Page 105 of Unapologetic Obsession
She froze, blinking rapidly before her mouth fell open. “Um. Dr. Maxwell’s twin.”
My lips pursed before laughter bubbled up my throat. “So, Damon married my cousin, and now, Caden’s trying to drag me to the altar.” I shook my head. “Talk about keeping it in the family.”
“You’re not upset?” Her voice cracked with disbelief.
“That Poppy flew out to make sure Caden didn’t manipulate me while I was incapacitated with memory loss?” My voice was sharp and bitter. “I’m just glad someone cares enough to have my back.”
Amelie flinched at the comment. Her guilty eyes were cast to the floor. “That’s not what I meant,” she mumbled. “I’m just surprised you don’t care that Damon married Poppy.”
I scrunched my nose. “Why should I care if he married my cousin? Does he treat her poorly?”
“No. No. Nothing like that.”
My lips parted slightly in confusion.
“Babe, you were kind of in love with Damon.”
My jaw dropped. Oh God. I had the hots for both twins. “Eww. Please tell me I didn’t date him.”
She laughed at my scandalized face. “Don’t worry. You didn’t even know Damon. To be honest, I don’t think you actually liked him. You liked the ideaof himbecause he was a philanthropist who helped people. You weren’t exactly a risk-taker, and Damon was a safe bet. You just wanted a goody two-shoes who’d never hurt you.”
Clearly, Amelie wasn’t a fan. But if I were in love with Damon, why didn’t the name ring a bell? A lot of my memories surrounding Caden had returned, as did my relationship with Amelie and Poppy.
Amelie gave me a tight smile. “You’re not at all reacting how I expected. I’ve been on pins and needles about it, trying to figure out how to break the news to you.”
Once more, I combed through my memories for a positive emotion where Damon was concerned and came up short. I only remembered Caden. In the end, I concluded that if Poppy was the only family member I cared about, I was genuinely happy for her if she found love with Damon.
I shrugged. “I’m happy for them,” I said, genuinely meaning it. Frankly, I was much more interested in my past with Caden. “Do you know anything about my relationship with Caden when he was still my professor?”
Her smile widened into something almost triumphant, as if she had waited eons for me to brush Damon aside. “No, but I figured out something was up when he refused to leave your side at the hospital.”
“Caden was at the hospital with me?” I asked, my voice betraying my disbelief. I wrapped my arms around myself as I processed the information.
She nodded once. “He insisted on being your primary care physician. I worked as a nursing assistant at the university hospital. I saw him there for days on end, sleeping in the staff quarters so he wouldn’t have to leave you.”
My chest expanded. A bewildering ache spread through me as I tried to reconcile the image of that cold, calculating man sitting in a sterile room for hours, yearning for me. The idea of Caden longing for anyone or anything was so unexpected that it left me feeling empty on the inside.
Despite my best efforts, Amelie wasn’t giving me any ammunition to hold on to my anger. Before I could stop myself, I spoke to her as I would to my old friend. “Caden wanted me back then, and I turned him down numerous times. I-I think I hurt him badly.”
I had pushed Caden away for a man I didn’t even like. My chest tightened painfully at the thought.
“That sucks.” She seemed grief-stricken by my confession. Clearly, she wasTeam Cadenall the way. She was momentarily pensive before adding, “There’s a Latin phrase I learned in my philosophy class—tabula rasa.Do you know what that means?”
I gave her a blank look. I couldn’t even remember sex or my last name, and she wanted me to remember Latin.
She waved me off with a knowing look. “It means a blank slate. At birth—or rebirth, in your case—a human begins without preconceived ideas, memories, or influences, and what happens next is shaped by their experiences. Back then,you spoke highly of Dr. Maxwell, but I’m assuming you kept your distance because of your boundary issues and misplaced feelings for Damon. Since your memories have been wiped clean, you’ve built habits, feelings, and emotions as you see fit. Yet, you still fell for Dr. Maxwell. Whether it’s the old you or the new you, both versions want this man. Only this time, you chose to let him in. I’ve never seen you this happy.” She beamed. “No matter what happened in the past, you have the chance to start fresh with him,” she said encouragingly.
I rolled my eyes. “His idea of starting fresh is marrying me under false pretenses. It seems a little fucked, don’t you think?”
Amelie frowned. “I don’t see it that way. He’s smitten with you. He literally tries to impress your subconscious.”
When I opened my mouth, she quickly cut me off.
“I won’t pretend to understand his reasons for everything. I’ll only say that he’ll do anything for you. You should have seen him after you fled the hospital. He combed the city for days without sleep and tried every avenue to track you down. I mean, just look at his boat. It’s painted in your favorite colors. I’ve seen him mimic your old OCD habits when he does your bandages, so you don’t rip them off for ‘disorderly placement.’ He even wears the colors you like, so you’ll find him soothing. That man’s got Rose written all over him. You, my friend, have managed the impossible. You’ve turned the coldest, most untouchable and unattainable man into a lovesick puppy.”
My throat tightened as I watched her beam at my fairy-tale ending. The sincerity in Amelie’s tone made me forget my anger entirely because most of what she said was true.
Although the smile stayed on her face, it dialed down a few notches. “I hope you can forgive me for lying to you. I only went along with Dr. Maxwell’s wishes because you seemed so happy.”
