He kissed her like he meant it, so deeply that he almost believed he must have been wildly in love with this woman before.
When he finally let her go, he noticed her eyes were closed, as if she had drifted to sleep. She was soft, completely relaxed against him.
She trusted him. He could feel it.
Julian let out a quiet laugh.
That heavy, stubborn cloud that had been sitting on his chest for so long was quietly melting away.
He scooped Madeline up and carried her off without looking back or bothering about anyone else.
"Madeline..." Brenda called weakly from a bench near the flowerbeds, slumped like all the bones had left her body. The rain had just stopped, and the night wind pushed her wet clothes against her skin, making her shiver and wake up a little.
"Madeline’s gone... someone took her... we have to—"
She tried to get up and follow, but the man standing next to her grabbed her arm. "She’s with Julian, going home. Why are you chasing after her?"
Brenda paused, her gaze landing on Mitch. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a long beat before suddenly reaching out and cradling his face.
Mitch raised an eyebrow but didn’t move away. He just watched her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"You..." she whispered. She leaned in uncertainly, so close he could feel her breath, then brought her lips to his ear. "You look like someone I used to know."
His eyes brightened. "Yeah? Who is he to you?"
The question seemed to sting her. She looked down. "He’s... my creditor. I owe him."
A sad little laugh slipped out. "I owe him a perfect life... and I’ll never pay him back."
Mitch’s playful look faded. The way she spoke, it was more like she was talking to herself. Her voice got quieter and quieter, until he could barely catch the last few words. Then she just fell silent.
Julian carried Madeline home. She slept the whole way.
He tucked her into her own bed, then paused for a moment. Leaning over her, he studied her face, brow pulled together in thought.
He couldn’t help wondering what exactly had happened between them—what their story really was.
He was even more curious about why he’d lost all those memories in the first place. Christian once gave him an explanation, and back then Julian just believed him. After Julian checked out fine at the hospital, he never dug any deeper.
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