as she stared at him. So did Panic. Her dream was quickly turning into a nightmare. “It can’t be,” she whispered.
“Answer my question.”
Her chest hurt, and it became hard to breathe. Her heart pounded. “I—she would have freaked out.”
“Five-year-old you wouldn’t have thought most of that technology was possible. It was beyond her imagination. Just as what I’ve told you is beyond yours right now, but it’s real.” He reached out and took her hand. “I’m right here with you, and you’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you, Gemma. I’ll help you adjust to this new life.”
She pulled her hand away and got off the bed, pacing. “No.”
He stood and stepped into her path, gripping her shoulders. “Breathe.”
“I am!”
“You’re hyperventilating. It’s okay, Gemma.”
Pure panic hit her as it sank in that he might be telling the truth. Everything he said made chilling sense. Her kid self would have freaked the hell out if she’d suddenly stepped out of a time machine into the future. She’d have had a rough time convincing her five-year-old self that it was, in fact, reality.
What if Big was telling the truth? No dream had ever lasted so long before. It was also super realistic. She could smell and see with absolute clarity. Most of her dreams had always been a big foggy, and when she’d realized she was dreaming, she woke. Drugs could keep her down—but Big slapping her ass had hurt. Surely that would have jerked her out of any dream.
“Gemma?”
She glanced up at the sound of his gruff voice, seeing concern on his handsome face. He looked real. Too real. Everything did.
“No. It can’t be.”
He suddenly bent and scooped her into his arms, returning them to the bed. He sat down, settling her sideways across his lap as he leaned against the headboard. “Everything I’ve told you is the truth. Your original body died and was stolen by JDJ Cryo Corp. Someone mistook you for a famous singer and they replicated you into a clone body. It was cruel of them to keep your mind totally intact, letting you wake thinking you were in that hospital from the end of your previous life. That’s why it’s illegal to make clones with memories. I’m not going to allow you to let this knowledge drive you insane, though.” He held her tighter, rocking her gently. “Cry, Gemma. Grieve the life that was once Gemma Grady, and then you’ll start to heal. You can face this new future with me.”
Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as if waiting for his permission, and she clutched at him. Big felt real and solid. Warm. “It can’t be,” she repeated yet again. Even though…she was starting to believe.
He rested his chin on top of her head. “It is. You are the person you were in your mind and heart, but your body is new.”
She stared at her hand resting on his chest. There were no age spots, no wrinkles, and no slight swelling in the knuckles from arthritis…
Her dream had turned downright cruel, but she had to admit it was the most realistic one she’d ever had.
Her ass still stung from where Big had slapped it. The cream he’d put on her had already helped with the burning sensation from the rug burn.
What if he’s telling the truth? What if I really am a clone? Am I in the future? It seemed too unrealistic to be true, but the sinking sensation in her stomach clued her in.
Things like this don’t really happen. Or do they? She paused. Not in 2020, at least. But according to Big, it’s 2141.
He stroked her back, and it tickled a little. “It’s going to be fine,” he soothed. “There’s nothing to fear. I’m going to take care of you. You’re not alone.”
She tilted her head back and studied his face. He was too handsome. Men that good-looking had stopped giving her any attention since she’d hit forty. Of course, her divorce had depressed her, and she’d grown addicted to chocolate as a result. Which made her ex-husband sneer when he’d picked up the boys, the few times he’d wanted to see his sons right after the divorce.
The jackass had made snide comments about her weight gain. Sixty pounds later, she’d finally realized she had a problem and tried to shed some of it.
“Remain calm,” Big urged.
“Do you see me screaming?”
He arched his eyebrows.
“I’m just slightly panicking.”
“Tell me your concerns, and I’ll alleviate them.”
“I’m still trying to decide if this is real. I