Bedmates Soulmates

She claimed to be his wife first.

Then she told him she shot him.

Austyn was immediately put on alert.

He forced himself to ignore the pang in his heart when he left her in that hallway.

He had to buy time to think

Everything the woman said was so contradictory, so hard to believe.

It she was his wife, how could sheshoot him?

But then, it she wasn't, why would she be so mad when he said he was about to get married?

Was she suffering from some land of delusional disorder?

Erotomania, for example?

Could she have mistaken him for someone else?

And then there was the way Gwen reacted to the woman's presence,

She seemed scared.

Her body tensed when Austyn said he was going to talk to the women.

She was visibly relieved when he returned to the ward afterwards.

Height her muttering under her breath

Owen was afraid he was going to leave with that woman.

But why would he do that if the woman was just a random stranger?

Wisps of smoke rose into the air, twisting themselves into the woman's tearful face.

Herbig, round eyes were filled with sadness when he left her in the hallway.

Austyn gazed into space, lost in thought.

The harsh bering bering of his ringtone jerked him back to reality.

He padded back into the bedroom and found his phone.

It was an unknown caller.

'Hello.

H-hello, it's me.

Austyn wasn't surprised to get a call from the woman called Kira.

She didn't look like the type who gave up easily.

After he left Gwen and came out of the hospital building, the woman badgered him into giving her his phone number

Miss Hewitt,' he said in an evenvnice.

On the other end, Kirs pursed her lips.

He had never addressed her that formally.

Eretomana

During the first six months of their marriage, when they were practically strangers, he would nod at her as a greeting and then move past her.

But he never called her "Miss Hewitt."

Kira took a deep breath to calm herself down.

She didn't want to lose her temper and make him hang up.

Strictly As Acquaintances.

Strictly As Acquaintances

'Yes, it's me,' Kira said. 'You don't sound surprised

Austyn book another drag on his cigarette. "You asked me for my mumber earlier."

"Right "Kica scratched her cheek "Uh, I'm just calling to ask if you are available tomorrow." Wailable for?

I want to invite you to dinner. Or lunch, if you're busy at night. Or breakfast! Take your pick!

When she didn't hear a reply, Kita said, "So, are you free?"

'Before that, let's get one thing clear."

"What is it?' kira sat up straighter

Histone was serious

"You claim to know me, but you mast understand, from my perspective, you are a total stranger. I have a fiancée, and we are about to get married. I would like to meet you to leammore about my past, but it's going to be strictly a meeting between friends-no, acquaintances, nothing more. Do you understand?'

It was Kira's tomto fall sålent.

'Well? Miss Hewitt?!

Kira sounded demoralised

'You used to speak that way to others," she said. 'In that flat, unemotional volce. Devold of feelings?!!

Austyn was an intensely private man

He kept most people at arm's length and didn't like to open up about himself.

Kira had forgotten how harsh he could sound when he was on guard.

Now she knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of that aloofness.

It was not a good feeling.

Austyn opened his mouth.

The way she sounded over the phone, hurt and dispirited, made him feel guilty again, just like back at the hospital.

But he didn't think he'd said anything mean

So he kept quiet,

do you agree to meet me tomorrow?" Kira asked, 'As friends? Austyn ran through his schedule for tomorrow in his head.

'I'm sorry. I don't think can make it I have meetings

'What? I didn't catch that. I think the line's baldne up!'

Kira sald hastily before Austyn could speak again, I'll wait for you outside the hospital at twelve o'clock tomorrow! See you then Bye!!

Kice didn't give him a chance to refuse and hung up.

Austyn stared at his phone.

When he redialled, the number was no longer available.

The woman must have switched off her phone.

Kira was woken up by the incessant 'ding-dong' of the doorbell

Still groggy, she got up from the bed and opened the door.

"Rise and shine, Kira! Rony was standing outside, looking bright-eyed and bushy-rated.

He saw the bleary-eyed look of his colleague. You overslept?"

Kira checked the time on her phone. It's seven fifty-nine. The intervica's not till ten thirty."

The Center for Infectious Diseases was just twenty minutes away

Rony scratched his head sheepishly, 'Well, I thought we could get heraldast together."

Kira stifled a yawn 'Give me filteen minutes.'

she headed into the bath

She had been too keyed up last night and couldn't fall asleep till the wee hours.

Itony and Manuel waited in the hallway outside.

When Kina carne out ifteen minutes later, she was greeted by stunned silence. fony's mouth was open inthe shape of the letter "0," "What's wrong Kira frowned. 'Is there something on my face?'

'Well, yeah!" Rony recovered from his dropped jaw

""What is it?"

"Make-up!" Rony was still gawking. I've never seen you wear make-up once in the three years we've worked together. Right, Manuel?! The cameraman nodded.

He was already holding up his phone, snapping away at Kira's face.

The network did not requite field correspondents to wear make-up, unlike news anchors.

Rony asked, "What's the special occasion?'

Kira rolled her eyes. There's no occasion. And just put on lipstick

She hoisted her laptop bag over her shoulder. 'You said breakfast, right? Let's go."

Rony had contacted the public relations department at Rinton's Centre for Infectious Diseases.

Their team was granted interview access to the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

After breakfast, Kira ran through the list of questions she had drawn up on the flight to inton

She had three years of interviewing experience under her belt.