Page 147 of Twisted Obsession

“What’s more adult than this?” I gesture with the razor between her and me.

“Living on my own, figuring out who I am…”

“You know who you are.”

She frowns. “No I don’t, Jake. That’s the problem.”

“Some memories came back, right?”

“A good portion,” she allows.

“Do you remember living alone? In Crown Point?”

“Some of it.” She shifts her weight. “Why doyouthink he picked Denver?”

I tilt my head. “What do you mean?”

She sets down the curling iron and faces me. I mirror her, although I’ve got shaving cream on half my face still.

“Henry said he was building the second identity, Thomas Cameron, in Denver. Eight months ago. The money came out of my account nine months ago, right? So… why Denver? If I was from New York. If I wasfoundin New York. It wasn’t like I already had amnesia and he was setting up this life to torture me.”

Our first assumption was that he picked Denver to fuck with her.

“The hospital was in Beacon Hill, New York. Then Thomas came to get me, and we flew to Denver. That’s where I met Natalie…” She shakes her head. “There are three important places, right? I mean, besides Crown Point. I went to high school in Beacon Hill, New York. I grew up in that county, so that’s one. I moved to the city for college, so that’s two. And Henry had me in California.”

She doesn’t seem upset by that. She’s talking so matter-of-factly, I don’t think she’s registering it at all. And that’s okay for now. Sometimes sticking to the facts makes things easier.

Once Henry is gone, we can process it together.

“Did he have you in California?”

She frowns.

“Or did he have you in… Denver?”

Melody’s already shaking her head. “No. I think… I remember palm trees. And being locked in a room I’ve never seen before. He kept me in a house outfitted for a captive. Every door had a lock only he had keys to, even the front door. The windows were sealed. He let me paint…”

“You’re remembering.”

“I don’twantto remember that,” she whispers. “I don’t want to relive the year he had me.”

“Because he took you from Crown Point.”

She meets my gaze and nods. “He did. He threatened you.”

Sheremembers.

But her expression shutters, and she’s right back to business. “New York City. Beacon Hill. Somewhere in California. And, let’s say Crown Point. Because it was safe, but he still found me there.”

“Okay. So…”

“So why Denver? Before I even escaped him, he was building this second identity.” She raises her eyebrow at me.

I connect the dots. “You think it’s me.”

She lifts one shoulder. “I don’t know. It would make sense, wouldn’t it? He knew your last name from… from that video. So maybe he wanted to be close. Just in case.”

She quirks her lips, like she’s trying to hide a smile. Asmileat a time like this. Fuck, I knew she was as deranged as me.

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