Chapter Seven - Kahlan's POV - Get It Together!

I barely made it out of Kingsport before the tears started.

The moment the glass doors closed behind me, I broke.

I staggered down the busy street, people brushing past me as if I were invisible. I felt invisible. My heart was pounding, my breath shallow and ragged, and with each step, the weight of Aldrich's cold rejection crushed me a little more.

He didn't know me.

He looked into my eyes, into my soul… and saw nothing.

I wiped furiously at my cheeks, but the tears wouldn't stop. The world around me was a blur of lights and noise, and all I could think about was how utterly alone I was.

I thought I could count on him. After everything.

How foolish I'd been.

I stopped at a corner, leaning against the cold brick wall of a coffee shop, my shoulders shaking. I was supposed to be stronger than this. I'd survived a year of hell with the De Mor family, endured humiliation, abuse, and the constant threat of losing my life, and now… now I was falling apart because Aldrich Maximus had looked right through me.

Get it together, I told myself, sucking in a sharp breath.

But the memories wouldn't stop.

I thought of my father, lying in that hospital bed, afraid and broken. I thought of my mother, forced into the streets, driven to suicide by Emiliano's cruelty. I thought of the De Mors—of Carmen's condescending sneers, of Luciana's heartless laughter, of Sebastian's predatory gaze.

They were probably hunting for me already.

If Emiliano found me again, I wouldn't survive.

The fear crawled up my spine like ice. I needed a plan. I needed to pick up my life before they found me. But how?

My only chance of safety had just turned his back on me.

I felt the tears coming again and stumbled forward, my legs weak and trembling.

I can't live like this… I can't…

I didn't know where I was going, but before I could talk myself out of it, I made a decision.

Tessa.

She was the only other person who might have answers.

I didn't know what had happened, why Aldrich didn't remember me, or how my entire world had unravelled, but I knew one thing—Tessa had been there before it all went wrong.

I needed her.

***

It took me hours to find the old address I remembered from college. A modest house tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood.

I knocked, hope fluttering faintly in my chest.

Nothing.

I knocked again.

Still nothing.

A neighbor, an elderly woman watering her flowers, noticed me.

"Excuse me," I said, stepping closer. "I'm looking for Tessa Beck. She used to live here."

The woman frowned, lowering her watering can. "That house was sold nearly a year ago, dear."

I felt my stomach drop. "What? Do you know where she went?"

The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry. After her mother passed… well, she sold the place and left. Didn't say where."

I blinked. "Her mother… passed?"

The woman's expression softened. "Yes. Cancer, I think. Poor girl. She didn't seem to have anyone else."

I thanked her, though my heart felt like it had cracked in two.

So, Tessa was gone.

I had nothing left of my past. No one to turn to.

I wandered the streets until the sky turned black, my body numb, my mind hollow.

By the time I made it back to the tiny room I'd rented with what little money I had left, I was too broken to cry anymore.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall, knowing that tomorrow I'd have to go out into the streets to beg for food or worse.

There was no future for me.

And then…

My phone buzzed.

I almost didn't check it. But something told me to look.

A message.

Kingsport Companies: You are required to resume your position tomorrow at 8 a.m. Welcome to the team.

I stared at the screen, blinking through my confusion.

Had Aldrich… remembered me?

My heart leaped before I could stop it.

No.

I couldn't think like that. I wouldn't humiliate myself again.

Stay smart. Stay careful.

I wouldn't let hope break me again.

***

The next morning, I dressed with care. A simple blouse, black slacks, and a blazer. Professional, understated.

I told myself it was just a job. Nothing more.

But my heart betrayed me, beating too fast, too loud, as I stepped into Kingsport's towering building once again.

The receptionist welcomed me with a smile, handing me a badge. "Welcome aboard, Miss Walsh."

I swallowed hard, nodding. "Thank you."

A male assistant led me upstairs to my new office—a small but sleek space just down the hall from Aldrich's.

I set my bag down, trying to steady myself, when I heard voices.

Raised voices.

I stepped closer to the door.

"She shouldn't be here!" Aldrich's voice, sharp and angry, echoed through the hall.

"Sir, I'm just following your orders," his assistant, Amelia, responded, sounding defensive. "You instructed me to hire her. I thought—"

"I never said that!" he barked. "Why would I—"

I hesitated, knowing I shouldn't, but before I could stop myself, I knocked lightly and opened the door.

Both of them turned to look at me.

"I…" I took a deep breath, ignoring the tension in the room. "I just wanted to apologize for yesterday."

Aldrich's eyes narrowed immediately.

"I shouldn't have acted like I knew you. It was unprofessional," I said quickly, my voice steady but soft. "I made a mistake. I thought… I thought you were someone else. I'm sorry."

His gaze didn't soften. If anything, he looked more confused.

"I really need this job," I added, my heart hammering in my chest. "I won't cause any more trouble."

Amelia glanced between us, looking as uncomfortable as I felt.

Aldrich didn't speak for a long moment, and when he finally did, his voice was cold.

"Leave," he said.

I felt the humiliation return, but this time, I was ready for it.

I nodded once, quietly excused myself, and left the office.

I sat in my small office, waiting.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

I was just about to gather my things and leave when the door opened.

Amelia walked in, holding a stack of papers.

"You can stay," she said quietly, avoiding my gaze. "Mr. Maximus approved it. I'm… I'm sorry for the confusion."

I stared at her, stunned. "He… did?"

She nodded. "You're officially part of the team now."

I whispered a shaky, "Thank you," as she left the room.

The door clicked shut.

I sat there for a long time, feeling the tiniest flicker of hope.

He hadn't remembered me. Not yet.

But I was here now.

I still wasn't ready for what was coming next though!