Chapter 36

**SCARLET**

“You met him. He’s a friend I trust,” Luke said, and a pair of hazel eyes stared back at me. It was Aries. I met him at Mom’s birthday party. I did hear that he was a doctor, but I didn’t know he was a therapist.
When Luke and I drove early in the morning, I didn’t expect that he would do this. Nate and Katherine had already introduced me to a therapist, but I’d backed out. I knew I needed help, but this was surprising. I wasn’t prepared.
I liked the attention Luke was giving me. It made me feel special. I’d never experienced someone’s care with my exes before. I was always the giver. When I grew up without a father, it was always Mom and me, but she was always at work.
Just like how I always was, this scared me a little. What if, despite everything, Luke was just being nice? I saw the treatment with Rebecca. I could tell he was a gentleman, even if he wouldn’t admit it. I decided to just shake off the thought.
I gave my attention back to his friend in front of me.
“We meet again,” he said, reaching out his hand to me.
“Hi, yes.”
“How are you, Scarlet?” He sat back on the seat behind his desk.
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Please, have a seat,” Aries instructed softly.
I remained still, hesitating. Sitting meant I was going to tell this guy my issues. Could I trust this guy?
“It’s okay. You can sit,” Luke whispered, then pressed my shoulders down.
I gulped in nervousness and slumped on the chair.
“I’m sorry if I wasn’t able to answer your question last night on the phone,” Aries said to Luke. “I was confused, and it was late. So…” He cleared his throat. “How did this happen?” He waved a finger back and forth between Luke and me.
“I told you yesterday.”
Aries chuckled. “No, I mean, you and her?”
“Can we just skip the interrogation and start with the main business, please?” I demanded. Luke might have briefed him anyway.
He cleared his throat. “Okay, I’m sorry. Scarlet...” He frowned at the notebook on his desk and picked up a pencil. “Please remember that I respect every patient’s information. You can trust that everything you will tell me will be confidential.”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to ask you questions, and you have to answer me honestly.”
I sighed. “Okay.”
“Do you prefer Luke to stay in this room, or do you want this conversation private?”
Luke already knew some of what happened to me, but I could get very emotional. Sometimes I didn’t know what I was talking about anymore. I don’t want him to see that. I learned to trust and tell him my issues so I would trust his doctor.
“Excuse me, Aries,” Luke interrupted. “I promised to stay with her.”
“It is up to her, man,” Aries said.
“I wish to be alone with the doctor,” I concluded.
“Are you sure?” Luke murmured, his eyes concerned.
I shifted my head to look toward him. “Yes. Don’t worry. I’ve done this before. I just didn’t expect that you would take me here. I’m not ready for this, but since I am already sitting here, so be it. We’ll talk later.”
He blew out a sigh. “I’ll be right outside.”
The two friends gave each other a slight nod, then Luke sprang up and left the room.
I exhaled. “Look, I don’t trust you completely, but Luke seemed to know and trust you. I’m still hesitating. I just want you to know that.”
“I see.” He smiled a little. “Thank you for your honesty, Scarlet.”
“It’s not about honesty. I met you at the party, and you were a very different person back then.”
“Hmm.” He scratched his chin. “I completely understand, but I have patients like you, and I don’t take anything personally, just like what I do with my other patients. You have nothing to worry about,” he explained sincerely.
“I didn’t know I was coming here.”
“But why didn’t you leave when you found out? Is it because you trust Luke?”
I shrugged. “I think so.”
“Can you tell me the main reason why he took you here?”
Did he just start with the questioning?
“I have issues.” He wrote down something in the notes.
“What kind of issues?”
I pressed my lips together. “Hmm... about myself.”
“What about yourself?” he asked.
“Um...” my mouth was getting dry. “I think I’ll start with the papers and records Luke found.”
“What kind of papers and records are they?”
“It’s police records.”
“Okay, can you tell me about it?” His tone remained neutral.
“I, uh, I’ve been arrested.”
“Arrested? For what?”
“For trespassing, stalking. For hitting a police officer, and, uh, for disturbing a neighborhood.”
“I see. Did you do all of this?” he wrote on his note again.
“Y-yes.” There’s no turning back now. I already said it.
“Did you take drugs when you did this?” He wrote down something again. “Were you depressed?”
“No. And I’m not sure if depressed is the right word for it. I just don’t know how to describe it for now.”
“Alright. I think I know your problem, but just to make sure, I have an important question for you, and you have to answer me honestly.”
“I’m being honest with you, Aries,” I pointed, suddenly getting tired of this.
“Good.” He stared at me intently. “Have you experienced something traumatic in the past?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s take it slow. You don’t have to tell me right away. Did someone hurt you?”
“Y-yes…”
“Okay, was it your parents?”
“No.”
“Someone you know from the past?”
I gulped. “Yes.”
“Is this a guy?”
“Yes.”
“And this guy hurt your feelings?”
I nodded.
“Did he hurt you physically?”
“Yes,” I sobbed. I could already feel my tears building up. I didn’t want to cry. Not right here.
“I don’t think that is everything, Scarlet. Have you experienced something traumatic in his hands, or maybe something he took away from you?”
My heart began to pound. He found out. Raoul took something important from me. He knew what was going on with me. He sensed that something might have happened to me. Raoul didn’t just abuse me. He took something from me I couldn’t have back anymore.
I looked away. I wasn’t ready to share that part of my life. I never was.
“Scarlet?” he called.
“No! I can’t do this anymore!” I sprang up and stormed out of the room. My chest was tightening, and my head was suddenly spinning. I was dizzy.
“Scarlet?” Luke appeared beside me right away and spun me around. “What’s wrong?”
“What happened?” Luke asked his friend, who was now behind us.
No. No. You can’t tell him what you found out! You can’t! I screamed inside.
“I want to go home,” I said.
“Are you okay?” Luke cupped my face in his palms. “You’re going to be fine.” He tucked my hair beneath my ears. “I think we have to go for now,” he informed his friend.
“I think she needs to rest,” Aries suggested.
He nodded at his friend. “Yes. I’ll take her home now. I’ll just call you later, man.”
Luke’s strong arms wrapped around me, and I buried my face in his chest as I cried. He felt warm. I liked how he felt against me. Then, I heard him whisper something in my ear that I didn’t understand, but I felt at peace.