The nightmare

standing in a small, dark room.

‎The walls were old and stained.

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‎The smell of medicine filled the air.

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‎My hands began to shake.

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‎"No..." I whispered.

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‎Then the door creaked open.

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‎Several men in white doctor's coats walked inside.

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‎My eyes widened in terror.

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‎I stumbled backward.

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‎"Don't come near me!" I screamed.

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‎They kept coming.

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‎One of them held a syringe.

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‎Another carried a clipboard.

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‎My breathing became frantic.

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‎"No! Please! Stay away from me!"

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‎I tried to run, but my legs wouldn't move.

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‎The room seemed to close in around me.

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‎The doctors surrounded me.

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‎I covered my head and cried.

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‎"Leave me alone! Please!"

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‎Suddenly, I felt a hand reaching toward me.

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‎I screamed.

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‎"NOOO!"

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‎My eyes flew open.

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‎I was shaking violently.

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‎Tears streamed down my cheeks.

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‎"Don't touch me! Please don't touch me!" I cried, still trapped between the dream and reality.

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‎A pair of strong arms gently wrapped around me.

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‎"Anna... Anna, look at me."

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‎I froze.

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‎The familiar voice slowly pulled me back.

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‎Jack.

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‎He was sitting beside me on the bed.

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‎His face was filled with concern.

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‎I hadn't even noticed him.

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‎"You were having a nightmare," he said softly.

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‎My chest rose and fell rapidly as I tried to catch my breath.

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‎The fear still lingered.

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‎Without thinking, I grabbed the front of his shirt.

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‎"They were there..." I whispered. "The doctors... they were coming for me."

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‎Jack gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

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‎"It's over now."

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‎His voice was calm and steady.

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‎I wanted to believe him.

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‎"But what if they come back?" I asked, my voice trembling.

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‎His expression softened.

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‎"They won't touch you."

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‎I stared at him.

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‎There was something reassuring about the way he said it.

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‎Like a promise.

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‎Jack pulled the blanket around my shoulders.

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‎"Try to get some sleep."

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‎I shook my head.

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‎"I'm scared."

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‎For a moment, he was silent.

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‎Then he sighed.

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‎"Fine."

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‎He leaned back against the headboard.

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‎"I'll stay until you fall asleep."

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‎My eyes widened.

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‎"You will?"

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‎A small smile appeared on his lips.

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‎"Someone has to make sure you stop having nightmares."

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‎Despite everything, I let out a small laugh.

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‎The tension in the room eased.

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‎I lay back down, still holding onto the edge of his sleeve.

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‎Neither of us mentioned it.

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‎And for the first time in a very long time, I fell asleep feeling safe.

‎The next morning, I woke up to the smell of breakfast.

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‎For a moment, I forgot where I was.

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‎Then I saw the luxurious room around me and remembered everything.

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‎The nightmare.

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‎Jack.

‎

‎The mansion.

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‎I sat up and noticed a folded blanket on the couch.

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‎My eyes widened.

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‎Jack was sleeping there.

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‎He had really stayed the whole night.

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‎Just then, his eyes slowly opened.

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‎"Good morning," he said, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

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‎"Good morning," I replied quietly.

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‎Jack sat up and looked at me for a moment.

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‎"You slept better?"

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‎I nodded.

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‎His gaze softened.

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‎"That's good."

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‎There was a brief silence.

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‎Then he asked, "Do you want to tell me what that nightmare was about?"

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‎My fingers tightened around the blanket.

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‎Images of white coats and frightened screams flashed through my mind.

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‎I looked away.

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‎"No."

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‎Jack studied me for a second before nodding.

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‎"Alright."

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‎He didn't push.

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‎For some reason, that made me trust him a little more.

‎Jack's POV

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‎I brought Anna home.

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‎The moment we drove through the gates, I noticed the look of amazement on her face. Her eyes wandered around the mansion as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

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‎"Is... this your house?" she asked quietly.

