Chapter 327: Nightmares
Emma had not seen or spoken to James in weeks. He made sure to send her the occasional text message, but what she wanted to tell him should not be sent through a text. Emma wanted to let James know in person, that the next time they met, they could take things to the level they had discussed. She was sure that Jay suspected her of something, and she was confident that her sister's guess was wrong.
Emma and James were planning on being intimate, and in preparation, Emma put herself on birth control. She had reacted harshly in the beginning, and it put her and James' plans on hold, but she had recently gone to a checkup and her hormone levels were balancing well. She no longer felt randomly depressed, but she was unhappy that James did not have time for her.
So far, James had only been able to send 'I miss you,' or 'thinking about you,' texts and Emma was feeling like the man had cheated her into believing that he liked her more than he really did. She was so put off about it that Jay noticed and had been trying to spend more time with her. She had even tried to introduce her to a man named Chris.
Emma wanted to tell her sister the truth, but she had heard from her father that Jay walked in on director Porter and a film assistant in a dressing room and was suffering from some sort of trauma when it came to knocking on doors.
Although their father did not know, she was aware that her sister had been fooling around with the director, and Emma did not want to over burden Jay with her issues. It was clear that her sister had her own problems to deal with, and Emma could take care of herself.
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Ian had agreed to let Mina stay at Zane's home, but after just twelve hours of her being discharged from the hospital, he changed his mind. He wanted his friend to bring Mina to the Lee mansion immediately, and he only relented when Zane came to stay at the property on Mina's behalf.
Before then, Ian believed that he would have been okay if Zane and Mina developed a relationship, but he now knew it was one of the biggest lies he had told himself.
Not only did the thought bother Ian, but he had a dream about it that made him so angry, he broke something. He was so worried that his dream would become a reality that every time Ian went to check on Lisa, he insisted that Zane accompany him.
Of course, Ian knew that Zane was innocent, but he also knew that his friend would jump at the opportunity to be with Mina if it presented itself. Any sane man would, Mina was a beautiful woman, and she was easy to like.
Ian already had Cylus Rue to contest with, and from the nature of the texts he and Mina sent one another, the two were becoming close. However, Ian had something Cylus did not, Dom. He planned to take Mina to where the man was recovering without her having to ask. That way, she could see how much he had changed and how much he was willing to change for her. He wanted Mina to know that he could and would do anything for her.
It was because of his feelings toward Mina that Ian forgave his sister, but he made sure she knew that he would not forget what she had done.
Ian had heard from the men that he arranged to follow his sister, that Luna was literally stalking Dr. Bell. It made him realize that he and his sister were hopeless when it came to romance. They had never learned what love was supposed to look like to normal people. For Ian and his sister, love meant possessing.
Luna's heart had been broken because she thought that her possession had been voluntarily stolen. So, when she found out that she had not actually had the man to begin with, she could not help herself from trying to capture him again. He was hers and she needed to keep it that way.
Ian was in a similar boat, but since he had never loved Mina, nor she him, he was still working on trying to possess the woman. The problem was that they had gotten off on the worst footing possible, and Ian had to navigate the hurdles as they came. There was also the fact that Mina did not believe that Ian was drugged when they slept together. Even the act of them having been intimate was a blow to the woman.
Unlike Luna who had not physically injured Dr. Bell, Ian had the added barrier of having to prove to Mina that he would never hurt her again. A feat that was proving difficult, because it seemed like all his actions had a negative impact on Mina, no matter how small they were and then there was Lisa…
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Mina had yet another nightmare, and once again Miss Meagan was woken from sleep by her screaming out Dom's name. The old woman never complained, but Mina was riddled with guilt. She could not stand being alone, but she also did not want to stop an old woman from resting.
Mina's nightmares revolved around that split second that she and Dom locked eyes when she was tossed into that dingy van. The man's expression looked so pained, that in addition to the face of the man who had repeatedly choked her, Dom's face also frequented Mina's bad dreams.
Since that time, Mina had not heard from or about Dom, and she missed the man much more than she thought she would. She had heard from Olivia that Dom was on vacation, but Mina had a sinking feeling that it meant that Dom was away at 'camp.'
Mina desperately wanted to ask President Lee if she could see Dom, but her face was still greenish, and she was embarrassed to go out to where people could see her. She knew how her injuries appeared and she wanted to avoid questions that made her think about what happened between herself and President Lee.
Mina still had no memory of the night at the hotel, but her mind had begun to make up scenarios which in a lot of ways, was worse than knowing the truth.
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Olivia woke up feeling constricted and uncomfortable. She stretched out her body and felt the very unmistakable shape of a person beside her. She had shared a bed with Mina so many nights, that she knew without opening her eyes that someone was next to her.
Unable to recall anything from the night before, Olivia kicked out her arms and legs wildly, and she heard a man grunt in pain. She rolled out of the bed and ran. She had no idea where she was, and the place was dark. She felt along the walls trying to find the way out when a light flipped on.
Olivia was shocked to see Peter, in front of her, and if he was in front of her, then who was behind her? Her mind started to run wild and she slid down to the ground just in time for two sets of hands to reach out and stabilize her.
"Cylus?" Olivia asked more than stated.
"You were drugged. Peter helped you." Olivia's face morphed in confusion at the statement.
"How did you find me?" Olivia asked Peter. She vaguely remembered being at a bar with Bastien, but nothing else.
"Let's talk about this later," Cylus said. He did not want to give Peter the opportunity to plant ideas into Olivia's mind before he had gotten a chance to speak with Bastien, who had a mild concussion.