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He pulls away from me, looking angry. "You can tell me the truth. I won't be mad at you, I'm just glad that you're back," he says frustratedly.
I sit up on my knees in front of him, clenching my hands together like I was in fervent prayer. And maybe I was, I was praying just for once that someone would believe me.
"I’ve been to the future. I've seen countries rise and fall. I've been to a place called America. It’s a whole empire that will eventually rise up across the seas."
I rush on and on, trying to give him so much detail that he has no choice but to believe me. I tell him about airplanes and cell phones, and spaceships that fly to the moon.
He rolls away from me and gets off the bed stiffly. "America. Men that land on the moon. Time Travel. The rise and fall of new empires. Why are you talking like this?"
His hands clench so hard that I’m afraid he is going to explode.
"Just tell me the truth, and we can move on,” he says desperately.
"I'm telling you the truth,” I tell him beseechingly.
I beg and I plead, but after an hour, it’s clear that there’s no way that he’s going to believe me. Everything we’ve built last night has been shattered. I hang my head dejectedly and flop down on the bed.
He surprises me by kneeling next to where I’m now laying on the bed, tears flowing in rivulets down my face. His face has somehow become devoid of anger.
"My love, it seems like you believe that this happened. Maybe you hit your head and it was all a dream. Maybe you’ve been in one of those...those long sleeps, whatever they're called, for the past six years and you’ve just now found your way back to me. I'm sorry I didn't find you,” he says gently.
I sigh. “Liam didn't believe me either," I say absentmindedly.
An all-encompassing jealousy flashes across his face and he pulls away from me as if he’s been stung.
"Liam," he spits out. "Why didn’t you just tell me you left me for another man,” he says angrily, pulling at his hair in an anguished way.
"He saved me. He found me when I was almost alone. But he didn't believe me either."
I gave a small laugh. "He probably believes me now, since I disappeared in front of him to come here." I say.
James startles me by gripping my chin harshly. “I don't want to hear another man's name pass your lips,” he spits out.
My eyes widen in alarm at his tone. It felt like I had somehow changed centuries and it was Landon standing in front of me, not my easy-going James. Was I dreaming? Had I dreamed up all of my lovers and they were actually all one person?
I shook my head. No, they were real. I couldn't have dreamed up such perfection. I wasn’t crazy.
"I have a meeting with the Spanish ambassador today. I have to get ready," James says in a cold, stilted voice as he pulls his hand away from me, leaving me strangely bereft.
Don’t cry,I tell myself, forcing my thoughts to stay on last night and not on the disaster that was this morning.
James disappears to wash his face. I watch him as he quickly gets dressed, not making eye contact with me once. “Don’t leave these rooms,” he says, beginning to walk towards the door to leave.
"James, we need to talk more. I still don’t know what’s going on.”
“We'll talk about it tonight. Just know that the kingdom has been in great danger for some time and I’m working on setting things right. Which means you need to stay safe so I’m not distracted," he says callously, and I can tell he’s not going to give me anything else on the subject right now.
He strides out of the room, slamming the door behind him without so much as a goodbye let alone a kiss.
I feel vulnerable in a way that makes me feel ugly inside.
* * *
I knowhe wants me to stay inside his chambers...as he has every day. I wasn’t the stupid girl who runs straight towards the danger if I could avoid it.
But I need answers.
I needed to talk to Isabelle. I needed to get out of the palace and find out about my past so I could fix my future.
