There was a blankness in her mind. She knew something had been stolen, but she had no idea what it was.
With her body weakened, she fought to lock him out of her mind, to hide her remaining memories, but one by one he plucked them out.
The night in the crypt with Jacks … gone.
Marrying Apollo … gone.
Her friendship with LaLa … gone.
Apollo infected with the Archer’s curse … gone.
Jumping off the cliff with Jacks—
“No!” she screamed.
… gone.
The wonder of the Hollow … gone.
Jacks bandaging her wounds … gone.
Jacks confessing he was the Archer … gone.
“Please, stop,” she begged.
She held tight to the memories of her parents, of the curiosity shop, of all the fairytales her mother had ever told her. Evangeline tried to hold them in her head like a child with a precious blanket, as if they might protect her, since she couldn’t seem to protect them.
“Please—stop! Please, stop!” she cried. “Please—”
She cried until her throat went raw. Until she wasn’t even sure who she was begging.
She was crying so hard she could barely see.
But she knew that she was alone. Not just alone in this strange place but alone in the world. She felt it down to her bones.
Epilogue
Evangeline’s back was pressed to something hard, and her knees were curled against her chest. She was in a ball on an unfamiliar patch of cold ground.
Where was she? How had she gotten here? All she could remember was crying until she wasn’t sure why she was crying.
Now she just wanted to go home. She wanted a hug from her mother and her father. But then she remembered: both her parents were dead.
The tears started flowing again.
She still wanted to go home, but she was afraid she couldn’t return there. Although no matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn’t recall why home was no longer safe. She just knew it was a place she couldn’t go. But where was she now?
She looked up at a pair of stone angels, warriors, who appeared to be watching over her as if they could give her an answer, although it looked as if they’d been crying, too.
“There you are!” A finely dressed young man with strong, attractive features, dark hair, and a pair of concerned eyes rushed into the room. “I’ve been so worried.”
In one gallant move, he picked her up and pulled her to a chest covered in a very fine velvet doublet.
She stiffened in his arms. “Who are you?”
“Don’t worry. You’re safe with me.” He didn’t let go of her, but he loosened his grip. “I would never hurt you, Evangeline.”
He said her name with warm affection. She still didn’t recognize anything about him. He looked a few years older than she was, although there was something in his gaze that made her suspect he’d been through a great deal. His brown eyes looked wounded and a little haunted, but they softened when he looked at her.
She wished she could remember him.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice raw from all the crying, “but I have no idea who you are.”
He smiled wider, which seemed an odd response to her confession. But his voice was nothing but soothing as he said, “I’m your husband. You’ve been through something terrible, but it’s all right now. I’m here, and I’m never going to let you go.”
Acknowledgments
My heart is bursting with gratitude as I write these acknowledgments. I continue to thank God every day that I get to write books and that there are people in the world who want to read them.
For this book, I had a very specific vision for what I wanted the story to be, and I could not have accomplished it without the help of so many outstanding people.
Sarah Barley, you are a true champion. I still can’t believe you made time to read this book the same week that you gave birth to a baby. I am so thankful for your dedication, for the way you understand my stories, how you always push me to be a better storyteller, and your friendship.
Thank you, Caroline Bleeke, Kimberley Atkins, and Sydney Jeon, for sweeping in like superheroes when Sarah went on maternity leave. I couldn’t have asked for a better team. This book is so much stronger because all of you were a part of it, and it was just so fun to work with you all.
Jenny Bent, thank you for being such a rock star of an agent, for reading the earliest version of this book, and for all your incredible support. I wouldn’t want to do any of this without you. Molly Ker Hawn, Victoria Cappello, Amelia Hodgson, and everyone at the Bent Agency, I continue to feel so lucky to have you all.