Later this afternoon, Oliver came over to Candace's room. She curled and pinned my dark hair back. She simplified the makeup, but never put makeup on me. I don't want to complain. I've never been a fan of makeup.
Candace didn't mention Ben again. There were strange knocking sounds all day long. But Candice yells at them to go away. They all listened to her.
She helped me get dressed. I raised an eyebrow, but saw no use in arguing with her. Jane's white dress is elegant,
But stopped just above her knees to show off her transplanted feet. Candace's dress had a plunging neckline that showed off the thick scars on her breasts. She pulled my clothes off the bed. She loosened her corset and I rolled my eyes.
I'm going to take off my old clothes in front of Candace? She held the dress out in front of me and I knew I had to do it. I took off my skirt and bra. I held my chest as I put on my lace dress. I grabbed the bodice as she pulled the ribbon tight. When she gave me one final tug, I took a deep breath.
Then Oliver knocked on the door. Candace glanced at the clock before opening the door. Oliver stood there in a suit and crimson tie. No one said anything, but Oliver held out his hand. I had trouble breathing and the dress didn't help. Oliver smiled as I struggled to convince myself to keep going. I ignored his hand and entered the hallway.
I jumped when Oliver snatched the glasses from my face. He folded them, placed them in the box, and stuffed them into the inside pocket of his jacket.
"You look beautiful, Diana," he said. "I can't wait to show it off to you."
"You can't sell me," I blurted out. "I'm always learning. I promise. Let me go back to Canada."
"Listen, kitten," said Oliver. He cupped one side of my face.
"I've been talking to Dr. Phillips about staying sane. During my next surgery—"
"I can help you." I interrupted him. "I'm always learning and I can help you."
There will not be another surgery. I just need to get back to Canada so Ben can get us out of here.
Oliver closed his eyes and was silent for a moment, then removed his hands from my face. He put his hands on my back and pushed me forward.
We continued walking down the corridor. "I'll think about it," he said. "I just need you to behave."
When Oliver enters the code to open the door. The door slid open and he led me through Gregory's house. I could hear music and chatter. Oliver led me through a series of back corridors.
Enter a large ballroom. There are small circular platforms scattered around the room. Most platforms feature a girl in a white dress or a man in black pants and a white shirt. Oliver took me to a platform in the middle. I lowered my head and many people's eyes were staring at me. Oliver helped me onto the platform.
I stood up straight, just like Ben had taught me during practice. Oliver straightened the hem of my dress. The remaining subjects entered the room and climbed onto the platform. I narrowed my eyes. Sure enough, a familiar face came in.
Ben walked in with Bethany. Unlike the others, he was not wearing a shirt, so his skin was exposed. Ben stood on the platform opposite me. Ben's eyes were on me. I shifted my weight between my feet. I'm not wearing shoes. I looked around and saw that they were also barefoot.
The two doors were wide open, and light flooded into the room along with the sound of soft music. Several of Gregory's servants walked up and down the platform carrying trays of champagne.
Bethany put her arms around Oliver's waist. She was wearing a tight red dress and lipstick on her lips.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to say hello to the doctor."
I saw a group of beautifully dressed men and women walking in. Bethenny walked across the room to a woman with short white hair.
A man walked up to my platform. He is older and his hair is gray. He held a glass of champagne in one hand and extended his other hand to Oliver.
"I couldn't believe it when I heard you finally bring up a subject, Dr. Sweeney," the man said. "I had to see it immediately."
I broke my perfect posture and glanced at Oliver to see his smile falter.
"Thank you, Dr. Price," Oliver said. "This is Diana."
Dr. Price grabbed my chin and pulled my face down. I gasped but remembered Ben saying the doctor might catch me. I glanced over and saw Ben looking at us.
"What's this?
"a cat?"
"Yes, sir," said Oliver.
"How did you do it?" he asked. "It's unbelievable."
"Her surgery was just two weeks ago." When Price looked back, my chin was still in his hand.
"Christine. Azita. Come look at this," Price said.
Two women came to the platform. The woman was wearing a long black ball gown. Another woman wore a black gown, but her gown was covered in intricate gold details. She wore a headscarf and subtle makeup on her eyes.
"This is Dr. Sweeney," Price introduced him. "This is Dr. Holland and Dr. Nabi."
Oliver shook hands with each woman. "This is Diana," Price said. "He operated on her two weeks ago. He used a cat."
He finally let go of my chin. The woman in the ball gown put her hands on Price's shoulders and pushed him aside.
