Richard stared at the small USB drive that lody had left on the table, his brows knitting together. He had called her here today with the clear intention of discussing her unruly behaviour with Adam. He had expected resistance, yes, maybe even so excuses, but not... this.
Instead of promising him that she would keep away from Adam, she had neatly turned the conversation around, prodded him into answering questions he hadn’t thought about in years, and then walked out—leaving this behind.
His gaze lingered on the USB. What was this supposed to an? What kind of "gift" was it? He reached forward and picked it up, turning it between his fingers. He couldn’t help but think back to the conversation they’d just had, her questions about trust, betrayal, and Marianne. And then the odd choice of words— "gift for you from lanie."
But why would lody have a gift for him from lanie? The thought unsettled him.
Curiosity and a growing unease pushed him to act quickly. He stood, crossed the room, and sat down at his ho desk. Sliding the USB into the port of his laptop, he waited, tapping his fingers once against the table as the folders loaded.
The screen filled with a list of files—dozens of docunts, neatly nad and dated. He frowned, leaning in slightly.
And then his eyes caught a particular na.
lanie Collins – Psychology Report.
Sothing in his chest tightened. Without hesitating, he clicked it open.
The report was clinical, written in the detached, matter-of-fact language of a professional, but every line felt like a weight pressing against him.
Patient Na: lanie Collins.Date of Examination: [redacted date]Attending Physician: Dr. [Na Redacted]
Summary: Patient experienced an acute panic attack while in an elevator and a public setting. Symptoms included severe shortness of breath, trembling, chest tightness, and disorientation, leading to unconsciousness
Patient History: According to available records and patient statent, there is no prior history of panic attacks or anxiety disorders in the past twenty years. Previous childhood records indicate normal psychological developnt with no reported chronic ntal health concerns.
Identified Trigger: During the session, patient reported that the onset of the panic attack was directly preceded by the unexpected appearance/ntion of a single person just prior to the onset of the attack.
Notes from Attending Physician: This reaction suggests a deep-rooted psychological association between the patient’s sense of safety and the avoidance of said individual. Further therapeutic sessions are recomnded to address the underlying cause of the distress and to explore possible historical trauma related to Richard Thomas, the patient’s biological father.
Richard’s frown deepened as he read. He re-read the trigger line twice, almost as if the words might change the second ti. No history of panic attacks for the last twenty years... trigger: Richard Thomas.
He sat back slowly, the docunt still open before him, his fingers frozen on the mouse. He had been diagnosed as the trigger in lanie’s panic attack? How was that even possible?
Richard Thomas felt his head go strangely numb, as if the aning of the words couldn’t quite sink in. No. No, that couldn’t be right. How could he—her father—be the reason, the very thing that sent her spiraling into a panic attack?
His chest felt tight. Hurriedly, almost desperately, he closed the file and clicked on another one in the folder. His eyes scanned the title—Hypnosis Report – lanie Collins. He opened it, his pulse thudding in his ears.
The clinical lines were simple, unadorned, yet each word landed like a blow. It ntioned recurring trauma resurfacing under hypnosis. Trauma linked to her father. The phrasing was neutral, detached, but the implication was a hamr to the chest.
Richard’s breath caught. His chair scraped back sharply as he jumped to his feet, the report still glowing on the screen. "No," he muttered under his breath, his voice hoarse. "This is not possible. This is not possible."
The laptop was still open on the desk, the words staring at him, daring him to deny them. With a sudden, almost violent motion, he slamd the lid shut with a bang, not caring if the screen cracked or the hinges broke. The sound echoed in the quiet room, but it did nothing to drown out the pounding in his head.
He began pacing behind his desk, his footsteps quick and uneven. His mind churned, grasping for so rational explanation-anything that would make these docunts false, mistaken, fabricated. This had to be wrong. It had to be. There was no way- absolutely no way-he could have been the cause of lanie’s trauma. Could it have anything to do with lrose’s mother? Yes. That had to be it...
But, lanie had panic attacks when she was younger too... How co she never had a panic attack when she was with her grandmother then?
His pacing slowed, though the restless energy in his body didn’t fade. Still in thought, he finally sank back into his chair, his movents jerky, almost hesitant, as if sitting down might sohow make this real.
The closed laptop sat on the desk before him like sothing poisonous, its very presence making his skin crawl. Yet, as much as he wanted to push it away, he found himself reaching for it again. His fingers hesitated for only a mont before flipping the lid open.
He needed to see the other files. He needed to understand. He needed to know what was going on...
Unexpectedly, it wasn’t lanie’s na that appeared at the top. That alone made him pause, his brow furrowing. He began to read, the words at first not making sense, as though his mind was refusing to process them. But as the sentences took shape, their aning struck him like a blow to the chest.
What he read shocked him even more than before.
From that mont on, it was as if he was moving through a fog. His hands turned chanical, clicking through each file, one after the other. The words blurred, yet every line seed to carve deeper into him, layer after layer of things he had never known... things he should have known.
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