Jade couldn't believe it. It was him. He was there. He had found her.
She had fought so hard to forget everything and start anew, to move on, but the past always found its way back, hovering over those who simply didn't want to know anything about it…
"Isabel? Are you okay?" Casmin asked.
"Clean this up, please," she said absently.
The teenager watched, confused, as Jade and Dominick exchanged a strange look.
"Please, Jade, I want to—"
"Why does she call you that, Isabel?" Casmin interrupted Dominick.
"Casmin, go find your mother and tell her to send someone to take care of this. I…" She glanced at Dominick. "I'll take the gentleman outside. He's leaving."
The girl nodded, and Jade started walking toward the exit. Dominick had no choice but to follow her. When they reached the street, she stopped. Dominick could see how tense her posture was. He swallowed hard—this was only the beginning of a battle.
She turned around.
"As kindly as I can put it, I demand that you get the hell out of here," she hissed, clenching her fists at her sides. "I don't know why you came, what you're looking for—but I don't care," she added, cutting him off just as he was about to speak.
"I want to talk to you, Jade. I need to ask for your forgiveness. I want you to know everything I went through to find you. I'm begging you to listen to me." He took a step forward—the same one she immediately took back.
"You stay right there," she snapped. "I don't want to hear anything from you—your pathetic excuses mean nothing to me. It's been almost three years; you got what you wanted, so I don't understand why you're here. If you think you can buy me again…"
"Nothing like that, Jade. If you just give me the chance to explain—"
"There's nothing to explain!" she shouted, furious. Anger was the only shield she knew to protect herself—it had worked before. "So get out, or I'll call the police."
Dominick exhaled sharply.
"Just so you know," he said, stepping closer and closing the space between them. Jade looked up at him defiantly, chin raised, refusing to show weakness, even as the anxiety burned inside her. "I won't rest until you hear me out. Even if I have to come every single day to beg you, I will. I'm not giving up. Never."
He turned around and walked to his car. Jade watched him drive away, carrying with him a storm of emotions. Anxiety started to course through her veins, her heart pounded hard, and the fears she thought she'd left behind came back stronger than ever.
Dominick's arrival meant remembering… and the bitter taste of not being there for her father the day he died still haunted her, punished her.
The demons of that dark day clung to her, refusing to let her live in peace. Jade walked quickly back into the restaurant, grabbed her bag, and didn't stop even when Casmin's mother called after her.
Without wasting a second, she hailed a taxi. Fighting her nerves and anxiety, she murmured her destination's address and looked out the window, biting her nails, wishing both time and the driver would move faster.
When the taxi finally stopped, she paid and rushed out of the car. She entered the building without even noticing the security guard's curious stare.
Jade stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor repeatedly.
"Pressing it that much won't make it go faster," said a deep voice behind her, startling her.
She turned around to see the owner of that voice—a voice she knew perfectly well—but she'd been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed him.
"Kevin… what are you doing here?" she whispered.
He smiled.
"I came to pick up my sister's phone. She left it in Doctor Ernes's office," he said, stepping closer to her. "And you?"
"Unfinished business… that's all." She shifted to the side of the elevator, putting a safe distance between them. "I have to talk to Sofia."
The elevator doors opened, and she nearly ran out, but didn't get far before Kevin caught her by the arm.
"Isa, what's the rush?" he smiled. Kevin Fischer was her business partner at the restaurant. She had met him at Doctor Ernes's office—his younger sister attended therapy for anorexia. His presence radiated sensuality; he was a natural flirt, and his good looks were hard to ignore. "You didn't even say hello."
"I…" She sighed deeply, trying to calm herself, though it seemed impossible at that moment. "Hi—and goodbye. I have to go, but later—"
"Dinner?" he interrupted, sliding his hand down from her forearm to her palm, his thumb brushing gently over her knuckles.
"Sure, yeah, fine, whatever you want," she blurted out.
"I hope you won't bail on me like last time. Tonight, nine o'clock, Isabel—you already promised," he smiled. "I'll cook."
Kevin's 1.87-meter frame, tanned skin, and dark brown eyes made many women swoon at the restaurant. He was undeniably handsome.
"Come on," he said softly, tugging her forward.
They walked down the hallway toward Doctor Ernes's door—just as the woman stepped out with a patient.
"See you in three days, Carme," she said goodbye. "Kevin, I assume you're here for Kira's phone." The blonde turned her gaze toward Jade. "We don't have an appointment today, Isa, do we?"
Jade shook her head.
Sofia narrowed her eyes. She could tell something was wrong. She went inside, fetched the phone from her desk, handed it to Kevin, and motioned for Jade to come in.
Sofia knew everything—she was well aware of the name situation, and the reasons behind it.
"I saw him," Jade said, making the doctor frown.
"You saw who?" she asked, taking a seat in a small armchair across from Jade.
"Dominick showed up at the restaurant, saying he wanted to talk. I refused, of course. I don't want to see him. Why is he looking for me? I don't know what he's thinking, showing up after all this time. I left for a reason—to get away from him, from Janeth, from everything that haunted me," she snapped, sinking back on the couch. "I don't want to relive any of it…"
"You have to leave it all behind, Jade," the doctor advised. "I've told you that many times."
"I tried when I left!" she exclaimed, frustrated, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger.
"Running away wasn't the solution." The doctor crossed her arms. Jade frowned; she was tired of hearing the same thing. "The only way to overcome that pain is to face it—to forgive. It's too late for you and your mother to talk things through—"
"Even if she were alive, I wouldn't want to. She was cruel to my father, and I'll never forgive her. I hope she's rotting in her grave, serves her right…" she muttered under her breath.
Sofia shook her head.
