Katherine’s POV
I stared at the man who claimed to be my uncle, my heart thudding quietly in my chest. Something about the way he looked at me was… intense. Like he was trying to pull memories from my mind that didn’t exist.
I don’t have an uncle.
I don’t have any family left—at least none that I know of. That part of my life was wiped away long ago. So who was this man, and why was he looking at me like I meant the world to him?
“I don’t have an uncle,” I said firmly, gripping my phone tighter. My fingers were clammy. “I think you’ve got the wrong person.”
I stood to leave, wanting nothing more than to get away from this awkward, creeping anxiety—but he stepped in front of me.
“My dear Katherine… you don’t recognize me?” he said, his voice cracking slightly. There was something pain
