No Strings Attached novel (Clara and Ian)
Chapter 365

Brodie's heart clenched tight. "Did you remember something?"

"Not exactly," his mother replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "When the chandelier came crashing down, I had this fleeting vision of me and him together. It was gone in a blink, but I'm positive 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 a pause of several seconds, she finally spoke softly, "I suppose I must have. Otherwise, why would I have saved him? Brodie, do you think I was... was a bad woman for getting involved with a married man? 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 to say something when a knock at the door interrupted them. He walked over and opened it to find Teo on 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 graced his face as he looked at Brodie.

For a brief moment, Brodie's hands clenched involuntarily, his emotions hidden in the shadows of his 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 and offered a stiff smile. "Let him in."

Teo approached the bedside, placing the fruit basket on the nightstand and handing the flowers to Katherine with a sincere bow. "Katherine, I came here especially to thank you. If you hadn't shielded me, that chandelier would have crushed me, and perhaps my son would be planning my funeral right now."

Katherine looked into his soulful eyes, and her heart raced faster than before. Her cheeks warmed with a blush. Her hands were curled up under the covers. With this renewed contact, she was more certain than ever that she and Teo had shared a past. Otherwise, her long-dormant heart wouldn't be in such turmoil.

She tried her best to hide her emotions, barely curving her lips in response, "I just happened to see it. If I hadn't rushed over, both you and Clara's father would have been hurt. I didn't want to upset her. 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 I owe 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. I heard 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, "What does 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 just like that one. In my dreams, I keep calling out a name."

Teo's heart tightened. "Whose name?"

Her pale lips parted slightly, "Ford."

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