Chapter 60: 'Sorry'

Studying Luna's face, Tavin noticed that she looked frightened. It was almost as if she had seen a ghost. He pulled her close to him and asked if she were okay and to his surprise, she did not immediately pull away from him. He wanted her to longer in his arms, but the moment was short lived.

----

Realizing she was still in Tavin embrace, Luna regained her composure and pulled herself free of his hands. She handed him the blood sample and told him to call her with the results. He was wise enough not to speak. He simply nodded his head and watched her leave.

Tavin was still standing in the spot Luna had just left, when he heard the soft cooing of a man and woman.

"Doctor, what if someone sees us here?" The woman asked.

Realization dawned on Tavin's face. Luna had thought that "Doctor" was him. Maybe he still had a place in her heart after all. He strode into the lab space and viciously scolded the young doctor and lab assistant. Fortunately, the pair were fully clothed, and they rushed out of the room without a word. He decided not to fire the couple because their actions ultimately benefit him.

Tavin took a seat and began to prepare the sample Luna had given him. Someone had sent him the male sample late last night, so this was all he was waiting on. He was in a good mood and resolved to complete his work in one day. He hummed as he worked, and the smile never left his face. He thought he would never hear her call his name so lovingly again, but alas he was wrong, and he was happy about it.

It was nearly 5AM when Tavin finished working with the blood samples. As he suspected, the drug was not present in either one. No matter how sophisticated the test, no traces of it could be detected. Still, Dr. Bell felt he should inform Luna about the blood sample of the woman. She was suffering from a severe vitamin deficiency and based on her blood work alone he could tell she was malnourished. Not wanting to back the woman into a corner, he sent her his concerns in a text. She was probably sleeping by now anyway.

It was too much work to go home, so Tavin went to sleep on the sofa in the lab's lounge. His heart was still full when he closed his eyes.

----

Luna was disturbed by the sound of a text. She could not sleep all night and tossed and turned into the wee hours of the morning. She felt like a complete fool. She had whispered Dr. Bell's name so lovingly and allowed him to hug her intimately. For a moment she was lost in his embrace. She had always wanted to know what it felt like to be held by him in that way, but she had long ago determined that place was not meant for her. Luna couldn't help but to silently berate herself. Years had gone by, and Tavin still had a hold of her heart. She was truly an idiot.

Picking up her phone to read the text, Luna was not surprised. She forwarded the message to her brother and tried to go back to sleep. Right now, she did not want to be bothered with anyone else's issue. She had her own wounds to tend to.

Ian was already awake when he received the text from Luna. She told him that the lie detector test could be done whenever he was ready, and that Mina was malnourished. Ian knew that Mina could not have developed a vitamin deficiency in just two weeks. She must have already had a nutritional imbalance before she was brought to that room. The condition was probably made worse when he instructed the staff to 'just' keep her alive. Ian felt extremely remorseful, thinking about it, he probably did not have to starve the girl. Now, because of his own actions she was extremely sick.

Taking a chair with him, Ian opened the doors of his study and made his way into where Mina was being held. The guards on the day shift had yet to arrive, and he had not replaced the men who were scheduled to guard Mina at night. No one knew he was home, and no one saw him entering the room. Ian placed the chair in a hidden corner of the hidden prison. If the doors opened, he could not be seen unless the person entered the room and turned to leave.

Before he sat, Ian walked toward Mina's bed. Her breathing was shallow but steady. He roughly poked her forehead trying to wake her up, but she did not move. He pinched the tip of her nose with two fingers and wiggled it, but still got no response.

Mina was connected to a machine that monitored her heartbeat and oxygen levels. He was no doctor, but there did not seem to be a problem. The machine beeped rhythmically, and the display showed her blood pressure was normal. Ian picked up Mina's arm by the wrist and let it go. Still she did not move. He repeated these actions several times before determining that she was truly in a deep slumber. Looking down at her face, he felt like a monster. She had lost so much weight that it looked as if he could snap her collar bone with one finger.

Studying her face, he found that her beauty had not diminished, despite her fragile state. In that moment he felt the urge to caress her cheek, and he did not resist. With his palm still resting on the sleeping girl's face Ian gently whispered.

"Sorry." He knew the woman could not hear him, and that is precisely why he took the opportunity to apologize.

Ian did not know why he was feeling so emotional. Dr. Bell had said the drug was out of his system, he would have to make time to speak with him about this matter later. For now, Ian retreated to the chair he set up and sat down. He watched Mina sleep as he waited for the maid to enter the room. He had a few questions for her.