Page 70 of Please Remember

"What?"

"Did you take the picture from the living room or not?"

"Of course I took the picture!" she shouts and slaps her hands on her sides. "And I still believe Allie did this to herself. I always suspectedshe's faking, and I was looking for something, anything, to prove it. I snatched it when her parents showed up to the house."

"Why?" Seth asks. "Was the picture going to talk to you or something? Did you think something was hidden behind in the frame?"

She sighs. "I don't know, okay? Everything about Allie drives me fucking insane. Always has, and I never understood why everyone wants to kiss her ass so damn badly."

I just blink at her. "She drives you so crazy that you really believe that Allie's faking her memory loss? All of this? That she... locked herself up?"

"Think about it, Jax," Laura snaps. "It seems pretty convenient she was able to escape the night of our engagement party, but she can't remember where the hell she escaped from. She can't retrace her steps or tell anyone the direction she walked. And then she doesn’t even know her name? She doesn't know her name, but she knows the house she lived in seven years ago. Doesn't know you, but the street looked familiar. Enough to skip going to the goddamned police station. None of this sounds suspicious to anyone else?"

Looking around the room, she waits for anyone to jump in and join her in her thinking. There is some merit to the logic, but every one of us has seen Allie struggling without her memory. I don't believe for a second that she's faking anything.

"You want us to believe that Allie kept herself locked away for seven years, never seeing the sun, and emaciating herself just to pull something over on us?" Seth asks.

"And what would her reason for all of this be?" I ask.

"I don't know. I don't speak crazy woman!" Laura screams. "Money. Publicity. Who knows?"

Drew laughs beside me. "Yeah, because Allie's rolling in dough over all of this. Oh, and the publicity has just totally gone to her head."

"Fuck you, Drew."

"You know, it's actually kind of convenient now that you say it," Benji says.

I look at him, my mouth agape. "Huh?"

"Yeah, I mean, Allie goes missing on the night that Laura knew you were planning to propose. That's convenient timing. Especially when Laura disappeared before we all found out Allie was gone. No one saw Laura the rest of the night. Talk about convenient."

Damn, Benji's not as drunk as I thought. "Wait, no one remembers seeing Laura the rest of that night?"

"Of course no one saw me. I ran home and cried myself to sleep. I helped decorate for the party that solidified losing the only man I'd ever loved. The person I fell in love with at twelve years old. I didn't exactly want to stick around and watch you get on one knee in front of Allie," Laura snaps at me.

"Likely story.” Benji scoffs. “Anyone able to corroborate it?"

Rolling her eyes, she glares at him and tosses a box to me. "I thought you should have the engagement ring you gave me back. You know, in case you want to propose to Allie if she ever falls in love with you again."

"You think Jax gave you the ring he bought for Allie?" Seth asks and laughs. "You really are deluded, aren't you?"

Taking a step back, Laura shakes her head and lets out a humorless chuckle. "Of course, you had a different ring for Allie. Allie is special. She gets everything I never did even though I gave youeverything! God, I put in so much time and work just to get you to see me. I put up with you mourning her loss for five fucking years."

"That was your choice, Laura," I say.

"I even put up with knowing you were drinking and screwing Sage while you were grieving, but I was still there for you!"

I shake my head as I try and follow her train of thought. "I never slept with Sage. Never even thought of kissing her. She's like my sister. That's actually really disturbing to even think about."

"I don't believe that. Just like I don't believe you aren't trying to pin Allie's abduction on me. After seven years, you've become so vindictive. I can't believe I thought I loved someone who could do this to me."

"I didn't do that, Laura. But if the cops are looking in your direction, there's a reason. And the reason didn't come from me. Maybe you should take a step back and look at the things you’ve said and done. You brought this on yourself, not me.”

Seth walks over to the windows where the others are now looking out, and I see flashing lights. "Uh, there's a lot of lights out there."

All but throwing Laura to the side, I run to the door. "Allie?"

Sage bursts in right as I reach the door, her eyes locking with mine. "You have to come quick."

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