It was probably a story my father had shared with me, one we’d maybe talked about over a drink. The impact of another lost memory hit me squarely in the chest, and it renewed my determination to do whatever I could to unlock my mind, no matter the truth. I couldn’t pick and choose. I either wanted all of my past, or none of it.

“...and I never thought it was that remote,” Maya was saying. “Not with the path behind the house along the cliffs. If you turn left, it splits and there’s another one leading down to the beach. Turn right and walk for about two and a half miles and you get to the other side of town.”

“That’s where Kate fell, though? Along the path?”

Maya nodded, and I didn’t say anything else but stared out of the window as she brought us closer to Newdale. It seemed a handsome town, and the large wrought iron sign in the shape of a wave with the words Welcome to Newdale, as well as the immaculate multicolored flowerbeds on either side, all indicated a certain level of prosperity and charm. Main Street appeared to contain the heart of the place, both sides peppered with bijou clothes boutiques, a bookshop, antiques dealers, a jeweler, an arts and crafts store, as well as multiple cafés and restaurants.

As we waited at a red light, I knew Maya’s eyes were on me and I turned my head, caught her observing. “Nothing’s coming back,” I said. “I don’t remember any of this.”

She reached out and put a hand on my arm. “Don’t worry. We’re almost there.”

Sure enough, she turned left and took a few side streets with tall, leafy oak trees on either side. Dr. Adler’s office was in an annex next to his Victorian house similar in style to Maya’s, but twice the size, and it seemed freshly painted. After we parked the car, we headed to the right side of the building, the sun warming my skin, the scent of something flowery—sweet and heavy—in the air. Before I had a chance to knock, heavy footsteps approached from the other side of the door, and an older gentleman dressed in a tartan shirt and brown corduroy trousers opened up.

“Mr. Bennett?” He peered at me over the top of his round spectacles and, when he saw Maya behind me, smiled. “I’m delighted to see you found your stepbrother.”

“Not as much as me,” she replied happily as we walked inside.