~ Chapter 61 ~

"You did what?"

In spite of her best efforts, Kate was unable to maintain her neutral façade in the wake of John's stunning revelation. Her eyes wide with shock, she waited for him to continue – to deny what he'd just said, or to laugh at what was clearly an ill-conceived joke. When he remained silent, she reached out and gently stroked his cheek, hoping he would raise his head and look at her. After a moment, his troubled gaze met hers, wordlessly confirming the truth of his admission.

"You heard me right. I kidnapped Marlena."

"Why? How?"

"She called me earlier. You remember. I was so excited, assuming she was going to ask me to move back in with her…"

Best to play dumb.

"I take it that's not what happened," Kate responded, keeping her voice even.

"Ha! Not even close. The plot we hatched, with the divorce papers…"

"What about it?"

"Well, it worked. Just not in the way I'd hoped."

"It worked? You mean Marlena got her memory back?"

"She did, indeed."

Fake enthusiasm. Pretend to be happy for him.

"That's wonderful!"

"Like I said, things didn't go as planned."

"I'm confused. If the papers helped her remember her life with you, then why are you here? Shouldn't you be with her?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

"I would. It's the only logical conclusion to her amnesia lifting."

"I couldn't imagine it playing out any other way myself. When she told me, I was over the moon. I put my arms around her, leaned in to kiss her, and…"

"And what?"

"She literally pushed me away. Told me, quite bluntly, that she had no interest in resuming our life together."

"You're kidding!"

"I wish I was. Not only that, but she asked me for a divorce."

"Huh?"

"Well, technically, I did the asking, serving her with those papers. She simply took advantage of the opportunity. She wanted to sign them on the spot. I couldn't see a way out of it, so I agreed."

Be supportive. Be the person he needs.

"Oh, John. I'm so sorry."

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around him and drew him close, offering him what comfort she could. Suddenly, her face brightened, and she relaxed her hold.

"Wait a minute. Jeff was supposed to put some kind of loophole in the papers. Even if you signed them, they're not valid, right?"

Abruptly, John pulled away from her, stood up, and began pacing.

"Apparently, Jeff has a super-efficient assistant," he spit, his tone laced with sarcasm. "She typed up that document and had it couriered to Doc before Jeff had a chance to implement our plan. It's totally legitimate. No outs in sight. I'm about to be a free man, whether I want that or not."

In the wake of his declaration, Kate opted for silence, watching warily as John strode angrily back and forth. After several minutes, his fury having subsided, he returned to the sofa, and sat beside her once more.

"I listened to Jeff speak, trying to absorb the fact that my entire world had come crashing down. I was shattered. I'd just signed a document that would sever the most important relationship I'd ever known, and a part of me wanted to find a dark corner where I could curl up and die. But then, the idea came to me – born of desperation. One final gesture meant to show her how much I cared, and how strong our bond was."

"And that idea was to kidnap her?"

"I know it sounds ludicrous when spoken out loud, but I wasn't in my right mind. I was certain that, if I had a chance to state my case for our marriage and for us…"

"She'd see the light and tear up the papers?"

"Pretty much. I couldn't think of any other option. Also, I wanted to get her away from him."

"You mean Dr. North?"

"Who else? As soon as I found out she'd regained her memories, I had to make sure that she recognized them as real. I needed to be the first one she talked to."

Well, you certainly missed the boat on that one.

After all, Marlena had been preparing for a mystery guest's arrival earlier – one who, Kate realized with a start, couldn't possibly have been Alex.

There's no way you would've succeeded with your kidnapping plot if he'd been around.

"What did you think Dr. North would do to her?"

"The same thing he's been doing all along – messing with her mind. He wants her for himself, and if she'd confessed the truth to him, he'd obviously have found a way to prevent her from reuniting with me."

"But if being with you is what she wanted…"

"He's devious, Kate. He would've used some phony therapy technique to persuade her she hadn't really remembered, or to convince her that her feelings for me weren't real."

"Do you think he managed to do that anyway? Given the fact that she was willing to sign the papers, and that she stood firm, in spite of your best efforts."

