Samatha got home, but the thoughts of what he had said were still swirling around in her head. She began to question the reality of the situation. Why would he say these things? He didn't look like a crazy person, but what he said was wild. It didn't make sense, but he had genuine sadness and confusion in his eyes. Was there a gap in her memory? No, that couldn't be possible. She would never forget things like that.
She had gone ahead and offered an opportunity for them to talk so that maybe he'd stop coming. Samantha didn't want to talk at his restaurant and preferred at Zac's because it was a neutral and public place, where she'd feel more comfortable. It was a bustling place with a lot of activity and people. Which would ensure their meeting stayed calm and civilized, no matter the emotional intensity of their conversation. Her curiosity was also piqued about what he would say, that would reveal what made him believe those things. She suspected it was going to be a challenging talk.
Samantha would however be able to refute his story with his own words when they talked because she didn't believe one bit, that she had some missing part of her life.
He implicitly said Saint was his, which bothered her. Savion was their dad, no doubt about it. She didn't want her kids connected to anyone, as a father figure, but her husband.
As the time got closer, Samantha felt a mixture of anxiety and apprehension. She kept re-visiting what he said time and time again, trying to find some connection with her memory. Samantha had a deep desire to understand the reasons behind his astonishing claims, but she felt like it was going to cause life altering changes. Even though right now, she didn't believe what he already told her.
At 5 p.m., Samantha arrived at Zac's Grill House after leaving the kids with a sitter. The ambiance of the place sort of offered a bit of normalcy, which contrasted with what she was feeling inside. He was already there, seated in a distant booth, away from the majority of diners. He stood up as she approached, and she sat across from him.
She saw when he took a deep breath, and she prepared herself for the conversation to come. Her anxiety went up a notch and her mind started to race with thoughts like: what is he going to say, would he show evidence for his claims, how would she handle the information if it jeopardized her family stability?
He introduced himself over again as Noah, and then started to recount the details of their past relationship which included his twin. Noah talked up to the point of her disappearance, and him coming across her that day.
Noah looked at Samantha as he spoke, his voice steady. Her presence across the table seemed both familiar and distant. After three years, he still felt the same about her. She still caused that immense pleasure and warmth and tenderness to wash over him, whenever he saw her or whenever she was around.
