I was finishing my hair when there was a knock on my door.

Oliver came in and told me to follow him. He walked down the hallway and typed in the code for the door. The glasses allowed me to see more clearly, and I stood up and looked over his shoulder. All I see is that the code starts with 5. Oliver put his hand on my lower back. He showed me around the magnificent house.

Several women were in a hurry at home. They seem to be cleaning. He knocked on the door before entering.

Gregory sat on a stool next to a large metal table. There is a bed in the center of the room. A set of straps hangs down from the side. Gregory turned around and I could see his body shaking.

"Good morning, Diana," he said. "I'm excited to see it up close."

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed," Oliver said.

"I hope," he said. "You can go to bed, Diana."

Oliver pushed me forward, my knees shaking as I walked. I sat on the edge of the bed. I was shocked when he knelt in front of me. He unbuckled my sandals and took them off my feet. He took off my glasses and set them aside.

I lay on the bed and pressed the hem of my skirt. Gregory rolled his stool to the edge of the bed. He handed it to Oliver. I squinted at a piece of metal.

Oliver pulled my eyelids open and brought the metal to my face. I slapped his hand away. I tried to get out of bed. Gregory put a trembling hand on my ankle and pulled me back. I kicked him away.

"Calm down, Diana," Oliver said. He grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me down on the bed.

"What's that?" I asked, trying to shake them off me. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you had done these tests on her before," Gregory asked.

"I have," Oliver said. "She's usually unconscious. She wasn't used to it all. ”

"Keep her hand by your side," he said.

Oliver grabbed my wrist and held it down. Something cold touched my skin. I looked down to see Gregory's fingers fumbling as he tried to tie my wrists. He cursed under his breath as I pulled my hand away from the restraints.

Oliver held my wrist in place.

I put my other hand on my chest. Oliver exhaled.

"Diana, don't do this," he said.

I bit my lip and closed my eyes. My heart was beating wildly. I struggled to recall what Ben had told me. If I fight Oliver in front of Gregory, he won't be accepted into this sick club, and then he'll kill me. If he does get in, I'll lose the last bit of trust I've gained.

But I'm still stuck. One wrist has been tied to the bed. When Oliver tied my other hand, I didn't resist. I opened my eyes when I felt the bed rise. Oliver held the piece of metal in his hand again.

I turned my head to the side. Oliver grabbed my chin and turned my head back. "Dr. Alexander wanted to see what I do," he said. "It just keeps your eyes open."

"I'll keep my eyes open," I said. "Please, don't use that."

"It has to be done," he said. "It won't hurt. It's just uncomfortable. You give me to lie quietly. ”

Oliver pulled my eyelids apart. I rolled my fingers into the sheets beneath me. Tears welled up in my eyes as he hooked the metal under my eyelids. Oliver reached out to me, and at the same time reached out to my other eye. The sheets were clutched into my fists.

I'm having a hard time hearing what they're saying? I don't understand, but I'm more focused on breathing. My eyes felt dry and I felt the urge to rub them. I've been focusing on inhaling and exhaling to stop myself from struggling with the restraints.

Oliver flashed a few flashes into my eyes. Oliver and Gregory leaned against me. I breathed a sigh of relief when he dropped the potion into my eyes. I tried to blink and squeeze the droplets out of my eyes, my eyelids fluttering against the metal.

I was relieved when Oliver finally removed the speculum from my eye. A mixture of tears, droplets of water ran down my face. I instinctively wiped away my tears. When I moved my hands, the feeling of restraint penetrated deep into my skin. The sound of metal clashing sounded.

The sound made my heart sink.

Memories of being blind and restrained when I woke up flooded my mind. I must have been rebelling against the restraints because Oliver had put his hand on my wrist.

"Was she only 7 days after surgery?" Gregory asked.

"Yes, she is," Oliver said. "I'm still managing her pain."

"How's her attitude?"

"I don't want to lie, she woke up like a fighter when she first woke up, sir. But she calmed down. ”

Oliver lowered the bed before untying himself. As soon as my hands were free, I rubbed my eyes. The eye drops made me more blurry.

"She seems to be very close to Benjamin," Gregory said.

"I noticed," Oliver said. "Dr. Phillips suggested they stay together."

I held down my skirt as I sat down. Gregory rolled over to his desk. Oliver slid my glasses back into my face and I adjusted them a little. He knelt down in front of me and put his sandals on his feet.

"Oliver, I'll talk to you in an hour," Gregory said.

"Yes, sir," he said. "I'll go back to my room."

Pushed me out of the room. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, trying to wipe away the remaining droplets.

"He was impressed," he said. "That's a good sign."

I stopped. He put more pressure on me and pushed me to keep going. I turned around. "You can't sell me." I whispered.

Oliver took a deep breath and pushed his glasses against the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I don't want you to go, but I also don't want to risk not being accepted."

"Please," I said. I hate begging for myself. "Please, if you can get me back to Canada, I'll do anything."

Oliver raised an eyebrow, and my bile rose from deep in my throat. Am I digging a bigger hole for myself?

We walked back down the hallway in silence.

When I glanced back before opening the bedroom door, he was staring at me. I opened the door, and he turned and walked away, the door closing behind him.

Ben was lying on my bed with a book in front of him. He looked up at me, closed the book, and sat down with his legs turned. He had prominent dark spots on his shirt, and I could now see the clear scales.

"Where have you been?" He asked.

"Oliver took me to Gregory for the exam," I said.

Ben jumped out of bed and strode towards me.

"How?" He asked. "Are you fighting again?

"At first, yes," I said. "Oliver tried to put this metal thing in my eyes, and I freaked out."

Ben rolled his eyes, then brushed his black hair with his fingers.

"Forget it, I've secretly sandwiched some waffles for you," he said.

"You smuggle waffles?" I asked.

"We shouldn't be eating in our rooms," he said. But Elias ate them all. Rita ignored me as I took them through the hall. ”

I looked at the dresser and saw a plate in there. It is topped with two waffles covered with syrup and strawberries.

"Thank you," I said.

Ben smiled and leaned over to kiss me.