad at her?
“That’s not true,” I tell her. “I just… needed time to think about something. You had nothing to do with it.”
“I have nothing to do with you,” she says.
I frown. “That’s not true, Triss.”
“Really? Why do you care about me so much? You’ve only just met me. Lara and I shouldn’t mean anything to you.”
“I don’t know either,” I answer her truthfully. “All I know is that I was scared and lost once, just like you, and two people from this town helped me. They saved me and gave me a second chance. You deserve the same.”
For a moment, Triss falls silent. Then she pulls her hand away. “But we’re not the same, Antonio. You don’t know who’s after you. I do. He’s a monster who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He will find me.”
I thought as much.
“All the more reason for you to accept my help. You can’t fight a monster like that alone.”
“Antonio.” Triss grips my sleeve and looks into my eyes. “You can’t help me. No one can.”
“But…”
“I’ll stay here until my foot is better. You can keep me safe until then. But once I can run, I’m going to. I’m going to leave this place and never look back. If you want to help me, you can do that by taking care of Lara.”
“She’s your daughter,” I point out.
“She deserves a life, one I can’t give if she’s with me. You can’t save me, Antonio, but you can save her.”
I frown. I don’t like this arrangement at all. I don’t like the idea of a mother abandoning her child or a young, innocent woman stuck in the web of a monster. There’s nothing right about it. Still, right now, Triss’s amber eyes are blazing with determination. She’s made up her mind and I don’t think I can say anything to change it. Not right now.
For now, it’s best to let her think she’s won and make my retreat. At least she’s agreed to stay until her foot is healed. I still have time to convince her to see things my way.
I let out a breath as I stand up. “Alright. I’ll keep you safe until your foot is healed and I’ll take care of Lara after you leave.”
Triss nods. “Thank you.”
“So for now, don’t worry about anything,” I tell her. “Just rest.”
“Okay.”
She lies down on the bed. I walk away.
“Wait,” she calls after me. “The money. I took it from the counter. It’s…”
“It’s fine,” I cut her off. “You can keep it. I’ll give you more before you leave.”
“That’s not…”
She stops talking when her eyes meet mine over my shoulder. I guess she knows when I’ve made up my mind, too.
“And the watch?” she asks. “Did it get lost?”
“It’s in your bag,” I tell her.
I spotted it on the ground just as I was about to leave with her, so I picked it up. I didn’t know how it ended up there but I had a feeling Triss wouldn’t just throw it away. I guess I was right.
Triss nods. “Okay.”
“Like I said, you don’t have to worry about anything,” I tell her. “So just rest.”
She pulls the covers up to her shoulders. I leave the room and go downstairs to check on Lara. Sally is waiting for me.
