The CEO's Painted Skin

A woman in her 30's entered the room.

Catherine drops her gaze.

The woman walked to the bed's side. "Catherine, wake up now. Enough of your afternoon nap. Agnes the Psychotherapist will arrive in ten minutes for your therapy session," said the woman softly.

Catherine slowly opened her eyes looking at the door.

Minerva looked at her.

"I wonder if the time will ever come that you will finally talk. It's been five months already and you never utter a single word until now. You have been giving your therapist a hard time. Sometimes she doesn't know what to do with you anymore. She wanted to help you regain your speech, but you are not being cooperative, you shut her out, you shut everyone out," murmured Minerva.

Unknown to Minerva, Catherine was listening to her every word.

So, she muted herself for the last six months while she was living in her imaginary world? How did she survived not talking to anyone? Weird!

As much as she wanted to talk right now, she decided for her good benefits to continue pretending that she was still suffering from her illness for the time being. She still needs to know what is her living condition. Where is John? Was she being quarantined here or being kept a prisoner in his flat? Judging by John's possessive personality, the moment he will know that she was carrying his baby, he will never let her go! She was 100% sure of that.

Did John and that woman continue their relationship?

Are they living together in Infinity Jade Tower?

There are so many things that she didn't know in the last five months. Until she will have a clearer understanding of her situation she will continue pretending and acting up based on her current illness.

Catherine got up from the bed and walked slowly towards the door of the bedroom. Minerva followed her.

When she was already out of the room, she walked straight towards the main door, as soon her fingers touched the doorknob Minerva stop her on her tracks, and brought her to the living room. She was being guided into the corner of the sofa directly facing the ocean view.

"Let's stay here in your favorite corner while waiting for Agnes your therapist," said Minerva, she reached for the remote control and watched a prime time action movie in the flat-screen TV.

A few minutes later...

The doorbell rings. Minerva sauntered towards the main door and opened it. A woman in her late 20's entered the door.

"Hello, Agnes!" greeted Minerva.

"Hello Minerva, how is Catherine today?" asked Agnes. She walked towards the living room area and sat down beside Catherine on the sofa.

"She is still the same as the last time you visited her," answered Minerva.

"Any notable signs you notice from her which is different from yesterday?" asked Minerva looking at the nurse, while holding her pen and notepad.

"Nothing...except earlier, when I wake her up informing her that you will arrive in a few minutes, she was heading for the main door, trying to open the doorknob as if wanting to go out. So, I brought her instead in her favorite part of the living room...the sofa," explained the nurse.

Agnes raised her brows. "Does she always does this? Trying to get out?"

Minerva shook her head. "Ever since the day, I start serving her as one of her nurses. It's the first time she attempted to head for the door. Usually, she would just walk straight to her favorite place and sat down on the sofa and starts her day by staring at the ocean view."

Agnes rubs her temple with her fingers in deep thoughts, she was secretly studying Catherine's facial profile. She noticed that there was something different from her aura today. She caught Catherine's eyes glancing at the TV show, currently showing a scene where a car chase was happening between the cops and the fugitive, there was an explosion and lots of gun shooting occurred between the escapees and police officers.

Their eyes suddenly meet.

Catherine removed her eyes from the TV and immediately focused her gaze into the ocean view. Damn! She knew she was caught!

Agnes saw everything! She immediately sat down beside Catherine and began firing questions at her.

"Hello, what is your name?" asked Agnes.

Catherine didn't answer.

"Do you like watching the show?" Agnes motioned her head towards the TV.

Still, her patient continues playing deaf ears. Agnes sighed, what she saw in Catherine's eyes earlier was clear, she was manifesting a normal human beings attitude. Her sudden interest in what was happening currently on the TV indicates that she was being curios and interested to watch the TV, which she doesn't normally do in the last five months. Between the TV and the ocean view, Catherine always ignored the TV, while favoring the ocean view.

It could be an early sign of recovery...

Or she had already recovered but was hesitating to return to her normal self, finding everything confusing to her.

Her other theory was that Catherine finally regained her senses but continue pretending that she was still plagued with her illness if that is the case, why?

Which is which, she will find out in their next session. For now, she will just continue observing her actions and behavior.

Agnes was a little bit disappointed that Catherine no longer looked at the TV show. Her eyes were focused on the view of the ocean, wearing that same signature dreamy look in her eyes. Another thing she noticed about her eyes, they were blinking several times now compared to their previous sessions. It's also another good sign of recovery.

After two hours ...their therapy session ended.

Agnes stood up and bid goodbye to Catherine. "I will go home now, Catherine. See you next week for another session. Hope, next week you will finally start talking to me so that I can help you better," said Agnes.

Catherine didn't answer, she was continuously staring at the ocean.

Agnes sighed and bid goodbye to Minerva. "Continue observing her, Minerva. List down everything she will do, even to the tiniest details. Okay?" said Agnes.

Minerva nodded. "Yes, I will."

Agnes exited the door and went inside the elevator heading for the ground floor. Once she was already outside the elevator, she called John on her phone.

"Hello, John..."

"Yes, Agnes. What's up? How's your therapy session with Catherine today? Any progress?" asked John with a hint of optimism in his voice.

Agnes cleared her throat...

"She was showing some signs of recovery, her eyes were blinking many times, I caught her watching the TV, her aura is different from the previous sessions. She was now manifesting the behavior of a normal person. But she is not ready to talk yet, she might start talking one of these days. I just called to inform you that you should be prepared for what's gonna happen if she will finally return to her normal self. The last time she saw you, she caught you cheating on another woman. That will be among the first thing she will remember when she regained her old self. So, better watch out!" she warned him.

"Thanks for the heads up, Agnes. I will start preparing myself mentally and psychologically for the day she starts talking," replied John.

"Okay. That's all for now John. I'm already out of the building, heading for home. Bye," she said.

"Bye Agnes," responded John.

...

John was inside his gym doing some push-ups and weight lifting when Agnes called him. He was feeling excited and at the same time terrified if Catherine will finally start talking. They never had a serious conversation since the day she caught him cheating on her with Ella in the pool area. She will be angry and furious of course, that is normal, hopefully, she will listen to his reason and forgive him easily just for the sake of their son growing in her womb.