Counterfeit ✓

Chapter 23

ONCE MILA ARRIVED at the bottom of the hospital's stairs, Thomas nodded and waited for her to climb up. Mila unbuttoned the top button of her jacket. She hadn't thought yet about what she'd do if she reached it and if Amy was waiting there already, however, she expected Thomas to check it out before he brought her here so Mila assumed it was all clear.

Knocking on the door, she closed her eyes and took a calming breath. It took less than four seconds before a nurse opened the entrance, offering Mila a warm smile. Mila's lips parted. Amy wasn't here yet. Finally, she could have a conversation with Oliver. With an unsteady walk, she followed the nurse inside.

Oliver sat on the edge of his bed. His hair was all tousled. Pressing her hands to her stomach, Mila let her head fall back. He was still alive after the incident, and he looked great as well. As of now, she couldn't ask for more.

She flopped back into a chair. "I'm glad you're okay."

Oliver's forehead wrinkled. "You saved me."

Mila's hands trembled. After everything that had happened he believed she had saved him while he was the one strong enough to survive electric shocks through the body. Struggling to find the right words, Mila pressed her back against the chair.

"Are you okay? Amy's free."

Her eyebrows drew together. Despite all the events, Oliver first thought about her well-being. She took large, deep, and savoring breaths to take at the moment. He didn't even ask how his people were doing, or Thomas.

Swallowing, she said, "I'm worried she'll attack me."

"We'll guard you around the clock. I'm also allowed to head home, so you can stay at my place."

"Okay. I'm also here to share my theories."

Oliver tilted his head. "Theories?"

Mila leaned in, her hand on her knee. Now was the time to convince Oliver of her main theory. She simply couldn't believe Stephen was behind it all and believed in a third party that was making their lives miserable. As she looked at Oliver, she pushed up her jacket's sleeves.

"A third party," she said. "I believe a third party traps us here and plays with us. How else do we explain the dome?"

"Dome?"

Of course. Mila forgot to mention how he ran into a dome and was catapulted backward with brute force. Swallowing, she briefly explained what had happened during his accident.

She furrowed her brow. "Stephen doesn't seem in a position to make something like a dome. What does he even get out of it?"

"I don't know. We have never noticed another party. Thomas or I have been here long enough."

"Who says they are here from the start? Maybe it is the people who Stephen banned."

"And now they group?"

Her shoulders dropped. It was crystal clear Oliver didn't believe her right away. In fact, she had no idea how to convince him of her idea in any other way, since she had no trace of the third party. Breaking the eye contact, Mila's hands fluttered as if she lost control of them.

"Stephen has always had different resources. I still don't know where he gets them from," Oliver said. "It doesn't even surprise me he can make such a dome."

"What about the stone? How can he make something so that the stone is back with us in five seconds?"

"You have a point."

Mila's face was upturned. She was close to convincing Oliver, in fact, she didn't have to convince him all the way. As long as he took the time to investigate. Mila tapped her foot to an easy beat.