"Can you see that, Diana?" she asked in an Irish accent.
"Yes," I said.
I noticed more doctors gathering around the platform. Ben put his hands behind his back.
I glanced to the side and saw Candace standing on the platform next to him. She stared at me and I looked around the room to see that most of the subjects' attention was focused on me. I took a deep breath and my clothes seemed to get tighter.
"She's only been doing well for two weeks," Azita said.
"I asked Ben to help her," Oliver said. He gestured towards him.
"Ah, yes, Benjamin," she said. "He's always been very charming."
always? Candice says he always acts like the perfect patient, but he disagrees. I had difficulty breathing and my chest burned. "How do you feel?" another woman asked. "Do you feel any pain?"
"No, I feel fine," I said.
"She's also no longer taking pain medication," Oliver said. “The only complication she experienced was some swelling, but that resolved quickly.”
"It's great," Kristen said.
Bethenny comes to Oliver. She put her arms around his waist. She held a glass of champagne in her hand. A sickening smile appeared on her face.
"Isn't he doing a great job?" she said. Her voice had a higher pitch than she usually spoke with. "I'm proud of him."
She giggled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He tightened his arms around her.
"I knew Diana would have everyone's attention."
Hearing his voice, everyone turned their heads. The people parted as Gregory approached. His body shook violently and his steps seemed to drag. A few people clapped, but he didn't seem distracted.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" said Gregory. "I invited Oliver down early so I could get a better look." "Is it really as impressive as it looks?" Price asked.
"Yes," said Gregory. "I would love to add her to my collection, but Oliver won't give up on her."
"We've been wanting to talk to you about this," Bethany said.
"Really?" Gregory laughed. "Have you reasoned with him?"
"We've talked about it a lot."
"I really hope you'll sell her to me," said Gregory. "You'll be able to give Bethenny the fairytale wedding she wanted."
Bethenny giggled. My knees buckled. The clothes crushed my ribs and I struggled to get air into my lungs.
They talked about my fate like it was nothing. They took away my future and laughed about it. Sweat started to form on the nape of my neck.
Ben must have seen me turn pale. He stepped off the stage and joined the crowd.
"Ben," Bethany said. "What are you doing?"
"Diana looked a little sick," he said.
Gregory snapped his fingers. "I need a glass of water."
Oliver took a glass from the tray and handed it to me. My hands shook as I raised the cup to my lips. I took a sip and felt the cold water flow into my throat.
"Are you feeling better, honey?" Gregory asked.
"Yes," I said. Oliver frowned. My attempt to impress the doctor was ruined by this stupid dress. "I'm very sorry."
"It doesn't matter," said Gregory. "You're new, you might be overwhelmed." He turned to face a group of doctors.
"I'm hungry," he said. "Let's go to the restaurant."
"What's wrong with you?" she asked.
"I can't breathe," I said, grabbing the bodice of my dress.
"Sit down, Diana," said Oliver. "Don't baby her, Oliver!" Bethany yelled. "She just embarrassed you."
"It would have been worse if she had passed out."
Bethany took a deep breath and rolled her eyes.
"Okay, I apologize," she said.
She storms away and Oliver touches his face with his hand. He watched her leave the ballroom.
"Sit down, Diana," he said.
Ben sat on the edge of the platform. "Drink some water and calm down," Oliver said. "Everyone will be back in an hour. Be
, I want you to stay with her. Please notify me if her condition worsens. "
"I will, sir," said Ben.
"See you in an hour, kids," Oliver said before walking away.
Ben put his hand on my back. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. He rubbed my back and I wrapped my fingers around the glass.
"Hey," Ben whispered in my ear. "It doesn't matter."
"I want to go home." I said softly. "I told you we were going to get out of this together."
His hand on my back slid to the side of my head. He rested my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes and took a few steady breaths.
"You're embarrassing yourself," Candace said.
Ben's body tensed and I looked up. Candace stood before us.
"Leave her alone," Ben said.
"I should say the same to you," she said. She held out her hand. "Come on, we'll make you look like new again, Diana."
"No," Ben said. "She stayed here."
"Look, she's not your puppet, your doll, or anything you want to create. I'm just trying to help."
"Don't pretend you're so selfless, Candace."
I stood up and put the empty glass down. She laughed, but I shook my head. Ben grabbed my hand and I wrenched it free. I'm glad my vision is blurry because I know all the other objects are looking at us.
"Wait a minute," I said. "I need to be alone for a while."
As I hurried out of the room, I heard Ben calling my name.
