I woke up to a lot of noises. I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands.
Without my glasses, everything was blurry. The room was dark, but a ray of light came in. The door was opened a crack, and Ben was leaning out of the door. He was blocking my view with the door and his body.
"I haven't been here with you yet." A female voice sounded like an angry Bethany. "You're acting like an idiot, Oliver."
"I've made my decision," Oliver said.
"No, you didn't," Bethany said. "We'll talk to Dr. Alexander in the morning."
I sat up straight. She was probably unhappy with Oliver's decision not to sell me. Ben must have heard me because he glanced back. He closed the door a little further. I knew I should get up and go back to my room, I needed to know what they were talking about.
"Next year," Ben said. "He has a short attention span and he's not going to care about buying her next year," Bethany said. "He might not even be alive anymore, ha."
"Her surgery was just a few weeks ago," Oliver said.
"Now you know what you're doing," she snapped. "Your next patient will survive."
I heard Oliver take a deep breath.
"Let's go back to our room," Oliver said. "We will discuss this in detail in the morning."
Good night again. We are surrounded by darkness again. My hands groped on the bedside table and found the lamp. It brings a subtle glow to the room. Ben sat on the bed. His jaw was clenched and his lips were pressed into a tight line.
"Do you think she'd let him sell me to Gregory?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said. "He didn't have much of a backbone."
I squeezed my eyes shut. Over the past few days, I seemed to have lulled myself into a false sense of security. Will I return to Canada? Ben and I would run away. I never thought Bethany would change Oliver's mind.
I didn't realize I was crying until Ben wiped the tears from my cheeks. He pulled me hard against his chest. I clutched his shirt and continued to cry. I hated myself for crying but I couldn't stop it. He rubbed my back and pressed his lips to my temple as I cried into his chest.
"I'll never see my family again," I said.
"I promise you we're going to get out of this together," he said. "I'll make sure you get back to Canada."
He pulled me away from his arms and cupped my face in his hands.
I took a sharp breath to control my tears. "Do you trust me?" he asked.
"Yes,"
A smile appeared on Ben's lips. He wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks.
"I promise we'll get out of this together," he said. "I can't lose you. You mean a lot to me, honestly."
"Ben-" I started as I pulled his hands away from my face.
"No, Diana," he interrupted. "I love you, okay? I love you so much that I can't go back to Canada without you."
My chest tightened when he said those words. I wanted to tell him he was wrong, but I didn't argue with him. He is my last hope. I didn't answer, just gave him a shallow smile.
Ben's smile somehow got bigger and he pressed his lips to mine. I didn't push him away, but put my hand on his chest. He deepened the kiss and placed his hands on my thighs, pulling me into his lap.
I wanted to leave, but I was enjoying it. His hands slipped under my shirt as he kissed my neck. I tangled my fingers in his hair. I gasped as Ben turned us over so I was on my back. Ben propped himself up on his elbows, still with a bright smile on his face. I bit my lip to prevent myself from laughing. He pushed a strand of hair away from my face and my face was clearly visible, not blurry at all.
"you're so beautiful,"
He kissed me again. Heat rushed to my face. Ben smiled as he kissed my neck. As his lips trailed to my collarbone, I tilted my head, giving him more access. As his fingers slid under my shirt and over my skin.
He pulled my shirt over my head. Instinctively I covered my chest with my arms. Ben grabbed my wrists, pulled them apart, and pinned them to the bed. He crashed his lips against mine. We ripped each other's clothes off and spent the night together.
I woke up again to a series of sounds coming from the hallway. These sound more feminine and giggle.
I opened my eyes and saw sunlight streaming into the room. My heart raced as I saw myself lying on Ben's naked chest. His head was cocked to the side, his hair a mess. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell slowly. I tried to sit down but I felt his arms tighten around my waist. I peeled his arms off of me and placed them on his chest.
He stirred in his sleep but soon calmed down. I slid out of bed and grabbed my pajamas from the floor. Go back to your room as soon as possible.
I jumped in the shower, running through last night's events in my mind. I enjoyed it, but I couldn't believe I actually did it. I had to pretend it was like one of the few drunken one-night stands I had in college.
After taking a shower, I tied my wet hair into a bun on the back of my head, put on my skirt, and put on my glasses. When I came out of the bathroom I saw Candace in my room. She wore a silk robe and her blond hair was pulled back into a clip. A white robe hangs on a hook behind my door. Candace took the hem of the dress out and inspected it. She glanced back and let go of her skirt.
"Very good, have you finished taking a shower?" she said. She took the clothes off the door and draped them over her shoulders. "Come with me."
"Where to go?" I asked.
"My room," she said, and grabbed my wrist. "hurry up."
She pulled me out of the room and down the hallway. There were several doors open and I could see people in the hall that I had never seen before. Several of Gregory's servants were running around.
In Candace's room, Jane sat on the bed. Her red curls were wet and soaked through the collar of her shirt. Two more white robes were spread on the bed. spread across the bed. There was a large bowl of fruit on her bedside table.
"Jane, I told you to dry your hair," Candace said.
Jane jumped up from the bed and took out a strawberry from the bowl.
"Hi, Diana," she said with a smile and walked into the bathroom. She closed the door. The air was filled with the sound of a hair dryer.
Candace took a deep breath and placed my dress on the bed next to the others.
"She drives me crazy sometimes," she said.
"Have you been looking at me?" I asked.
“There’s not a lot here that I don’t know,” she said. "I just hope you and Ben are doing well."
"I told him about Alec," I said. "He didn't want to tell me about her because he was afraid I would kill myself."
Candace rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"You're very smart, Diana," she said. "I doubt you really believe in what he saved."
"I don't know who to trust."
The bathroom door opened and Jane stuck her head out. Her mane was loose from blow-drying. Candace walked past me into the bathroom and glared at me. I followed.
Candace's bathroom is much larger than Ben's or mine. She placed a stool in front of the sink and mirror. There is a large bathtub next to it. Jane sat on a stool while Candace tore at her hair with a brush. I sat on the edge of the tub.
"Do you think Ben would want to kill me?" I asked. Jane's jaw dropped and she turned to face me. Candace frowned when her brush got stuck in her knot.
"Why do you think Ben would want to kill you?" Jane asked.
"What do you think of Ben, Jane?" Candace asked.
"I like him." Jane shrugged. She straightened her back and Candace continued to brush her hair. "He is a good man."
"Do you remember Alec?" Candace asked.
"Yeah, she came once." Candace reached out and grabbed the hair straightener from the edge of the sink.
"What do you think about her suicide?" she asked.
"It's sad," Jane said. "I spoke to Ben about it last year. He said she was very depressed about not being able to see her family. Ben tried to cheer her up but it never worked."
"She cheered up?" Candace smirked. "More like trying to force love on her."
My heart sank. Jane smiled.
"He never did," Jane said. "I know," Candace said. "She never let him do it. That's why he killed her."
"You're ridiculous," Jane said. "Ben would never kill her."
"What do you think, Diana?" Candace asked. "Have you said anything to Ben yet?"
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Ben made a move on you, ha," Candace said. "How does he react when you say no to him? If you say no to him."
My stomach twisted and I felt a wave of nausea. I can't say anything about what happened last night. She will be angry and tell either Gregory or Oliver what happened.
"No." I shook my head. "We did nothing."
"Really?" she asked. "Your bed wasn't made this morning and it looks like you haven't slept at all."
"I made the bed before I showered," I said. I tried not to let my voice tremble.
Candace gave me a suspicious look. Fortunately, Jane changed the topic to the gossip she had heard from other people at breakfast this morning.
