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I hid my face in my chest, already feeling the nervousness creep in. This confrontation was too intimate. I wasn't sure what Dr. Zenith was eluding to. 

I also wasn't sure if I wanted to explore my demons with Hero just yet. Was I a hypocrite for this?

Dr. Zenith leaned in close.

"I know this was a scheduled meeting between you both, but would you rather do this alone?" 

Hero reached down to squeeze my hand. 

"I wanted us to do this together." 

I sighed. "I'm not too sure I can do that." 

At this, Hero searched my face. He had a steel, hard look about him that was unwavering.

I blinked, feeling my nerves rise.

"I know you opened up just now, but... I'm not good with this kind of stuff. I can't focus with you staring at me like this."

Dr. Zenith looked at Hero tenderly. 

"I think it would be best if I questioned you two separately." 

Hero groaned, practically stomping his way to the office door. 

"Whatever. I'll be in the lobby." 

Once Dr. Zenith and I were alone, she blew out a strangled breath. 

"He's very animated, isn't he?" 

I laughed. "You have no idea." 

Dr. Zenith giggled.

"That's okay. I can tell you two have a good dynamic. Most couples don't understand how couples therapy works- his reaction is normal. Now, onto your session; when Hero sent the email, he mentioned a disturbing past with your parents. We don't have to go into detail if you don't want..." 

I raised my eyes in annoyance. I never mentioned anything about his nasty molester so why was he going around speaking about my issues? 

Either way, there was no turning back now.

I huffed.

"No, it's okay. My parents... well... they're not really my parents. I recently found that's not the case. I'm an active part of a kidnapping investigation. I just reunited with my birth mother."
 
Dr. Zenith nodded. "How did that make you feel? It is,of course,very serious."

I picked at my lashes, already feeling the start of tears coming on. 

"I don't really know. I've known two people for a very long time so I felt a lot of things. Hurt, worry, fear... there were many things that came to light when I found out. Elouise and Charlie... they've always been very domineering." 

"What do you mean by domineering? Would you mind elaborating on that?" 

I shrugged.

"I always knew my parents wanted the best for me. Since grade school, they kept me away from anyone or anything that hurt me in the long run. Whenever I did something that went against their beliefs or made them think I was jeopardizing my future... they did everything in their power to take me away from the negativity." 

I swallowed taking a moment to comprehend all I'd said. 

"Then it came out that the man who I thought was my father had abused both me and Elouise and was up to no good with illegal hussles. Now it's clear that they both did something very illegal concerning me." 

Dr. Zenith nodded resting a hand on my shoulder. 

"Miss. Kristina. I'm going to tell you right now that from grade school, those parents of yours displayed cases of gaslighting and control." 

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?" 

"Yes," she breathed, "and in my humble opinion, due to this investigation you speak of, there were reasons they acted so rashly. They were trying to keep you under wraps." 

I let out a ragged breath, letting this all sink in. There were many things I didn't know about those psychos and I wasn't sure whether the cops had made any progress. 

Speaking of parents, I hadn't yet met my birth father...

Before we could go on, the office door clicked open, Hero's impatient face peering through. 

"Can I come in now?" He grumbled. 

I sighed, nodding. "Yeah, I don't see why not." 

"Just as well," Dr. Zenith said as she wrote on a clipboard, "our session is nearly over. I think we may need to strive for an hour meeting next week." 

As she grabbed ahold of a sticky notepad, I stood, latching onto Hero. I was relieved when he welcomed my embrace, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. 

When we had made all the necessary payments and made it outside, Hero began questioning me relentlessly. 

"Why did you have to talk to her alone?"

I huffed. "Like I told you, I wasn't sure I wanted to open up like that yet." 

He scoffed, planting his feet to the ground. 

"There I was, baring everything. For you. You're telling me you couldn't do the same?" 

My jaw dropped. Why was he putting me on the spot like this?

"I...I thought this was what you needed," I stuttered, "to talk about what that... woman did to you..." 

"That's not my point," Hero snapped, "this is a two way street, Kirstina. We go fifty-fifty. We both give something to get better, right?"

I lowered my head. "I'm sorry okay? I'll include you next week please don't be mad at me."
 
After a moment of consideration, he rolled his eyes. 

"Come on. We need to get to that dinner." 

As we headed back on the interstate, I looked out the windshield watching as the sun set. It exploded in an assortment colors, ranging from orange to red. It was a sight to see. 

Hero hadn't switched on a disc for music, so I took the opportunity to rest my head against my window. I felt myself drifting off.

Before long, I was being shaken awake, looking at the familiar house that was Josephine's. 

"Go ahead," Hero grumbled picking up his phone, "I'll meet you inside." 

After a quick kiss, I did as I was told. He was still in a sour mood, but I knew it would disappear soon enough. 

As soon as I knocked on the front door, Jo greeted me by jumping into my arms while Niall stood by, seeming a bit overwhelmed. I didn't blame him.
When she and I were together her calm demeanor seemed to dissolve. 

When we made it to the kitchen, I saw that Chad was present, though their parents seemed absent.

I looked away not wanting to make things any more embarrassing than they already would be.

"How was your first week of work?" I smiled. 

"It's great." Josephine grinned leaning back against Niall's chest. "There's a lot of multi-tasking but I think this is a career I may want to excel in." 

I nodded.

"Same with my job. It does get hectic, but the pay is definitely worth it and the staff are extremely inviting. Speaking of which, Brendan wants to plan another night out." 

As Jo opened her mouth to say something, Niall spoke. 

"Who's Brendan?"

I looked at him with a wide smile. 

"He's our very gay friend." 

As me and Jo took a moment to laugh over this, the front door slammed violently against the drywall. 

We then heard someone scream. 

"YOU FUCKING TOLD THEM?"

CLIFFHANGER!!

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