His hand froze on the fork. He didn''t say a word.


    ra reached over, her palm gently covering his, right where he''d hurt himself. "You''re still upset about those two words, aren''t you? Okay, I promise I won''t mention them again."


    He looked up at her, eyes searching her face, like he wasn''t sure he could believe her.


    Honestly, ra didn''t get why he was so sensitive about it. Her handwriting was a mess; nobody would''ve figured out the words meant "mentor." She only recognized them because she''d been called that before. Otherwise, she''d never have guessed. So, did Dn really figure it out? And was he that certain?


    Her head started to ache, thoughts swirling, her expression flickering for just a second.


    But she softened her voice. "I won''t bring it up anymore, but you shouldn''t dwell on it either. Just focus on eating and getting stronger, okay? And if you ever try something like that again-seriously, I''ll be mad this time."<fn7abf> Th?s chapter is updated by FindN()vel</fn7abf>


    Being mad meant she cared.


    He knew that. That''s probably why he went to such extremes. If she truly didn''t care, she would''ve just walked out and left him behind.


    He dropped his gaze, about to start eating again, when she added, "I have to head outter, just for a bit. Meeting a friend. You stay home and rest, all right?"


    As soon as she said it, she remembered what Aiden had warned her: Don''t leave Dn alone-take him with you, or he''ll get lost in his own head.


    She pressed her lips together. But she was meeting Kaitlyn, and it wouldn''t be right to bring someone else along.


    After dinner, she reminded him again, "Don''t look at any files while you''re home, okay? Go sit on the couch, y some games, read aic. Just rx."


    She was at the door, changing her shoes, when Dn suddenly asked, "Can''t Ie with you?"


    Her heart squeezed, sharp and sudden.


    Dn always felt like some abandoned stray, always bracing for the moment someone might leave him behind. He never made a scene; he just hurt himself in these quiet, desperate ways.


    ra took a steadying breath. "I''ll be back in two hours. Promise."


    He didn''t say anything else.


    Even when she got in her car, ra couldn''t shake the worry. She pulled the housekeeper aside, quietly asking her to keep a close eye on Dn, just in case.


    Only after making sure everything was set did she finally head out to meet Kaitlyn at the studio.


    When Kaitlyn saw ra, she looked her up and down, only rxing once she was sure ra was really okay.


    "You, Eli, and Seth are all the same," Kaitlyn teased. "Always vanishing. I guess that means you''re not hurting for money anymore."


    It was true-ra didn''t have to worry about money these days. When she and Kaitlyn first started working together, the Bradford Group was going through its roughest patch.


    Now, ra wanted to know how Kaitlyn had first found Eli and Seth. She was starting to think their backgrounds might have something to do with her own mysterious past.


    The people pulling strings behind the scenes had stayed hidden this whole time. Had she been wrong all along? Was she really just a regr person?


    She couldn''t help thinking aboutst night''s phone call. Maybe those people would finally show themselves if she and Dn actually left for North America. But deep down, she knew Dn didn''t really want to go.


    His wish was simple he just wanted to be with her.


    ra leaned back in her chair, rubbing her forehead. "Kaitlyn, what do you think Dn is really thinking?"


    Kaitlyn listened, a little stunned. Was ra seriously talking about that Dn? The Dn she''d met a few times was cold, distant, almost robotic.


    Seeing ra so stressed, Kaitlyn finally said, "Why not try to get your memory back? If he''s that afraid you''ll remember, there''s got to be something important there about the two of you. Figure it out, talk it through with him—he''ll stop being so anxious. It''s better than letting all this eat you up inside."


    ra nced out the window, thinking of how Dn had beentely. Maybe he didn''t realize it, but he was getting worse.


    Maybe Kaitlyn was right. Maybe it was time to go looking for those memories.


    "ra..." Kaitlyn started, then asked, "Aren''t you exhausted, being with someone like him? Just hearing about it makes me tired."


    Having a partner keep that many secrets-especially secrets probably about you -would break anyone down. But ra never seemed angry at Dn. She only worried about him.


    ra leaned back, taking a bite of dessert. It was better than she expected.


    "Where''s this from?" she asked.


    She made a mental note to bring some home for Dnter.


    Kaitlyn caught the look on her face and grinned. "You two really are something else. One willing to give, the other willing to take. A perfect match.”


    A weird rtionship, sure. But if you looked closely, every bit of it was real.