Female Novel
Chapter 365
Brodie's heart clenched tight. "Did you remember something?"
"Not exactly," his mother replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "When the chandelier camecrashing down, I had this fleeting vision of me and him together. It was gone in a blink, but I'mpositive the man in it was Teo."
Hearing this, Brodie squeezed her hand a little tighter. "You had feelings for him, didn't you?"
Caught off guard by her son's forthright questioning, Katherine didn't know how to respond. After apause of several seconds, she finally spoke softly, "I suppose I must have. Otherwise, why would Ihave saved him? Brodie, do you think I was... was a bad woman for getting involved with a marriedman? And what if... what if you were his child?"
Brodie had known that the question of his parentage would come up eventually. He was about tosay something when a knock at the door interrupted them. He walked over and opened it to find Teoon the other side, his eyes meeting Brodie's gaze.
"Brodie, how's your mother? I wanted to pay her a visit."
Teo was holding a basket of fruit and cradling a bouquet of flowers in his arm. A gentle smile gracedhis face as he looked at Brodie.
For a brief moment, Brodie's hands clenched involuntarily, his emotions hidden in the shadows ofhis eyes. He stared at Teo for several seconds before saying, "She's awake. Come on in."
Turning back to his mother, he said in a somber tone, "Mom, Teo's here to see you."
Katherine's expression tensed upon seeing the man behind her son. She adjusted her hair andoffered a stiff smile. "Let him in."
Teo approached the bedside, placing the fruit basket on the nightstand and handing the flowers toKatherine with a sincere bow. "Katherine, I came here especially to thank you. If you hadn't shieldedme, that chandelier would have crushed me, and perhaps my son would be planning my funeralright now."
Katherine looked into his soulful eyes, and her heart raced faster than before. Her cheeks warmedwith a blush. Her hands were curled up under the covers. With this renewed contact, she was morecertain than ever that she and Teo had shared a past. Otherwise, her long-dormant heart wouldn'tbe in such turmoil.
She tried her best to hide her emotions, barely curving her lips in response, "I just happened to seeit. If I hadn't rushed over, both you and Clara's father would have been hurt. I didn't want to upsether. Mr. Hayes, don't take it to heart."
Teo felt a twinge of disappointment at her words, but he quickly masked it with a smile. "It seems Iowe my life to you. No matter what, you saved me. If you ever need anything here in Northbridge,don't hesitate to ask. I'll do whatever I can to help."
Katherine gave a small nod of acknowledgment. "Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you,Mr. Hayes. About 25 years ago, on November 11th, there was a warehouse fire in the East End. Iheard it belonged to the Hayes family. Do you know anything about it?"
Teo's eyes darkened slightly. He stared at Katherine's face for a long moment before asking, "Whatdoes this have to do with you? Why are you asking?"
Katherine's voice was steady, almost serene. "Because that's the day I lost my memory, in a fire justlike that one. In my dreams, I keep calling out a name."novelbin
Teo's heart tightened. "Whose name?"
Her pale lips parted slightly, "Ford."