When I woke up, the sound of the shower filled my ears. I curled up on my side and the room was filled with sunlight.
I turned over and found the other side of the bed empty. I ran my hands over the sheets, feeling they were still warm. Ben must have just gotten out of the shower. I yawned and raised my arms above my head as I walked back to my room. I walked into the bathroom and took a shower. Warm water ran down my skin. After washing my hair, I stayed in the water for a few more minutes.
When I got out of the shower, condensation was rising from the mirror. It's nice not to have to look at my reflection. I wrapped a towel around myself and another towel around my hair.
I opened the door and saw Ben sitting on the end of my bed. The textbook Oliver had brought was in his hand. I tightened my grip on the towel as he turned to face me. "What is this?" he asked, holding up the book.
"Oliver gave it to me," I said. "Can we talk about this later?"
"Diana, what is he going to do? Does this mean you're going back to Canada? Is he going to kill you again?"
"Stop saying that when I'm wrapped in a towel."
Ben threw the book on the bed. He gritted his teeth and ran his fingers through his wet hair.
"If he gets arrogant and tries to perform more surgeries on you—" he began to complain. "He's not." I interrupted. "He didn't do anything to me. He wanted to do it to more people."
Ben glanced down at his book, then back at me.
"Did he ask you to help him?" he asked.
I nodded slightly.
"Yes," I said. "Bethany never asked you to do this?"
"No. She didn't."
"Okay. Okay, you leave my room and let me change my clothes. We'll talk about this later."
Turned around and left my room. I opened the closet door and found that my usual row of clothes was gone. It was replaced by a sundress.
When I put on my pajamas last night, these clothes weren't here. Someone came in and replaced these while I was asleep. They will see that I am not in bed. I suspected it was Oliver. He may have let Leta do it, but she relayed the message to Oliver. She told him I had a headache, so she must have told him I was missing from the room. He probably came in and saw Ben and I sleeping together.
I put on a new dress. The silky fabric reached past my knees. Twist my hair back and pin it in place.
Ben was waiting outside my door. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. His eyes scanned my clothes.
"This is new," he said.
"All my clothes are gone," I said. "Someone must have come in last night."
Ben bit his lip. His cheek twitched, revealing a small dimple. I raised an eyebrow and he looked like he was trying to suppress a smile. He held out his arm to me.
"Come on," he said. "Let's go get breakfast" I wanted to ignore Ben's gesture, but I knew I shouldn't. I have to keep Ben and Oliver happy. This is the key to getting out of it all. He and I intertwined our fingers and walked to the restaurant together.
When we came in, the other patients were sitting around the large round table. Jane waved to us. Matt and Elias are deep in conversation. Candace wiped her mouth with a napkin and pushed the plate away. She walked past us and I could see her eyes.
We filled our plates with eggs and toast before sitting down.
"I didn't see you yesterday, Diana," Jane said. "I hope you like it here."
"Sorry, I had a headache yesterday." I said.
"Are you feeling better now?"
I nodded. I jumped when Ben put his hand on my knee. He continued eating his breakfast without any disturbance.
"What's wrong with Candace?" Ben asked.
"She's the bad guy," Elias said with a shrug. "What can i say?"
"Have you forgotten about her, Ben?" said Matt.
Ben smiled. "No way." I picked up the food on my plate and pushed it away. Ben squeezed my knee. It was a warning to me to eat more, but I ignored him.
"Don't you have an appetite yet?" Elias asked. "Once you have a feeding tube down your throat a few times, you learn to eat."
"I've been through this," I said. "Don't threaten me."
Elias smirked and I crossed my arms over my chest.
"I'm not threatening you," he said. "This is just a warning."
I pushed my chair back and stood up. I already knew I wasn't going to be sold, so I didn't have to make friends. If anything, I should learn in case he lets me be a part of this weird operation. I wanted to stand up, but I held out my hand to signal him to stop. When I walked out of the restaurant, he stayed.
Back in the room, I picked up the textbook and started reading.
--
I rubbed my temples. Spending hours reading heavy medical textbooks really gave me a headache. I put down the book and stretched my limbs. I had opened the door to connect my room with Ben's, but he wasn't there.