"No. She assured me that she'd remembered everything. Because I didn't trust North, I gave her a test."

"A test?"

"I asked her a question that only she would know the answer to, with no way for North to have manipulated her response."

"And?"

"She got it right. That's when I knew the amnesia was gone, and that her recall was authentic. Of course, then she had me sign the papers, and I found out from Jeff that our carefully crafted plan had gone to hell. Shortly after, my brainwave struck."

He hung his head, unable to look at her as he continued.

"I went the whole hog. Chloroformed her, locked her in a dark room…"

Kate gasped.

"Yep. Extreme to the max. Made it look totally real. So much so, that when I finally came to talk to her, her first thought was that I'd managed to get past whoever'd taken her. She believed I was there on a rescue mission."

"So, you let her go on believing that, right? I mean, it's what I would have done," she added quickly, in response to his look of surprise.

"I should've known you'd understand."

Kate couldn't help but smile.

"Your plan was clever and devious. Precisely my M.O."

"Hmm… Maybe if I'd consulted with you first, it wouldn't have all gone so horribly wrong." He shook his head ruefully. "I considered playing the hero, but somehow, she quickly figured out that I was the one responsible for her situation. As you can imagine, things went downhill from there. I ended up admitting that the papers were fake, and that I'd never meant to divorce her. Didn't make a bit of difference."

"I really am sorry," she murmured again, keeping her tone sympathetic in spite of her inner jubilation.

"You and me both." He gave a short, mirthless laugh. "You want to know the best part, though?"

"There's a best part?"

"Yeah. Even though she's through with me, that quack's not getting to ride off into the sunset with her, either."

Flashing back to the kiss she'd observed earlier between Alex and Marlena, a genuinely perplexed look flitted across Kate's face.

"What are you talking about?"

"According to Marlena, this wasn't her first experience with amnesia. Apparently, she suffered from the same condition long ago, but she's now remembered everything from that previous bout as well – including some guy she claims is her first, true love."

Kate's jaw dropped at this wildly unexpected news.

"I was as shocked as you are," John admitted. "In fact, I practically laughed in her face at the absurdity of it all. She insists it's the truth."

"Do you believe her?"

"I don't know what to believe. She maintains that she met him at university, that he's currently single, and that he's interested in resuming their relationship."

"And she knows this how?"

"Get this. She supposedly tracked him down via the internet. She was singing the praises of social networking, if you can imagine."

"Quite frankly, I can't, but that's hardly the point. The good news is, as you said, that despite all of his machinations, Dr. North won't end up with Marlena."

"But now I'll have to compete with some stranger to try and reclaim her."

"That's the beauty of it," Kate insisted. "She hasn't seen this guy in years. Yes, I'm sure the idea of reviving their love affair is intoxicating for both of them right now, but they were together so long ago. They'll have changed in ways neither of them could have anticipated. I'd lay odds that it won't last."

John's look of gratitude was so heartfelt that Kate almost felt guilty for the false hope she was instilling within him. Even if things didn't pan out between Marlena and her former lover, it was obvious – based on the kiss Kate had witnessed – that Alex North wouldn't be exiting Marlena's orbit any time soon. Still, there was no sense pointing that out to John. Far better to shower him with care and compassion, so that maybe, just maybe… Turning to the man whose heart she hoped to recapture, she eyed him with concern.

"You seem beat. Time to put you to bed."

"There's too much whirling around in my head. I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

"I have the perfect remedy. Some soothing tea, and a relaxing massage, and you'll be off to dreamland before you know it."

Emotionally and physically exhausted, John was content to follow Kate's lead. Once he'd downed the mug of chamomile tea that she'd brewed for him, she ushered him into the guest room. He offered no resistance as she stripped him of his clothing and, leaving him in nothing but his boxers, tucked him into bed. His battered psyche welcomed the warmth of her body beside his when she slipped under the covers and began lightly stroking his back. Within seconds, his breathing slowed, and his eyes slid shut. Her smile, as she gazed at him, was triumphant.

"She's set you free and, someday, you'll be grateful. Soon, my love, I'll win you back."