Reminiscent

Chapter Twenty-Four

I carry Evie to her bedroom slowly. She sleeps in my arms, drooling on my t-shirt as I slowly place her onto her bed. It's not easy to admit but something with Evie doesn't feel right. When I hold her in my arms, I know I love her, but it feels as though I'm holding someone else's child. After all, I have no memories of her. Not one. I'd be lying if I said that that didn't scare me.

I let out a sigh while leaving her room. I find Chace in the kitchen making himself a coffee, wearing only his pyjama bottoms. His hair wet from the shower and his eyes heavy from exhaustion.

"Hey, I'm just going to go for a walk" I announce, "don't wait up, okay?"

Chace nods slowly as though he's used to me disappearing late at night. When I walk out of the apartment, I call an Uber driver who brings me to Daniel's apartment. I've never been to his place, well not that I can remember that is.

I swing my fist against his apartment door, hoping he still lives there and that my dad didn't give me the wrong address today when I called. The door swings open and I find Daniel in his pyjama bottoms and a black T-shirt.

"I just finished a sixteen-hour shift" his voice is low and exhausted, "I don't have the time or energy right now for—"

"Did we get together after Chace and I separated?" I ask bluntly, "like were we a couple?"

Daniel sighs before opening the door all the way, allowing me in. I walk into his apartment and smile. Surprisingly neat and darker then I imagined it to be.

"Can I make you a coffee?" He asks.

I shake my head as taking a seat on his brown sofa.

"When you told me that my memories are wrong...was that so I wouldn't tell Chace what happened after he left?" I assume.

Daniel sighs, taking a seat across from me.

"We met when you were with Dean. I fell in love with you when you were working under me and it was wrong. Nothing ever happened besides some small...moments. But you were with Dean, that was the bottom line. Then when you two broke up, you needed time and then you met Chace. After marrying him you realised that he's a lot more work then you thought and you didn't love him anymore. So you ended it..."

"Where does that put you in the equation?" I raise a brow.

"I was there. You told me you loved me and...then you had your accident" he simplifies the ending. "And you went back to him"

"I...I'm trying with Chace. But something feels off. I don't know what it is but I don't think we're in love. I don't feel it or see it. All I see a guy who thinks he's has been gifted a second shot at trying to fix his broken marriage...and his wife. but I don't know what to fix because I don't know what was broken...but something about you feels different" I admit.

Daniel clenches his jaw before looking away from me.

"As I said, I just finished a sixteen-hour shift at the hospital" he stands up.

"I know I said I'd let this go but a part of me knows I'm not supposed to let you go" I follow his actions, now we both stand in the living room with his back turned away from me. "Why would you want me to?"

Daniel twists around.

"Of course I want you to remember me! But if you remember me, you remember him..." he blurts out.

"Him? Is that Chace...or Dean?" I lower my voice.

There's a moment of silence.

"I don't care if you remember my brother" Daniel admits, "if you remember him you'll remember why you filed for divorce and why you told me you love me..."

"But if I remember Dean all I'll remember is pain" I finish his sentence.

"Yeah"

Another minute of silence follows as I walk up to him, our faces inches apart.

"Tell me what happened with Dean" I whisper.

"At this rate, you'll remember soon enough" Daniels tone matches mine.

I look down at his lips before kissing them. My eyes close and my hands press against his cheeks. I feel it. The devotion and intimacy I've been searching for in Chace. Daniel pulls away.

"I've missed you, Halia" he admits at a whisper, his forehead pressed against mine. "But I don't want this if you're still with him"

I nod.

"Okay" I kiss his cheek before pulling away.

With that, I let myself out of his apartment and call an Uber to take me home to Chace. When I get into the apartment it's past midnight and Chace is sound asleep in bed.

I slide into bed beside him and stay up thinking. I think I want to remember Dean. I think I need too. My heavy eyes close slowly as I let the memories back in.

I stood outside his apartment with shaking hands and a pounding heart. When the door swings open and I see my boyfriends face, I blurt out the words: "I'm pregnant and it's yours...well obviously it's yours"

"What" Dean's eyes were wide. "Are you sure?"

"I just came back from the doctor and—" I started just as Dean pressed his lips against mine.

I smiled.

"Move in with me" he begged just as pulling out a spare key to his apartment. "I was going to ask you tonight but–"

"Yes," I kissed him again.

My eyes shoot open quickly.

Did Dean get me pregnant? But that was years before Evie was born. What happened to our baby? Where's my baby?

"You've lost the pregnancy," the doctor told me.

"No!" I whaled from my hospital bed.  "My baby, I want my baby"

My breath is short as I look over to my sleeping husband. The miscarriage that I had...it happened before I met Chace? It happened when I was with Dean?

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A/N

Hi all,

Who loves a good cliffhanger? I'm almost done with this book and I'm a little nervous about the ending as it is completely different from the original version.

What does everything think of all the plot twists? Please let me know your thoughts and don't forget to vote :))

Thank you and Happy reading!

- Rose