Chapter 366
Andrey’s POV
I looked up at Henry Hartford, really studying him for the first time.
The man screamed power. Not just money, but the kind of authority that comes from building something yourself. His eyes held that calculating coldness the look of someone who takes what he wants without asking.
So this was Astrid’s mystery crush.
I shot her a teasing look. “Not bad taste.”
“Please,” she muttered, elbowing me. “Like I’d crush on just anybody.”
As we approached, I noticed Hartford’s eyes flick to Astrid before settling on me with an intensity that was almost uncomfortable.
Beside me, Astrid’s usual swagger vanished. The woman who’d fearlessly confronted Thalia Parker was suddenly shrinking like a schoolgirl.
“Mr. Hartford,” she said, her voice weirdly high.
Henry barely nodded at her before turning to me. “Evelyn, it’s been a while.”
I froze. The casual way he said my sister’s name caught me completely off guard.
“Do we know each other?”
His mouth curved slightly. “You don’t remember? The yacht in New York harbor five years ago? The explosion? I’d be dead if you hadn’t jumped in after me.”
A chill ran through me.
Five years ago. New York. Yacht explosion.
–
There was only one major incident that year the same one where Blake’s father died and Blake ended up blind on the shore where I found him. The event that started everything.
Was Henry saying Evelyn was there? That my sister saved him?
“But I thought…” I turned to Adrian, confused. “Wasn’t I in Sydney all my life until recently?”
This contradicted everything I’d been told. The Parkers and Adrian had always said Evelyn never visited New York, let alone saved anyone from drowning.
Adrian’s face darkened instantly.
“Hartford,” he said coldly, “I told you Evelyn lost memories from her illness and Emma’s birth. Why bring up things she can’t remember?”
“Sorry, Henry said, though his eyes stayed fixed on me. “This memory means a lot to me. I thought a small reminder might help.”
1/2
Chapter 366
“You truly dont remember any of it?’ he asked more gently.
I shook my head. “No.”
Of course I couldn’t remember – I wasn’t Evelyn. Everything I knew about my twin came from Jeffrey, Eleanor, and Adrian. If they hadn’t shared this part of her history, I had no way of knowing it.
“That’s unfortunate, Henry frowned. “Memory loss can be treated. I know several neurologists who could
“Enough, Adrian cut in. “Evelyn forgot these things for a reason. Why are you so determined to make her remember?”
I stared at Adrian, surprised by his tone. In ten months, I’d never heard him speak to anyone like that. Whatever happened to my sister five years ago must have been significant.
Adrian caught my look and visibly composed himself. With Emma still in one arm, he took my hand with his free one.
“We’re leaving,” he told Henry, forcing a smile. “Goodnight.”
Astrid’s POV
I watched Adrian lead Audrey away, Emma chattering happily in his arms. My chest tightened as I noticed how Henry stared after them, his eyes never leaving Audrey until they disappeared from sight.
“Sir,” I managed, “I didn’t know you knew Mrs. Knox.
Henry finally looked away. “She saved my life.”
He turned to me. “I knew her before Knox.”
I took a breath. “That night when you were drunk and I took care of you… you mentioned someone you cared about. You said she saved your life…”
Henry’s head snapped toward me, his eyes suddenly razor-sharp. The intensity made me drop my gaze.
I’d spent months working up courage to even hint at my feelings. Now I forced myself to look up again.
Divorce Me Before Death Takes Me, CEO
