Page 47 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 3

Why am I thinking about him?I looked down at the brick walkway. Part of me did think I’d suddenly remember everything once I stepped back on campus. I thought it would come back in a rush. My meeting James. Falling for him. Deciding to leave everything I knew and loved.

But all I remembered was studying nonstop. And wishing Austin would like me as much as I liked him. I kept walking. Maybe seeing Austin would change things. I shook away the thought. It wouldn’t. Seeing Melissa hadn’t changed anything, and she knew me better than anyone. Life as I knew it was over. But I had a chance to be anything I wanted now. I wasn’t tied down in a place that didn’t feel like home. I was free.

I came to a stop in front of a huge statue of a book in the middle of a circular walking path that I remembered being statue-less.What the hell?It was the stupidest thing I had ever seen. You used to be able to stand in the middle of the circle and clap, and you could hear the clap under a tree off the side of the path. Itwas awesome and like a secret University of New Castle student and alumni thing. Now?Ruined.Everything was ruined.

I turned around in a circle. There were new dorm buildings in the distance. And everything seemed to have been added on to. Why couldn’t anyone see that it was fine the way it was? I barely even recognized parts of campus anymore. I felt tears pooling in the corners of my eyes. Why had I come here? I couldn’t remember anything. And the campus had kept growing without me. It was different, and stupid, and ugly. Nothing was the same.

Maybe my dorm will be.I picked up my pace and followed the path. If I kept my eyes on the bricks beneath my feet, campus felt the same. They hadn’t changed, even though everything else had. I looked up in order to cross the street and my feet stopped. My dorm was the same. But right behind it was a new massive twenty-some-stories dorm building. My dorm even looked like it was being shaded by the monster building. It was probably only a matter of time before it was knocked down and replaced by something new and shiny.

Screw this.I didn’t need to be here to be reminded that my memory was missing key parts of my life. I started walking back toward Main Street. A fresh start meant going somewhere I didn’t know. Maybe I could go to California. The thought was preposterous. And that’s how I knew how right it was. It was something I’d never do, and therefore the perfect thing to do. I could reinvent myself. And no one would know who I was. I’d disappear.

I thought about James screaming again. Would he let me disappear? Would he try to find me?Stop thinking about him.

“Penny?” called a deep voice from behind me.

Son of a bitch.I hadn’t been on this campus in years. Who could possibly recognize me? I picked up my pace. I wasn’t going to have anyone dragging me back to New York. Hopefully they’d think they had the wrong person.

“Penny.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “I thought that was you. I didn’t realize you were even out of the hospital yet. How are you feeling? When I heard what happened, I was so worried. Did you get the flowers I sent?”

“You have the wrong person.” I shrugged his hand away without looking at him.

He laughed. “I think I know the beautiful Penny Hunter when I see her. I was at your wedding for Christ’s sake.”

My tears had already been threatening to spill. And hearing him call me Penny Hunter was the tipping point. “That’s not my name.” I felt my tears streaming down my cheeks. “My name is Penny Taylor. And I’m not married. I’ve never been married. And I’m not even sure if I ever want to be married now.” I doubt he could even understand me through my sobs. Finally, I looked up at him and wished I wasn’t crying. I wished I had brushed my teeth this morning and hadn’t slept in a car. He was beautiful.

But not as beautiful as James. The thought hit me like a ton of bricks. It made more tears come. Had I made a mistake by running? The memory of James’ broken sobs made me cry harder. I knew I hadn’t. I knew getting out of New York City was the right thing to do. So why was I crying?

“Penny? Jesus, what happened? What’s wrong?”

I didn’t care who he was. He knew me. Or at least, a version of me. And I was almost out of gas. I had no phone. Nowhere to sleep. No food. No money. And no pawnshop to trade the watch I had stolen for cash. It felt like we were supposed to run into each other today. He had to help me. I didn’t have anyone else to turn to. “I need your help.”

“Of course. Whatever you need. Is James here too?” He looked over my shoulder like he was waiting for James to appear.

“No.” I shook my head. “And he can’t know that I’m here. Please, don’t tell him.”

“Why? What happened?”

“I just need some cash. If you write down your name and address I can repay you as soon as I get settled. I touched my shoulder, for some reason thinking a purse had magically appeared there. But I only had my duffel bag and I knew for a fact that I didn’t pack a pen or notepad. “I don’t have a pen or paper. But if you have a pen, you could write it on my hand. I swear I’ll pay you back. I promise.”

He just stared at me.

“I have a good memory. You could just tell me. I promise I’ll give you back every penny. I just…I need to get to California. A few hundred dollars should…”

“What the hell is in California?”

“A fresh start. Please, if we’re friends…”

“If? Penny, look at me.”

I tried to remember. Despite what everyone thought, I had been trying to remember this whole time. But all I saw was a stranger. He was the exact opposite of James. His hair was light instead of dark. His skin was much tanner. And he was rugged looking, instead of sophisticated. A five o’clock shadow covered his jaw line and it was hard to look away from his sharp features. I blinked. But I had no freaking clue who he was. “I don’t remember you.”

His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he studied me. “I’m going to call James. He needs…”

“You can’t.” I grabbed his arm and took a deep breath. “Please, you can’t. I don’t want to go back to New York. I can’t go back there.”

“Penny…”

“I don’t love him. I’m not…I can’t. Please don’t make me go back to him.”