Eluded; transitive verb; to escape the perception, understanding, or grasp of.

From “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, pg 77.

“Denver stopped and sighed. This was the part of the story she loved. She
was coming to it now, and she loved it because it was all about herself; but
she hated it too because it made her feel like a bill was owing somewhere and she, Denver, had to pay it. But who she owed or what to pay it with eluded her.”

After researching this word, I comprehended that what Denver was talking about, the bill that she felt like she owed somewhere, but did not know who she owed or what to pay it with was out of her understanding. Denver did not understand this whole concept of owing someone out there that she did not know or either what she was supposed to pay it with.