something, and I think it’d be best to do it in private. Do you mind if we sit and talk for a moment?”
He looked so nervous, but not in a shifty way. “Of course.”
He took my hand in his, the familiar hum I’d come to expect from him buzzed between us, as I sat waiting for him to speak. He sat gingerly across from me, and I was both disappointed and relieved that he wasn’t trying to kiss me.
“Hannah, Ophelia had mentioned that you were hurt seven years ago.”
I didn’t know why he was bringing that up, but I didn’t like it. I shook my head at him. “I’d rather not talk about that.”
“But what I have to say is important and is related directly to that.”
I looked at him confused.
“Hannah, you forgot me.” His eyes filled with tears, as I tried to comprehend what he was saying to me.
“I…”
“It was me you met in the café that night, and we talked for the full three hours you were waiting for the bus. I knew if I didn’t see you again, I’d regret it the rest of my life. I had to keep you. I’d never felt anything like what I had with you before, Hannah, and I haven’t ever since.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s me you ran away with. It’s me you lived with in New York. Our daughter looks just like me, and I can’t believe you named her Penelope,” he chuckled, and the memory of the conversation in the shower came to the forefront of my mind again.
“You said to name…”
“I know, and you remembering that little bit gave me hope.”
My eyes darted all over his face, looking for the similarities, finally landing on his eyes that I’d been trying to avoid this whole time. They were exactly like my daughter’s, now that I thought to compare them.
“My hair was lighter when I was a kid,” he motioned toward it.
“You left me.” I didn’t know where it came from, but it was the one thing that had been plaguing me for years.
His brow furrowed. “Is that what he told you?” He was getting upset.
“Who?” I didn’t know who he was talking about.
“Your father, did he tell you I left you? I swear I didn’t, Hannah. You have to believe me. I searched for you everywhere, but he threatened to charge me with kidnapping and murder, when I showed up in Nevada looking for you. I believed him, because he brought other officers with him. My father insisted I come home with him. He said I couldn’t keep looking for you in jail.”
I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t want to believe him. I really didn’t, because if what he was saying was true, my father was responsible for keeping us apart. He’d known exactly who William was, and he didn’t tell me. My dad had lied, and even though I didn’t want to believe William, I did.
“My father lied, he said he didn’t know you, and the only memory I had of you for a long time was of you leaving me. You left me, you really did!” I accused him.
“No, never!” He took my hands in his, and I wanted to believe him so badly.
“You told me I shouldn’t have come, and you put me in a cab. You wouldn’t kiss me. You said we’d said our goodbyes the night before. My throat was sore from crying, and you were sneaking out on me. You left me!”
I could tell he was trying to put things together in his head, when something clicked. “Your throat,” he took a deep relieved breath, “Hannah, you had a sore throat, because you had strep throat the day I left, the whole week before I left. I didn’t wake you, because you were up sick with a fever all night and needed to stay in bed. I wanted to stay. I told you I would. I didn’t like leaving you sick, but you’d overheard my boss threatening me if I didn’t
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