Page 6 of All for her Forgiveness

"What?"

"I'm Kennedy Juliet O'Neal—my mother’s surname. I don't have my father's surname. God, how I wish I could remember the past! I'd give anything to have my memory back."

"Can I tell you something?"

"You can tell me anything, Delores."

"Your lack of memory is a blessing."

"What?"

"I remember what I did. Every detail. And although I don't regret it, and I'm sure I'd do it again if my daughter's safety was at stake, the scene itself, the level of violence I was capable of, all that blood . . . I wish I could forget."

"I didn't kill that woman, Delores."

"How can you be sure?"

"I can't, but something in my heart tells me I'm not capable of that."

"We're all capable of killing, depending on what's at stake, Kennedy. I'm not saying you did it but rather that I believe youcould. Now, tell me more about your conversation with the lawyers."

"They said I was at that house in Cape Cod, vacationing with the deceased woman, Pam. I lived with her and her grandmother, who was the Greek's housekeeper," I say, shuddering at the memory of the hatred in his features, even in the photos I saw in the newspapers from Pam's funeral.

"Why did you live with them?"

"They said it was because the grandmother took me in after the death of Mrs. Riny Marcotte, my guardian."

"You don't remember anything?"

"No. Sometimes, I have flashes of conversations. Phrases said, laughter, and . . .”

"What?"

"I dreamed of a man kissing me. In fact, doing more than kissing, but I can't see his face or remember his voice. Yet, I think I was in love with him."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because when I dream about it, I wake up with the sensation of his touch, his lips. I just don't understand why, if I was in a relationship with someone, he hasn't shown up yet. Maybe he's the father of my baby."

"Why do you believe that? I don’t mean to upset you, my love, but there's more chance, from what we know so far, that King is the son of the man who's on the run. According to what you've told me, the newspapers say you were Ryan Corey III's girlfriend."

I think of the photograph I saw of the man they accuse of killing Pam and whom I allegedly "assisted" to kill her. The wretch fled to escape capture, and he hasn't been found to this day. I don't remember ever seeing him, except in newspaper photos, but that's no guarantee that I don't actually know him because I also don't remember the Greek, Hades Kostanidis, and yet it seems I was living in his grandfather's house.

The lawyers have now given me more details about Ryan Corey III, the fugitive.

They explained many facts I was unaware of and others I already knew, like that he's a billionaire heir, quite a few years older than me, and supposedly, my boyfriend, but I don't know if I believe that. Even with amnesia, shouldn't I at least feel a "click" in my heart when I see his photograph? Yet, all I felt when I saw it was an inexplicable disgust.

"I don’t think King is his son. I felt repulsion when I saw that man's photo."

"I wish I could help you more, Kennedy. Don't take it the wrong way when I said you could be capable of killing. It's not because I think you're a bad person. If you did it, I'm sure there was a reason. I've been here for many years, and I don't see the world as I did before I was imprisoned. Nothing is black and white; there are many gray areas and nuances between truth and lies, good and evil, love and hate."

"Not in the Greek's case. He hates me. He was Pam's protector. From what I read in the headlines about the crime, from the time she was a little girl, he paid for everything for her. From the moment she went to live with her grandmother, Mrs. Vina Marcotte—who, by the way, was the woman I lived with after my guardian died. According to the newspapers, Hades saw her as a younger sister."

"And what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you have any contact with him?"

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