I frowned. I walked down the corridor to the next room: the swimming pool was at the end of the corridor.
Candace was lying on the recliner. She was wearing a bikini, her blond hair was tied up, and she was holding an open magazine. Sunlight pours through the domed glass ceiling. She turned and looked at me. She removed her sunglasses from her face and placed them on top of her head. "Are you alone?" she asked.
"Yes," I said.
She swung her legs over the edge of the chair and sat down. She slipped her arms into her sheer gown.
"Sit down," she said. She lifted her chin and pointed to the chair next to her.
I looked behind me at the empty hallway. Judging from the way she stormed out of breakfast, I probably didn't want to hear what she had to say.
She smiled at me. This piqued my interest in what she had to say and I sat down in my chair. Candace's eyes scanned my body.
"They gave you my old clothes," she said. "The Doctor kept it."
I looked at myself.
"Anyway," she said, regaining my attention. "I want to talk to you about Ben."
The way she said his name gave me goosebumps. She said in a vicious tone.
"Why?" I asked.
"I can tell he's already playing mind games on you," she said. "I want to warn you, don't let this happen. There used to be a really cute girl here, and she got caught up in all of this."
"Alec?"
Candace's brown eyes widened. My stomach was twisting into a knot. I curled my fingers into the soft fabric of my skirt.
"He never told you about Alec?" she asked.
"No." I shook my head. "who is she?"
"Dr. Phillips' second topic after Ben."
"What? I've never seen her."
If Bethenny brought Ben to Oliver's house then why didn't she bring her? Is she coming to the dinner party?
"You won't," she said. "She died a year ago."
"How?" I asked. "Is it because of the surgery?"
"An overdose. She committed suicide."
"But you don't?"
She shook her head.
"I don't believe him," she said. "Ben always struck me as something not quite right."
"He told me that the first few years he was here, he was fighting Dr. Phillips and trying to escape." Candace scoffed and rolled her eyes.
“I remember Ben’s first dinner,” she said. "He had nothing but smiles and respect."
"How long have you been here?" I asked.
"Seven years," she said. "I was studying abroad in France when Dr. Lacroix kidnapped me."
She ran her fingers over the scar on her chest.
"He replaced my heart and he sold me to Dr. Alexander two years ago," she said. She swung her legs back onto the lounge chair and leaned back. She opened the magazine and I caught a glimpse of the cover. There is news about a celebrity couple.
"I like you, Diana," she said. "I hope you don't believe Ben's plan. I don't want to see you die."
The conversation is over,
I quickly returned to my room. The hall was empty and I made the mistake of seeing Ben sitting on the bed. He spread the book in his lap. I wanted to turn and close the door, but I knew there was no escape in this locked wing of the house.
"Where were you then?" he asked. "Where were you then?" I asked.
Ben was shocked by my answer. He closed the book and motioned for me to sit next to him. I shook my head.
"Are you okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Can we talk?" I asked.
"Of course," he said. "Why don't you sit down?"
"Why didn't you tell me about Alec?"
I cursed myself silently for asking the question. I've never had it easy, but this was painful.
Ben took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Who told you about her?" he asked.
"Candace," I said.
He was silent for a while before getting off the bed. He came towards me, but I took a step back. My knees shook as I gave way to him. I won't let him trap me against the wall anymore.
"Diana, you can't trust her," he said.
He kept walking. His body prevents me from walking out of the house or being able to jump over my bed and run into his room. I looked back and saw that the bathroom door was wide open.
"Candace hates me," he said. "She always hated me. She had a crush on me when I first went to this dinner party, but I didn't feel the same way. She's been my nightmare ever since."
"That doesn't explain why you never told me about Alec," I said.
"What did she tell you about herself?" he asked.
"She committed suicide," I said. "She didn't say much." We stood in silence for a few seconds. My heart pounded in my chest. I stretched one leg back. I'm ready to run away.
He said. "I'm afraid you'll kill yourself trying to get out of this, too."
"You think I'm going to commit suicide?"
"I don't know, I'm worried. I can't lose you, Diana."
I let out a shuddering breath. Ben's blue eyes looked at me tenderly. He raised a hand, but I pushed it away. "Don't bother me," I said. "Get out of my room."
