Chapter 18: 'Make Yourself at Home'

Mina breathed deeply and suppressed the memory of her sister. As they walked, they only passed by a few people. It was night, so it was less busy than normal. In the hall, Mina could feel the eyes of a male nurse on her body, and she instinctively moved her hands to cover herself.

Ian noticed her small action and shot the nurse a look so devilish that the man literally turned to face the wall. Both women did not see the interaction because Mina would not look at President Lee, and Luna was too busy trying to figure out what to do with Mina.

When Ian stepped out of the hospital, his chauffeur immediately opened the door. Ian stepped to the side and allowed Luna to enter the car, followed by Mina and then himself. The car was spacious in the back, but Mina pressed herself against Luna to give President Lee more space.

Ian was not a flashy person, and he did not like Limo's or SUVs, but he suddenly wished he had made an exception for the day because it was too cramped.

Mina did not look up; she did not look out of the window, and she did not ask where they were going; she did not speak at all. It was cold outside; she did not have a jacket and she had hospital slippers on her feet.

The heat had not been turned on in the car and Mina knew not to ask. She discreetly pulled her hands into her sleeves and placed them between her thighs for warmth. She did not want to show them her weaknesses because she feared they would use them against her.

The car drove for a long time before stopping in front of a large iron gate. The chauffeur used his fingerprint to open it and they drove onto a large compound. The house was beautiful, and Mina was confused; she knew she would not be so lucky as to stay in a mansion in her current situation, but when the car stopped, President Lee ordered her to exit the car. She followed him up a small flight of stairs and into his home.

The mansion was beautifully decorated in neutral tones. Every wall was covered in a piece of art and Mina recognized some of them as classics. Luna was still texting on her phone, but she finally spoke to Ian.

"Okay, it's settled. I'll be going now." Before Mina could stop herself, she had already spoken.

"What? You're leaving?" Luna could see that Mina was scared and uncomfortable so she patted her shoulders and told her that there were many other people in the house, and she would be fine, but Mina did not believe her.

Mina watched Luna walk out the door and felt like her safety blanket had disappeared. While she was watching the woman leave, President Lee commanded her to follow him. He had not shouted but she jumped as if he had thrown a snake on her. She quickly turned toward him and waited for him to lead the way.

Ian could see that Mina still could not look at his face. Luna had told him that she probably would never be able to look him in the face and moreover, if her memories were to return, she probably would not be able to occupy the same space as him. Fortunately, those things did not concern Ian; he had no plans to make the woman his friend.

Mina Followed President Lee upstairs. There were two guards standing in front of a door and Mina recognized them as the men who caught her trying to take their boss's picture. The men slightly bowed and one of them pushed open the double doors. The room was huge, but something was off about it. There was a space where a window should be, but it was sealed up with thick, dark wood that did not appear to move or open.

There was no door to the bathroom, which had no toilet and no sink. The bed appeared ordinary, but it was nailed in place along with most of the other furniture in the room. Mina felt sick. She believed that the room was the place she was going to be tortured. President Lee walked out of the room without saying a word and Mina guessed that was his way of saying 'make yourself at home'.

The first thing Mina did was go into the restroom. She was relieved to see that there was a toilet, but it was built into the ground. There was no sink or mirror but there was a shower. Mina quickly removed her clothes and turned on the water, grateful it was hot. She let the shower stream run over her body for nearly an hour, before turning off the water and she finally felt clean.

Mina walked out of the bathroom dripping wet, and because there was no towel, she used the pants she just had on to dry herself. She then hung them out to dry and pulled one set of sheets off the bed to wrap around her body. She laid down on the bed and she was shocked that it was soft; exhausted, she fell asleep.

Mina awoke a few hours later. No one had entered her room and her stomach was beginning to gurgle so she walked into the bathroom and drank water from the shower. She would go on to be left alone for three days.

On the third day, Mina had sat on the ground facing the door. She found random things to keep her mind engaged and took the opportunity to see how far she could count. She heard someone outside of her door and she stood up.

Light shone in from outside and Mina flashed a smile when she saw that a maid was bringing in a tray of food. The maid did not look at her and she did not speak. She placed the food on the floor and left.

Mina did not pretend to be proud. She took giant spoons of whatever it was they were feeding her, and only after finishing several mouthfuls, did she realize it had no seasoning at all. She shrugged and continued to eat. She had not showered since the first day she arrived and now that she was full. She decided it would be a suitable time to bathe and sleep again.