do anything they want and get away with it. The money…” I shook my head. “They’re untouchable.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“I used to,” I said. “But I just faced death. If I have to go back there to get my revenge, then I will.”
“Oh, Winter, you have to be careful.”
“Of what?”
“Saying things like that… you might just make Mommy love you.”
She winked.
My heart raced.
The six-year-old version of Winter Seacrum cried, knowing her Mommy didn’t like or want her.
“Now, let’s talk some more,” my mother said. “I didn’t say to mess with their steering or brakes. What I meant… fuck with their cars. A hammer. Screwdriver. Knife to the tires. Or maybe just burn the fucking thing.”
“You realize-”
“No, no, no,” she said. “You don’t get it. They’re fucked. They planned on killing you. They didn’t finish the job. Anything that happens to them they can’t do a thing about. If they try to blame you, that means you have your memory back. But you don’t. Right?”
I smiled and nodded.
“You’ll fucking torture them, Winter. Just like the bitch I know you can be.”
“I don’t know…”
A wave of worry hit me.
There was so much that could go wrong here.
And what the hell was I doing taking advice from my mother? She was a psycho. She used my father to have me and cash in on his bank account. I was going to listen to her?
“Tell you what, Winter,” my mother said. “I’m going to walk back to the house. I’ll put your bags in your room for you. Then I’ll order something to eat. You think about it. If you’re here to just lounge around and be sad about yourself and your life, then go back to the castle. Let those people who are paid to be nice to you tell you you’re pretty. I won’t do that.”
“I look just like you,” I said. “So if I’m ugly, so are you.”
“Oh, sweetie, we’re beautiful,” she said. “A mirror tells us that. I’m talking on the inside. Are you really going to let people fuck with you? If so, then you’re sure as hell not my daughter.”
Talk about harsh.
My mother walked away.
I looked over my shoulder and watched her disappear.
She hugged herself as she walked.
I had no idea what her story was. Why she ended up the way she did. How she could talk to her own daughter the way she did.
But she was right. Of course, in this case, being right was being wrong.
I kept staring and started to walk.
I bumped into something, which made me jump.
I gasped and looked forward.
My gasp was going to turn into a scream, but I lost my breath and voice.
Noah stood inches away from me.
He was tall with perfect brown hair and eyes to match. Everything about his face was clean cut, symmetrical, his jaw curved so perfectly, it looked cut from precious stone. Wearing a white shirt with the buttons undone, the breeze from the ocean making the shirt dance against his body and behind him.
Standing with his hands slipped into the pockets of his black, fancy pants. Almost like suit pants or something. The bottoms were rolled up two times, showing off his bare feet.
His cologne attacked my nose with fury as I gently inched myself back away from him.
“Winter Seacrum,” his voice said.
I knew all about Noah. I knew his voice. His look. His smell.
Everything.
My mouth opened to say his name.
I mentally slapped myself across the face.
You have to forget! Pretend to forget!
“That’s… that’s my name,” I said. “You… uh… I saw you before…”
“You did?” Noah asked. “Where at?”
“The hospital,” I said. “You were in the room, right?”
“Yeah, I was,” Noah said. “I didn’t get a chance to talk to you.”
“Right. The room got kind of busy. I wasn’t feeling all that great.”
“You seem to feel better now.”
Shit, shit, shit…
“Far from it,” I said. “Who are you?”
Noah’s jaw tightened. His eyes bounced around. Studying me.
I wasn’t prepared for this.
What was he doing here? Did he follow me? How did he know where my mother lived?
I tried to swallow hard without him seeing it.
“Who am I… really?”
I raised my left eyebrow. “I was in an accident. I kind of lost my memory. That’s why I’m here.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah. I’m staying with my mother.”
Noah nodded. “Wow. I mean, I heard the rumor about you losing your memory. I just wasn’t sure how true it was.”
“Well, here I am,” I said. “How well do we know each other?” I laughed.
Noah didn’t laugh.
He stepped closer to me.
Using just his