Tethered Souls | Books 1, 2, and 3

41 | Freedom

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• Luna •

Rising from her bed, Luna smiled as she caught a glimpse of the sunlight hitting the top part of the shade. She felt calmer knowing Amir was nearby. He was in the building somewhere, and she silently grinned to herself, loving how close he was to her.

It was July 4th — America's birthday. She had plans for today that she made weeks ago to watch fireworks with Sarah. But Chase ruined that. However, instead of being sad and depressed, she'll just focus on getting through this day and the time she has left here. Her days were numbered. Amir wanted to see her out of this facility, and she knew he will follow through.

Hearing the doorknob turn, Luna stared at the door as her nerves shook. There was no telling if it was Dr. Kim or a nurse who was coming to pump her up with more medicine or send her to another wing of the hospital.

The door inside her room opened gradually, and she stiffened in her spot. 

Sergeant Decker and Nurse Smith strolled in, accompanied by another guard and Amir. He wore dark blue trousers, a white shirt, and a red blazer, looking very patriotic and devilishly handsome in her eyes. And his hair . . . She wanted to run her fingers through those beautifully styled strains. She even noticed a little Pakistan flag pendant on his collar, which caused her to feel elated at how honorable he was. Truly, one of a kind.

"Good morning, Ms. Carlyle," Nurse Smith said with a jolly grin. "How did you sleep?" 

Luna sighed. "I had a great dream. I was out of here and in the arms of someone who truly loves me." 

She wanted to subtly let Amir know he was on her mind, but she could sense he already knew that.

The nurse clapped her hands together and grinned, then placed them in front of her heart. "I am sure you and Mr. Marquette were happy in your dreams." 

Luna coughed and barked out a laugh, shaking her head. Then she glanced at Amir. Even he snickered a little. "Um, no. Chase and I are over. He is nothing to me." 

"Now, Luna, you shouldn't be this upset with him. He's only looking after you." 

The grip on her sheets tightened as her eyes shifted to Amir. He had his fist balled and looked like he was ready to hit something. 

"This isn't looking out for me. It's part of Chase's control, nurse. He only wanted to keep me under his thumb, and this facility blew that up. I was done with him the moment we were heading to my home on Memorial Day. He took advantage of me. He assaulted me!"

Luna took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down before she had a mental breakdown about what happened. She didn't need to remind herself of what he'd done.

"I'm sorry for all that you have gone through. We need to get moving," the nurse told her.

"Where are we going?" Luna asked, tying her hair into a tight ponytail. "I'm sorry for not greeting you," she murmured to Amir. "Good morning, Mr. Khan." 

He shifted his leg and nodded in her direction, bringing his arms to his side. "Ms. Carlyle," he replied, calmly.

She hated she couldn't speak to him, but there were others around and they weren't trustworthy people.

"Now that's over with, let's move on, shall we?" 

Luna's muscles locked up, an action caused by anything that came from Nurse Smith's mouth.