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‎I almost told her that this was only one of my properties, but I didn't want to overwhelm or scare her. So I simply smiled.

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‎"Yeah."

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‎When we stepped inside, all the maids and guards stood in neat lines.

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‎"Welcome home, sir."

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‎Anna looked completely mesmerized. The expression on her face was priceless, and I had to stop myself from laughing.

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‎I led her into the living room.

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‎"Anna, these are the people who work here. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

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‎Then I turned to Mr. Davis.

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‎"Please show her to her room."

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‎Mr. Davis wasn't just my butler. He had been with my family for as long as I could remember and had become like a second father to me. That was why I trusted him with Anna.

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‎Before we got home, I had already called him and explained everything. I also asked him to buy some clothes and other necessities for her. Judging by the smile on his face, I knew he had done an excellent job.

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‎After Mr. Davis took Anna upstairs, I headed to my study to catch up on work. Luckily, my assistant, Daniel, had already finished most of it. I had asked him to stay behind at the company while I focused on Anna.

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‎A few hours later, one of the maids informed me that dinner was ready.

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‎I had just come out of the shower, so I headed downstairs with a towel hanging around my neck.

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‎As soon as I entered the dining room, I noticed Anna staring at me.

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‎She wasn't just looking...

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‎She was completely lost.

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‎I wanted to tease her, but I knew she would be embarrassed.

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‎So instead, I smiled.

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‎"Have you seen enough?"

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‎Her eyes widened.

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‎She quickly looked away, her cheeks turning bright red.

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‎The rest of dinner was quiet, but I couldn't help smiling to myself.

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‎That night, a loud scream echoed through the house.

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‎I rushed out of my room and into the hallway, where I found Mr. Davis banging on Anna's bedroom door.

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‎"Miss Anna! Please open the door!"

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‎There was no answer.

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‎"Get the spare key," I ordered.

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‎As soon as the door was unlocked, I rushed inside.

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‎Anna was tossing and turning on the bed. Tears streamed down her face as she cried in her sleep.

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‎She was having a nightmare.

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‎"Anna," I called softly.

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‎She didn't respond.

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‎I gently shook her shoulder.

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‎Her eyes suddenly flew open.

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‎"Stay away from me!" she screamed.

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‎Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her.

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‎"You're safe," I whispered. "No one can hurt you here."

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‎She continued trembling as tears soaked my shirt.

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‎My heart ached.

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‎Whatever had happened to her must have been unimaginably painful.

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‎After several minutes, she finally calmed down.

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‎I stood up, planning to leave and let her rest.

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‎Before I could take a step, she grabbed my hand.

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‎"Please... don't go."

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‎Her voice was barely above a whisper.

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‎I looked into her frightened eyes and sighed.

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‎"Okay."

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‎I sat beside her bed, holding her hand until she slowly drifted back to sleep.

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‎The next morning, I woke up before she did.

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‎She looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake her.

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‎Instead, I lay there quietly, wondering what kind of past could leave someone so terrified.

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‎I had tried asking her before, but she always avoided the question.

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‎A gentle tap on my arm pulled me from my thoughts.

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‎I opened my eyes to find Anna staring at me.

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‎"Did... did you sleep here with me?" she asked shyly.

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‎I nodded.

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‎She smiled softly.

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‎"Thank you... for staying."

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‎I smiled back.

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‎"Get dressed. I'm taking you somewhere."

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‎About thirty minutes later, she came downstairs wearing a pink top, blue jeans, and white sneakers. Her hair was tied into a ponytail.

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‎She looked beautiful.

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‎We got into the car, and the driver pulled away.

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‎Throughout the drive, Anna remained quiet. She kept glancing nervously out of the window.

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‎Eventually, the car stopped in front of a hospital.

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‎She looked at me with confusion.

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‎"Why are we here?"

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‎"I booked you an appointment with a therapist."

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‎She was silent for a moment before giving a small nod.