"Dee, please don't be angry with me," he said. There was a hint of panic behind his voice.
It looked like he was trying to stop himself from crying. When I saw Ben's pain, I felt pain in my chest too.
I was frustrated that he never told me about Alec, but I figured she wouldn't naturally come up in our conversations. She said Ben behaved politely and respected all those dinners. He told me he always wanted to run away. She might just be jealous and trying to spread lies about Ben.
From how others talk about her, she doesn't seem to be trustworthy.
"I need to be alone," I said.
"Please," Ben said. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into a tight hug. "Please, don't let Candace come between us. I told you I would get both of us out of here. Let's get out of this together."
I smelled his cologne. He hugged me tighter and my cheeks softened as I pressed against his hard chest.
He has earned the trust of Oliver and Bethenny. He can get us out of here. It took me a long time to gain that trust. I have to make him happy and then I can go home.
"I'm not angry," I said.
Ben took a deep breath and I felt his body relax. He pressed his lips against my temple.
"It's time for me to go back to study." I said.
"We're going to get out of here before Oliver turns you into a surgical nurse," he said. "how do you know?"
"I've already planned it. Three days after we get back to Canada, we should be able to get out."
"Wait." I suddenly realized a terrible fact. "You're not coming back to Oliver's house with us. You're just here to teach me how to act at their dinner."
"I'll be there soon."
"How do you know? Because they are friends?"
"Because they're engaged."
"What?"
He chuckled, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine.
"None of them are good people," he said.
I couldn't help but laugh. Ben kissed my cheek before letting me go.
"Is there anything else I should know?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No more."
I stayed in my room for the next few days. I locked the door connecting my room to Ben's. Leta knocked on my door three times a day asking to come to the morning room. I refused and Oliver would send me food to my room.
I told him I was studying so he didn't complain. Every night he would bring me a glass of water and medicine.
Normally, Oliver would leave my room after checking to see if I had taken my medication. This time he sat on the edge of the bed. I had already changed into my pajamas and tied my hair up. Oliver placed his hands on my bare legs, caressing my smooth skin. The air was filled with moisture, but I was shivering.
"Dr. Phillips and others will be coming over in the evening," he said. I looked up from my book.
"When is dinner?" I asked.
"Tomorrow night," he said.
Oliver's hand went to my thigh. My heart raced and I pulled my legs away. I hurried to the other side of the bed.
"Dr. Alexander calls me into his office at least twice a day," Oliver said. "He really wanted you. He kept giving me more money in exchange for you."
"You won't sell me, will you?" I asked.
"Don't worry, kitten," he said. "I won't." He stood up from the bed, but his eyes stared at me.
"Leta will send you a dress in the morning," he said. "I hope you'll look nice tomorrow."
I squeezed my eyes shut to stop myself from shaking. He said nothing more after leaving the room. I jumped out of bed and ran to Ben's room. He sat on the bed and read a book as usual. I sat next to him and he put his arms around me. He laid me on the bed and leaned against me.
"How are you doing?" he asked. "I've barely seen you." "I'm just anxious to get home," I said.
Ben smiled. I'm surprised he hasn't knocked on my door these days. I was worried that he might have lost the feelings he expressed to me, but judging by his reaction, all my fears were gone.
"We'll get out of this soon," he said.
He leaned down and kissed me. Heat rushes to my cheeks. Seeing this, he smiled and rested his head on mine.
"You know dinner is tomorrow night, right?" I asked. "Yes," he said, turning his head to kiss my cheek. "Do you remember what I told you? Are you nervous?"
"Yes," I said. "I just can't wait for this to be over."
"It will be soon."
Ben pushed himself up and stared at me. He smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"Did you talk to Candace again?" he asked.
"No," I said.
"Okay. Stay away from her. Trust me, she's a liar."
I nodded. Ben rolled onto his side and held me against his chest. He covered us with blankets and turned off the lights. He kept his arms tightly around me the entire night.
My mind couldn't stop thinking about what Candace and Ben had said. I didn't know who was telling the truth, but I knew I wanted to go home and Ben could take me away.
