All Chapters of REBORN 365 DAYS BEFORE DOOMSDAY : Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Daphne's povMy hands wouldn't stop shaking, so I clutched the bag of medicine like it might bolt.Emmeline's fever had worsened overnight. I'd changed the cloth on her forehead four times before dawn, and every time it came away warm. Edward had offered to go in my place. I'd kissed his cheek and told him to stay with his parents, and I'd thought it was sweet, how hard he tried to sound brave. So I went out, past the pharmacies that had been stripped bare in the first month, until I found a clinic with one locked drawer nobody had bothered to break.The city was quiet in a way I'd never gotten used to. No engines, no voices, only the wind pushing a plastic bag along the gutter.The mall was two streets away when I heard voices drifting from an alley."Do you have anything left to say, Adrik?"I stopped so fast my boots skidded.Adrik. I knew that name.General Adrik Hale.I crept to the corner and peered around the brick.A man in a black military coat stood with a gun aimed at a kne

Daphne's povMy words rang through the church.For several seconds, nobody moved. The officiant stared at me with his mouth half open, like a man who'd misread his own script. Guests exchanged bewildered glances. Somewhere in the back, a child asked loudly what "I do not" meant. Dad rose halfway from his seat in the front pew.In the second row, Emmeline sat upright in a lilac dress, pink-cheeked and perfectly healthy, watching me breathe. Seeing her without the fever made my skin crawl. John leaned toward her and whispered something, and she gave him a short, sharp look I recognized from the shopping mall.Edward's smile faltered."Sweetheart," he whispered, tightening his fingers around mine. "What's wrong?"I pulled my hand free and wiped my palm down the front of my dress without meaning to."I said I don't want to marry you."His face slid from confusion to embarrassment. He glanced at the guests, then turned back to me with a wounded little smile, the one that had talked me out

Daphne's povAdrik held my gaze.For a moment, the noise of the house seemed to fade. I became painfully aware of the space between us, of every question I couldn't answer and every truth I couldn't afford to show.His expression gave nothing away. "You looked at me like you'd seen a ghost."A nervous laugh climbed my throat, and I swallowed it. "You were on television, General. Everyone knows your face.""Is that so?""You're the man who told the country to stay calm." I kept my voice light and my hands flat against my skirt. "It would be difficult not to recognize you."Something shifted in his eyes. It was gone almost before I saw it, replaced by the same composed look he'd worn since he arrived."I suppose you're right."Footsteps sounded in the hall. My father came back from his call, tucking his phone into his pocket, and Adrik turned to him as though nothing had passed between us."Mr. Alistair. Thank you for your time.""Of course, General. My office will be in touch."I stood

Daphne's pov"I'm not going to the hospital."Daddy didn't even bother looking up from his newspaper.I stood across the breakfast table with my hands braced on the back of a chair. I hadn't slept much. "I wasn't asking, Daddy. I already booked the appointment."He lowered the paper an inch at a time.Viola, at the head of the table, hid a smile behind her teacup."Young lady, I had a full checkup last year. There is nothing wrong with me.""That was twelve months ago.""And I'm still alive.""That isn't the point."Gavin burst out laughing. "She dumps her fiancé yesterday and today she's our family doctor."I shot him a warning look. "Eat your breakfast.""I'm eating.""Then stop talking.""Yes, Doctor."Viola set down her teacup. "Ronald, just go with her.""Damn it, Mother. Not you too.""What?" Viola shrugged. "What's the harm in another checkup? Unless you're hiding something from us."My father looked at grandma, then at me. "Both of you are ganging up on me.""Consider it an in