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‎Together, we walked inside.

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‎"Good morning, Mr. Jefferson," the receptionist greeted politely.

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‎"Good morning."

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‎She immediately called a nurse to escort us to the doctor's office.

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‎When we entered, the doctor stood up and shook my hand.

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‎"It's good to see you again, Mr. Jefferson."

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‎I nodded before looking at Anna.

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‎"This is the young woman I told you about."

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‎The doctor smiled warmly.

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‎"Hello, Anna. My name is Dr. Williams. Please, have a seat."

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‎Anna looked at me for reassurance.

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‎I gave her a small encouraging nod before she slowly sat down.

‎Anna's POV

‎

‎Mr. Williams was a calm man.

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‎He never asked about my past.

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‎He never pushed me to talk about the things that haunted me.

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‎Instead, we talked about simple things—things that didn't hurt.

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‎I told him about my puppy. For the first time in what felt like forever, I found myself smiling... a real smile.

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‎He laughed at the little stories I told him, and somehow, that made me laugh too.

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‎He never looked at me with pity.

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‎He never made me feel broken.

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‎He simply treated me like I was a normal person.

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‎By the end of the session, I felt... lighter.

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‎"I'll be coming twice a week," he said with a gentle smile. "Healing isn't something you can force. When you're ready to let go, you'll heal in your own time."

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‎I nodded quietly.

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‎As he walked away, his words stayed with me.

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‎Maybe he was right.

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‎Maybe healing wasn't about forgetting.

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‎Maybe it was about finding the strength to live with the memories without letting them destroy me.

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‎I knew that one day I would have to tell him the truth.

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‎And Jack too.

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‎Opening up to them would probably be the hardest decision I'd made since coming here.

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‎But if I truly wanted to free myself from the chains of my past...

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‎I would have to face it.

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‎Just...

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‎Not today.

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‎Jack's POV

‎

‎I had waited in the car ever since Anna went inside.

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‎Mr. Williams had suggested that I stay outside for their first session. He wanted Anna to feel comfortable without anyone she knew in the room.

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‎So I waited.

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‎Every now and then, I glanced at the entrance of the hospital, wondering how she was doing.

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‎An hour later, the doors finally opened.

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‎Anna stepped out.

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‎The first thing I noticed was the small smile on her face.

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‎It wasn't a big smile, but it was real.

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‎A wave of relief washed over me.

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‎She walked toward the car, and I stepped out to open the passenger door for her.

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‎"How did it go?" I asked gently.

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‎She looked at me for a moment before giving a small shrug.

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‎"It wasn't as bad as I thought."

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‎I smiled.

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‎"I'm glad."

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‎As we drove away from the hospital, she stared out the window, watching the city pass by.

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‎After a few minutes of silence, she spoke.

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‎"Mr. Williams is... nice."

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‎I glanced at her before returning my eyes to the road.

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‎"He is."

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‎"He didn't ask about my past."

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‎"I figured he wouldn't."

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‎"He just talked to me. We even laughed."

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‎That made me smile.

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‎"What did you laugh about?"

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‎"My puppy."

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‎I chuckled.

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‎"I'd like to hear those stories someday."

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‎"Maybe."

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‎There was another comfortable silence before she spoke again.

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‎"I don't think I'm ready to tell anyone what happened."

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‎I nodded without hesitation.

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‎"You don't have to."

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‎She turned to look at me.

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‎"Really?"

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‎"Really."

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‎"I didn't bring you there to force you to remember painful things. I brought you there because I want you to heal."

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‎She looked away, blinking rapidly.

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‎"I think... one day I'll tell you."

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‎"When that day comes, I'll listen."

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‎"And if it takes a long time?"

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‎"I'll wait."

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‎She smiled softly before looking out the window again.

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‎For the rest of the drive, neither of us said much.

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‎We didn't need to.

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‎For the first time since I found her, the silence between us no longer felt heavy.

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‎It felt like the beginning of something better.

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