"Jade, you're wrong. You're no different from him—or your mother—if you keep holding on to hatred." The seriousness in her tone made Jade sit up and look straight at her. The doctor sighed, seeing the hurt on her face.
"I'm nothing like him—or her. I would never be like her." She wiped away a tear. She hated with all her soul being compared to Janeth.
"Then prove it," the blonde challenged. "Talk to him. Listen to whatever it is he wants to say. Then decide. After all, Dominick isn't the only one to blame, and you know it."
Jade looked down. She knew the doctor was right. Even if she'd felt cornered, without a way out, maybe she could've handled things differently. But blaming Dominick made her guilt just a little easier to bear. Still, in the end, it hadn't mattered…
"Forgiving him is the only way, Jade. You don't have to maintain any kind of relationship with him—you don't even have to be friends. Just free yourself from what's hurting you. Have you thought about what I told you?" she asked.
"Starting a relationship with someone?" Jade shook her head. "I have too many things to do. I don't have time for boyfriends," she excused herself.
The doctor raised an eyebrow.
"Jade, don't insult my intelligence. First of all, I'm a professional," she adjusted her glasses and set her notebook on the table, "and second, I'm a woman with far more life experience than you—and you're a terrible liar." She offered a kind smile and picked her notebook back up.
"I'm sorry," Jade murmured, leaning back again, avoiding her eyes.
"I'm not telling you to start a relationship. You're not ready for that," she clarified.
Jade frowned in confusion.
"You're not? But you said—"
"I know what I said, but apparently I didn't explain it well," she interrupted. "Go out one night and have fun. Meet a man. Let yourself be spoiled for once. Have you had… any encounters?"
"What?" Her cheeks flushed instantly. She knew perfectly well what Sofia meant, but was too embarrassed to answer.
"Have you had sex, Jade? Every time you come here, you avoid the subject. Don't. That's another area you need to work on," the doctor said firmly.
"I haven't had the chance…" she lied.
"Seriously, Jade? What did we agree on?"
She huffed.
"Dominick's been the only man in your life, hasn't he?" Sofia asked.
Jade fell silent. She couldn't avoid it any longer.
"Yes."
"It's understandable. He didn't treat you the way he should've, but part of it was your fault too—and you know that."
"I was scared."
"That's no excuse. But let's leave that aside for now and focus on the present. You need to light a candle to your dormant sex life, Jade. Until you learn what it feels like with the right lover, you'll always fear intimacy." She jotted a few notes in her notebook.
"I'm not afraid of… that," Jade muttered.
"You can't even say the word 'sex' without blushing, so yes, I'm right. Don't you feel attracted to any man close to you? Armand, maybe?"
"What about him?" Jade frowned.
"He's one of the few men close to you. He took care of you, helped you—and he's quite handsome. Has he ever made a move? Have you developed any special feelings for him?" Sofia asked. "Anyone in your place might have."
"Armand…" she murmured, remembering everything he'd done for her—all she owed him. She smiled faintly. "Armand's like a brother. And I know he's not interested in me that way. I'm completely sure. I can't tell you why, but it's not my place."
The doctor nodded.
"And Kevin?"
Jade let out a nervous laugh.
"Come on, Jade. I've seen the way he looks at you. That man is dying to sleep with you. I don't know what other intentions he might have, but the sexual ones are written all over him whenever he's near you," Sofia pointed out bluntly. "He's handsome and looks like an experienced man. It might sound crude, but you could use him to change your perspective on sex."
"I don't know…" she hesitated. Sleep with Kevin? she thought. It sounded insane—she'd be using him. That's what Dominick did to you, whispered her mind. So what if you do the same?
"Think about it. It doesn't have to be him," the doctor added. "You might feel guilty or uncomfortable afterward—but anyway, you still haven't answered my question, Jade." She sighed. "Do you feel attracted to Kevin? Can you imagine yourself kissing him?"
"I… maybe. It's all so confusing," she admitted.
"I'm sure you've felt sexually attracted to someone before."
Jade remembered Robinson—everything he had done to her. She closed her eyes. She'd felt a kind of affection for him, but unfortunately, it had been Dominick who awakened every corner of her body.
"I thought I was in love with a coworker," she confessed. "He was kind to me, attentive, sweet—like my dad."
"That's the problem. You weren't really looking for a man to love—you were trying to replace your father's affection, and that's not healthy. Has there been anyone else?" she asked.
Of course there was. Unfortunately…
"Dominick," she whispered.
"Jade, don't mumble. I can't understand you," the doctor scolded.
"Dominick," she sighed in defeat. "Somehow, I always gave in to his kisses. No matter how much we argued or fought, we always ended up… kissing, touching… he did things that confused me," she admitted, much to her own regret.
"We'll talk about that next time," Sofia said, jotting a note in her notebook. "My next patient's about to arrive, and you came without an appointment."
Jade stood up and picked up her bag from the floor.
"I accidentally agreed to have dinner with Kevin," she confessed.
Sofia smiled.
"Start there. See where it goes," she advised. "You need to close those cycles—first, forgive Dominick and move on with your life. Then, learn to feel again—with your body. That's just as important."
Jade nodded, not fully convinced, and left the office filled with doubts. She didn't know if what she was supposed to do was right…
~•~
Author's note:
Years ago, I wrote this chapter, knowing nothing about what a psychologist should say to a patient or recommend, I didn't Investigate either, I finished this and leave it like that 'cause there were just too many things I had to do, I wanted to start writing in this app but I wanted to do it with a finished novel, so if you, reader, find this chapter going against what a real psychologist looks like, forgive me, I'm gonna make sure to investigate things first for the next time.
And thanks, for dedicating your precious time to read this novel, I really hope you like the next one. ♡