Page 24 of Sapphire

“Actually, I spoke to the police last night,” Tomas confesses.

This stems my tears for a moment.

“And?”

Hope rising in my chest.

Tomas’s face falls at my question.

That doesn’t seem good. I move out of Tomas’s arms giving us some space.

“I wanted to wait to talk to you about this when Mateo was here.”

“Please tell me, Tomas, I can handle it.”

He takes a deep breath. “They say you don’t exist.”

“What do you mean I don’t exist? I exist, I’m right here in front of you.” Panic grips me, my heart’s racing. What does he mean?

He puts a reassuring hand on my bare knee. “I can see that you exist.” His eyes drop for a fleeting moment to my chest before he looks back into my eyes. “Most people have an electronic presence, but you seem to have none. They can’t find any trace of you. There are no missing persons reports here in Spain or the rest of the world.”

A headache is starting at the base of my skull. I don’t understand. “How can that be?”

“Someone has made you disappear,” he states matter-of-factly.

“What? Someone just deleted me from everything in the world as if I don’t exist?”

Why?

Why would they do that to me?

I bring my hand up to massage my temples trying to abate the headache that is starting to throb.

“Hey,” Tomas says, grabbing my hands. “We’re going to find out who you are, okay?”

I wish I had his enthusiasm.

“Mateo and I will not stop till we do.”

I look into his hazel eyes, and my tears start again. I hate feeling this lost and alone. “What … happens … if … you … can’t?” I hiccup through my tears.

Tomas pulls me into his arms again to comfort me. “The police are working on it; I promise we will find you.”

We’re silent for a moment while I get myself under control again.

Tomas brushes the hair from my face tenderly. Then gives me a weak smile.

“Maybe your memory will come back before then.”

I can only hope.

“You don’t know what it’s like to not know anything. The very essence of who I am is gone. I’m walking around in a fog of loneliness.”

Tomas looks surprised by my confession, and I see his eyes are a little glassy from my words. He then grabs my face with his warm hands.

This feels intimate. It’s the closest I’ve been to him.

“You’re not alone, Zoe. You have Mateo and me. You have us.”

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