“I want to know why,” Andrew says with a playful smile. “Maybe as a doctor, you can explain why my heart beats abnormally every time I see this woman.”
Leilani purses her lips disapprovingly, and the doctor coughs awkwardly. Andrew merely smirks.
“Diet, emotional anxiety, pregnancy, excitement, fear, caffeine, nicotine, and narcotics can all make your heart-rate faster,” the doctor says, in a professional tone. He coughs awkwardly. “But if your heart beats faster when you see someone of the opposite s.e.x, well that’s caused by s.e.x.u.a.l arousal or love.”
Leilani rolls her eyes. Using the doctor to flirt with me is beyond childish, she thinks, I don’t understand how he manages to seduce so many women with such stupid tactics.
“Mr. Clifford, the servants, have cleaned the fruit,” the doctor says, eager to change the subject. “Remember, be cautious, and don’t eat more than ten at a time. If you consume more than that, you’re liable to suffer from hallucinations.” The doctor puts the stethoscope back into his bag and prepares to leave.
Leilani glances at the plate of black fruit, wondering if that’s why she had such strange dreams in the forest. She thinks back to her days in the woods and tries to remember what wild fruits she ate. She thinks, Did I eat any of the berries?
Andrew sits up, grabs a berry, tosses it into the air, and catches it with his mouth. Leilani fights the urge to smile. When he acts playful and carefree like this, it’s easy to forget how cruel he can be.
He licks his lips and smiles at Leilani, “Now you know why my heart beats so fast when I’m with you.”
“The doctor just said that fear and anxiety could also increase your heart rate,” Leilani says. “You’re such a twisted man, and I’m sure you have many enemies. You must live your life terrified of all the people who’d like to make you suffer.” She crosses the room and stoops down to grab a berry.
Andrew’s hand grabs her arm at once. “Pregnant women shouldn’t eat these,” he says seriously. “They could put you in a coma.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to eat them!” Leilani says, swatting his hand away. “Can’t I have a look?” She crushes a berry between her fingers and watches the black juice stain her skin.
“You think I’m twisted, but you’re a violent woman,” Andrew says. “You fight lions, you rip snakes in half, and you regularly threaten to kill me. Some men might be turned off by that, but I’ve always loved it a little rough.”
Leilani ignores his comment and licks the berry juice from her finger with the tip of her tongue. “It doesn’t taste like anything,” she says. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see a bulge in Andrew’s trousers—he looks extremely hard.
He does nothing to hide his erection, but he raises his eyebrows with amus.e.m.e.nt at her embarrassed expression. “There won’t be any obstacles for us in three months,” he says, “You can see I have no problems getting excited about you.”
Leilani fights a wave of nausea. “I’ll fetch Michelle to help you with your little problem,” she says flatly.
“She doesn’t deserve it,” Andrew says, popping more berries into his mouth. “I would rather eat these—they have a calming effect.”
Leilani grabs more berries. She likes the feeling of the fruits popping in her fingers, and she enjoys watching the juice flow out. She imagines she’s squeezing the life out of Andrew. Wordlessly, Andrew passes her the entire plate.
He watches the juice flow between her fingers and folds his legs beneath him. “Want to see him?” he asks suddenly.
“See who?” Leilani asks, her eyes inadvertently traveling to his groin. “You’re disgusting!”
“Oh, you’re curious about this?” Andrew looks down at his crotch. “I’m afraid there’s not much to see anymore, but come a little closer to me, and I’ll have something to show you in a minute or two.”
Leilani frowns, “I’m warning you if I see it even once in the next three months, you will die childless.”
Andrew laughs loudly but quickly becomes serious. “I was talking about Charles Meyers,” he says, standing up. “Do you want to see him?”
Leilani begins to tremble and hyperventilate. She feels like she might collapse at any moment. Her heart pounds as if it’s about to jump out of her chest. “What do you mean?” she asks. “Is Charles alive? How?”
Instead of answering her, Andrew begins to wipe her hands with a clean cloth.
“Tell me, Andrew, is he alive?” Leilani asks, “I don’t understand.”
“Come with me,” Andrew says.
Nervous, restless, and confused, Leilani follows Andrew. She has no idea how Charles could be alive. She thinks, Has Andrew been lying this entire time? Is he keeping Charles prisoner in the mansion too? She knows she shouldn’t get her hopes up, but she can’t help but imagine being reunited with Charles. She can’t wait to give him a big hug and tell him how worried she’s been. She’ll tell him about Andrew’s lies, and the terrible nightmares she’s suffered.
She follows close behind Andrew, eager to see Charles. Her mind is in turmoil, and she doesn’t notice where they’re going. When Andrew finally stops, she realizes they’re standing outside of the mansion’s medical suite. Is Charles inside? Leilani wonders. Is he ill, or is he working as one of Andrew’s doctors?” She impatiently grabs the door and pulls it open.
Leilani looks around, but there is no one in the medical room. Except for the medical equipment, it’s completely empty. “Charles?” Leilani calls. Her voice echoes in the empty room. Leilani turns back and glares at Andrew. “Where is he?” she asks, “Did you lie to me?”
“I didn’t lie to you,” Andrew insists.
From behind the door, Leilani hears the sound of footsteps. Her entire body tensed, and she inhales sharply. She turns expectantly, but her hopeful expression immediately fades. Instead of Charles, she’s face to face with Andrew’s middle-aged doctor.
“Andrew, what’s going on here?” Leilani asks.
She wants nothing more than to slap him across the face until he tells her the truth. She’s sick of his cruel, childish games. She raises her hand, but Andrew steps back and dodges her easily.
“You misunderstood me,” Andrew says, walking to the examination table. “I asked if you wanted to see him, and I have every intention of showing as much of him as I can.” Andrew unbuttons his shirt, and begins to apply a clear gel to his chest, “I can show you a cardiac ultrasound of his heart. Isn’t that the essential part of a man?”
Leilani balls her hands into tight fists. She wants to pummel Andrew, but a small part of her also wants to see the heart. The doctor turns on the ultrasound equipment, and an electronic hum fills the room. Then she watches him place a probe attached to a wire on Andrew’s bare chest.
An image shaped like a water drop appears on the monitor. Leilani stares at it, transfixed. The organ pulses irregularly. Leilani puts her hand over her mouth and tries to stop the tears from flowing down her face, but it’s impossible to avoid them. She’s never seen a heart before, but she has the strangest sense that this blurry shape is familiar to her.
Leilani thinks I need to get a grip on myself. This is just an image on a screen—it’s not necessarily Charles’ heart. I’m just exhausted and overwhelmed. She takes a deep breath and wipes her eyes, but the tears still come.
“Please don’t cry,” Andrew says. “I won’t let you see it again if you keep crying!”
Though she’s still shedding tears, she looked him in the eye. “I’m fine,” she says shakily.
“If you don’t cry, I’ll show you my heart every day,” Andrew promises.
“I don’t need to see it every day,” Leilani says, “Though, actually, I’d like a picture printed out if that’s possible.”
If her escape is successful, she’s determined to find out the truth about the heart. She’ll scour every hospital and talk to every single surgeon in the country until she finds someone who recognizes the heart. If the heart in Andrew’s chest is really Charles, she’ll have the image to remember her friend.
The doctor hesitates and looks questioningly at Andrew.
“Give it to her,” Andrew says, “Take it as compensation for my failure to protect you from other women.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.