Read Online Betrothed Episode One by Odette C. Bell - Free Book Online Page A

But it will pass.”
    My mouth
opened and I shook.
    God.
This couldn’t be happening.
    If Mark
could see my utter terror, he didn’t register it. He simply kept
shooting me that charming, easy smile.
    “ Miranda,” he moved over and plonked himself on the end of my
bed, “you trust me, right?”
    I
couldn’t answer.
    “ Well you should – and you should trust everyone here. We all
just want you to get better.”
    “ Mark, what’s going on? Why are you doing this?” I
croaked.
    “ Because I was a newfound once too, remember? I know how
confusing it can be to wake up.” He shot me another
smile.
    From his
expression to his tone, it was clear he thought nothing was
wrong.
    ....
    I
blinked hard before a treacherous thought could enter my
mind.
    I shook
my head too.
    I was
not about to question who I was.
    Goddammit, I knew.
    I knew I
was Annie Carter.
    A stroke
couldn’t invent memories like that. Sure, maybe it could make you a
little confused, and maybe waking up could rattle your brain for a
while, but it couldn’t invent a whole life.
    I set my
gaze hard as I stared back at him.
    Though
his entire act had been an easy one up until now, I swear it
changed for a moment. I swear he looked at me with a wary edge to
his pale brown gaze.
    Then he
forced a smile, his cheeks climbing high into his eyes. “You’ll be
alright, A- Miranda,” he corrected.
    He’d
been about to say Annie, right?
    The
correction had been quick and seamless, but I was sure I was
right.
    I stared
at him, and it was my turn to analyze him in full.
    It
sounded terrible considering what he’d meant to me, but how much
did I really know about Mark?
    Maybe he
could guess what I was thinking, because he straightened up and let
his brow crumple. “We’ve worked hard to help you, Miranda. And god
knows I’ve always been there for you,” he dipped his head low to
look at me, “so why can’t you trust me?”
    “ ... I trust you, Mark,” I forced myself to say.
    His
smile returned with a twitch. “Well that’s alright now. So, what do
you say to some holo TV? I’ll see if I can get the doc to clear one
for you, and even if I can’t, I’ll sneak you in one myself.” He
winked at me.
    After a
few seconds I smiled. It was the fakest smile I’d ever given. The
movement of my mouth and lips was purely mechanical.
    If Mark
noticed, he didn’t let on.
    With a
happy chuckle, he pushed up from the bed and nodded at the view.
“Incredible, isn’t she?”
    I turned
to follow his gaze. “Who?”
    “ The city,” he plunged his hands into his pocket and took a
deep breath, “this future.”
    I didn’t
reply.
    I
watched him out of the corner of my eye.
    The
quality of his gaze changed for a brief snap.
    I
couldn’t describe it, though.
    It went
to a place I’d never been – some complex emotion I couldn’t
recognize.
    I
swallowed.
    Mark
slipped his gaze towards me and grinned once more. “Buck up, kid.
It’ll all be okay soon.”
    “ ... In three months, right?”
    He
stiffened. I swear he stiffened. I swear I could see his neck
tighten against his trim collar.
    “ The doctor said it would take about three months until this
... confusion passes,” I forced myself to explain as I looked at
Mark.
    He
relaxed. “He said that, did he?” His gaze darted towards the door.
“Well, he’s the doc, so I guess he’s right.” He looked distracted
for a second as he stared through the open door into the
corridor.
    I too
stared into the corridor, leaning past Mark to get a better
view.
    Mark
repositioned himself until he stood right in front of me. “You just
concentrate on getting better, okay?”
    He
clapped a hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes.
    Well,
one of my eyes. For some reason his gaze lingered on the left side
of my face.
    “ ... Sure, Mark,” I managed.
    He
chuckled, walked backwards, winked, and walked out with a
wave.
    I stared
at him.
    The door
closed, then disappeared seamlessly into the wall.
    Shaking,
I forced