Chapter 151: To Spite His Face
Ian's face became deathly pale. He had specifically dismissed Mina's guard detail that morning for no reason other than pure jealousy. He did not plan to directly intervene in the budding romance between the woman and Dom, but he planned to limit the amount of time the pair had to interact. He consoled himself by saying that if Dom were serious about Mina, he would come find her during his free time.
In hindsight, Ian knew it was a reckless and careless thing to do. Now, there was no way for him to get in contact with Mina and if she had decided to run away, it could take days for him to find her again, if he even found her at all. Ian's heart started to palpitate as he thought of the very real possibility that the next time he saw Mina, she might not be alive. Like the old saying, he had cut off his nose to spite his face.
----
Mina waited for President Lee at the hospital for so long that her therapist had no choice but to leave for the day. The woman had tried to call someone before leaving, but she was unable to reach any of the designated contacts that President Lee had given her. The doctor had told Mina that she had to get home to take care of her family. It was nearing dinner time and she had yet to prepare anything. Mina did not know why her therapist was explaining herself, but only after she promised to relay the message to President Lee directly, was the woman willing to leave. Even then, she lacked confidence. The therapist kept pausing in her steps and looking back as if she were terrified to move another inch. In the end, it was Mina's constant assurance that she would be fine, that convinced the woman to go home.
Mina was now alone in her therapist's office. She poked her head out to look for a familiar face but found none. For some reason she had not seen Dom around all day, but she knew firsthand that it did not mean the man was not. Mina looked at the clock and realized that she had been sitting in the quiet room for too long. The office was so eerily silent that she was beginning to hear things. Her final straw was when the janitorial staff began cleaning the room around her. Mina finally mustered the courage to get up and leave.
----
Outside of the office, there was a tired looking young woman who had been taking after hours calls from various patients trying to make last minute or emergency counseling appointments. When the receptionist saw Mina, she questioned her about where she was heading, and Mina told her she was going to the ladies' room. The girl was about to say something else when she was distracted by the phone ringing again. Mina used the chance to slip away. She had no plans on trying to escape, but she hated to be trapped in one place for an extended period.
----
Inside of the restroom, Mina splashed water on her face. Out of boredom she analyzed her features. Her skin had become so fair that she hardly recognized herself. She had once been considered tan, and while she still had that healthy golden glow she was accustomed to seeing in her reflection, it was obvious that she had not taken in much sun lately. Mina gently rubbed the skin on her face only to find that it had become as soft as it looked. She thought about the soaps she had been using in the last few days and knew that the improved texture of her skin was likely the result of the expensive and luxury products Luna had purchased for her. Even the calluses on Mina's hands were beginning to melt away.
Normally, Mina did not worry about such things, but lately she had been paying attention to her appearance as it was one of the few things she could do freely. Mina knew she was considered beautiful, and it was why Mr. Eric had approached her in the Lee building. She found herself wondering how much more beautiful she could have been, if she had been born wealthy. If she had, she likely would not be in the situation she was in now, but in contrast she would probably be engaged to someone who saw her as an accessory. Staring at herself, Mina realized that being born poor was a tradeoff for her right to choose her own life. She pitied women like Miss Lisa and Miss Maggie, whose sole sense of purpose was tied to the man they wanted to marry.
----
Mina wandered around the hospital for a while. She was confronted by several security officers who thought she was lost. Scared of being approached by the wrong type of man, she decided to make her way out and onto the street. As soon as she stepped outside, she was assaulted by the cold. It was an unusually frigid autumn, but Mina did not carry a hat or scarf with her.
Because Mina was always travelling by car, she saw no reason to lug around a thick jacket, thus she only wore a thin overcoat. Thankfully, she was wearing a very thick cream sweater. Her legs, however, were frozen. She only had on a pair of black leggings and she could feel the bite of the wind as it blew.
Mina looked around the area, hoping to find a Lee guard, but no one entered her line of sight or moved to stop her. It was freezing and she wanted to go back inside, but she had a feeling that if she stayed in the hospital any longer, she would have been met with something worse. There was one nurse, who looked at her so disgustingly that she involuntarily shivered. Mina wanted to be as far away from that man as possible. She was very aware that her background information had been suppressed, and to the average individual, 'Mina Harlow' was just a person who had been born and no real identifying information could be found about her. Even if she were able to convince someone to help her, she knew the nurse could always pretend she had escaped from her ward. The thought terrified her and without thinking, her legs began to move.
Mina was making her way back to the Lee mansion.