Page 71 of Mine To Hunt

"Iris, you can come in now."

I stand up and enter his office, taking a deep breath to steady myself as much as possible, though I can’t quite stop my hands from trembling.

Dr. Nathaniel’s eyes flick to my face the moment I step fully into the room. His brows draw together slightly. “Iris. What happened to your face?”

My hand instinctively lifts toward the fading bruise before I stop myself. “It’s… a long story.”

He studies me for a moment but doesn’t press further. Instead, he gestures toward the familiar chair across from his desk. "Take a seat. Tell me what’s going on that brought you here so urgently this morning."

I sit down, my hands clasped tightly in my lap to stop them from shaking so visibly. "Everything has been falling apart lately, andI don’t know how to handle it anymore. It’s all too much, and I feel like I’m drowning in fear and confusion."

Dr. Nathaniel nods encouragingly, his expression attentive and calm, which helps ground me a little amidst the emotional storm. "Start wherever feels right for you. I’m here to listen."

I take another shaky breath, the words spilling out as the emotions overwhelm me and bring fresh tears to my eyes. "It started with a drunk man who tried to molest me few days ago. He grabbed me in the alley on my way home from work, touched me inappropriately, and I barely got away by hitting him with a brick I found on the ground."

Dr. Nathaniel's brow furrows with concern, his voice gentle. "That sounds incredibly frightening. What was going through your mind when it happened?"

I feel tears welling up again as the memory resurfaces vividly. "I felt terrified and helpless, like I had no control over what was happening to my own body and no way to stop it from escalating further."

Dr. Nathaniel nods slowly. "Those feelings are completely valid and common after such an incident."

I wipe my eyes, continuing with a trembling voice that breaks occasionally. "The next day at work, I saw in a file that he was murdered. Tortured brutally with his fingers torn apart, bones broken in his hands, chest carved out like someone took their time to make him suffer. It was him. And the details made me sick to my stomach."

Dr. Nathaniel leans forward slightly. "Murdered? What went through your mind when you realized it?"

Confusion and fear mix inside me as I recall the moment, the emotions still raw. "I didn’t know what to think at first. It felt too coincidental to be random, like maybe someone did it because of what he did to me, which terrified me even more because it meant I was connected to something violent."

Dr. Nathaniel probes gently. "Did it make you feel safer in some way or more afraid overall?"

I hesitate, the truth feeling heavy and complicated. "More afraid, definitely. Because then, after a week, I saw him in a white mask in my flat. The same guy from the night I went to Ryan's place to get my documents. My stalker. That night I thought was a dream because when I checked later with Maddie, everything was normal and untouched. But now I realize it wasn’t a dream at all. He was real, and he broke in, attacked Ryan with a hammer while I watched in horror."

Dr. Nathaniel's expression shows empathy and concern. "Your stalker appeared in your flat? What exactly happened during that encounter?"

I shiver at the memory, fear gripping me anew as shame mixes in from my reactions. "He just stood there at first, silent and unmoving, then approached me slowly like he was savoring my fear building up. He cut my cheek shallowly with a knife, not deep but enough to sting and leave a mark. Said I looked beautiful when I’m scared in this voice that confused me because it stirred something else inside me. Then he left without doing more harm. But now I worry about Ryan. If that night was real, did something bad happen to him? I haven’t heard from him since, and the thought terrifies me that he might be hurt or worse."

Dr. Nathaniel nods thoughtfully. "That’s a valid concern to have about Ryan. Have you tried checking on him or contacting anyone who might know his status?"

I shake my head, fear making my voice waver as tears fall freely. "No, I’m too scared to go back there or even call because what if the stalker did something terrible to him, and I walk into danger or discover something I can’t handle?"

Dr. Nathaniel reassures me softly. "We can discuss safe ways to check on him if you want to explore that option later. Has something else been happening that adds to this overwhelm you’re feeling?"

I continue, frustration building as I recount more, the isolation stinging anew. "Then, he seems to be spreading rumors about my video at work. Using someone else to do it, like a colleague named Mike who started whispering about why I was hired, saying it was sympathy after the video incident at university."

Dr. Nathaniel looks a little confused for a moment, but he changes his expression quickly to one of focused concern. "Rumors at your workplace? How do you know or suspect it is connected to the stalker specifically?"

I feel tears flowing freely now, the isolation from work hitting me hard and making me sob. "It has to be him. Who else would know those intimate details and use them against me like this to make my life miserable and turn everyone against me?"

Dr. Nathaniel's voice is gentle and steady. "All of this sounds incredibly frightening for you. You did the right thing by coming here today to talk about it and seek support before it became too much."

I nod, sobbing now as the weight of it all crashes down on me. "I feel like I am breaking down completely. So many things are happening at once, and I needed to talk to someone, anyone, before I lose it entirely and do something I regret like I almost did before."

Dr. Nathaniel picks up the phone on his desk without hesitation, his tone professional and decisive. "Olivia. Please cancel my next appointment and reschedule it for later this week if possible." A pause. "Thank you for handling that."

He hangs up and turns back to me with a reassuring look that helps ease some of my immediate panic. "We’ve more time now to discuss this properly and thoroughly. Let's talk through it step by step. How are these events making you feel beyond the immediate fear?"

I take a shaky breath, feeling a bit of relief from his willingness to listen and make time for me despite his busy schedule. "I feel scared all the time, like I can’t trust anything or anyone around me anymore. The fear is constant and exhausting, draining me of any energy I have left and leaving me paranoid about every little thing."

Dr. Nathaniel nods encouragingly, his voice calm and supportive. "That fear is a natural response to the trauma you’ve been experiencing repeatedly. What specifically scares you the most about the stalker and his actions toward you?"