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“What the fuck?” she exclaimed as she read the article. The air in the room dissipated, and she struggled to breathe. This exposé was from twenty-two years ago, but it was too damning to ignore.

“Jesus Christ!” Miranda blurted.

Her body shook violently as the information settled in her brain. She’d been told that when you go looking for something, you’d find it. She had a feeling that once she began diving down the rabbit hole of Dante Helgard, she’d find some bullshit. However, this was not what she expected.

She tried to imagine how Myla would react to this information. Would she acknowledge it and leave him, or would she defend Dante the way she always did?

Myla wasn’t stupid. But love, or whatever Dante had convinced her it was that they shared, had a way of clouding judgment. The uneasy feeling in her chest grew heavier. Miranda now knew that she had to tread lightly. Because the more she looked, the more it seemed like Dante wasn’t just a liar. He was dangerous, and possibly a murderer too.

19

“Dr. Pleasant, I think it’s just me. I think I bring out the worst in him. Even when I do everything he asks of me, I’m still treated poorly. I admit I tend to complain about the things he asks me to do. Maybe I nag too much. It has to be me because I never see him treat others the way he treats me. His colleagues and friends think he’s a good guy. In private, he’s an entirely different person. It’s as if the sight of me triggers him,” Teresa, Myla’s client, said as she wiped her leaky eyes.

Myla wanted to tell her that his behavior seemed intentional. Oftentimes, men would make a relationship uncomfortable, in hopes that the woman would leave him. It was often a strategic attack so that he could blame her for the breakup. It allowed him to be the villain and the victim.

She also wanted to explain to her that she was not responsible for a grown man’s emotions or lack thereof. But as she thought about it, Teresa had admitted that she was the problem. She now knew she had to help Teresa understand that, to keep her man, she had to make him feel secure and heard.

“What I love about growth, Teresa, is realizing when we are the problem. I love that you’re taking ownership for the destruction that you’ve contributed to your marriage. What are your plans to rectify those issues so that you can be the best version of yourself for your husband?” Myla asked.

I think this fucked up government has cloned Dr. Pleasant, Teresa thought as she looked at Myla with obvious confusion. This new version of Dr. Pleasant was something that she couldn’t recognize. The things she was saying made no sense. Correction, the things she was saying weren’t things that Dr. Pleasant would say.

“Dr. Pleasant, what are you talking about? When did I ever cause destruction in my marriage? Please explain to me the issues you feel that I should rectify?” Teresa asked.

She had been lying down on the couch in Myla’s office as she did on each visit. But to make sure she heard her properly, she sat straight up.

Myla could see the fire blazing in her eyes. She wondered if maybe she had overstepped her boundaries.

Nah, I didn’t. I’m just telling her the truth she doesn’t want to hear, Myla thought.

In fact, the certainty she felt was stronger than any clinical observation. This wasn’t overstepping; this was the truth that both she and Teresa needed.

“Teresa, I can tell that you’re upset. But you know I don’t sugarcoat things. You just said it yourself,” Myla replied, her tone smoothing into something that sounded reassuring, but lacked its usual warmth. “You said yourself that you complain, you nag, and you admit that you bring out the worst in him. In addition to that, we recently spoke about your infidelity.”

Teresa was stunned. Tears stung her eyes. It took her a few moments to process what she was hearing.

“That’s not what I meant. I was venting. You always tell me it’s okay to express how I feel.”

“And it is,” Myla said quickly. “But expressing yourself without accountability for your actions allows you to continue toxic behavior. You can’t expect him to change if you’re not willing to change the parts that you’re contributing.”

Teresa shook her head slowly; disbelief spread across her face.

“This doesn’t sound like you. You’ve spent months helping me understand that his behavior isn’t my fault. I literally just said that even when I do everything he asks of me, I still get treated poorly. If I’m doing what he asks of me, and I’m still berated and blamed, what am I supposed to do? And what are you talking about as far as infidelity? There was never any infidelity on my part. I told you that he had a cuck fantasy. He”—she put a hard emphasis on he—“brought some man home and said if I loved him, I’d have sex with the man while he watched. After that sick shit was over, he said I’d always wanted to fuck another man and asked how long I was cheating on him. I never entertained any men until he brought a man home. You said it was psychological abuse and spousal rape. Now you’re saying it’s me cheating. What the fuck are you saying?”

Teresa was so upset that her body shook. Tears, snot, and grief covered her face. She felt violated all over again. Sadly, she expected these types of violations from her husband, but she never expected it from her psychologist. Dr. Pleasant was the person who had given her the courage to finally leave her abusive situation.

Since seeing her, she had begun putting money away and had begun to consult with a divorce attorney. She finally felt like the woman she was before her husband. Now Dr. Pleasant had snatched her confidence from under her feet. This felt like a betrayal of epic proportions.

Myla shook her head. She was irritated. To her, Teresa wanted to be comforted. She used to feed into it, calling it empathy. Now it just looked like weakness.

“I’m saying that maybe the problem is I’ve been too focused on validating your feelings instead of encouraging you to change,” she said, her voice sharpening just enough to cut.

The deep glare on Teresa’s face made something deep inside Myla’s core stir. Teresa was normally a lamb, but the look she gave her was utterly demonic. Myla shivered.

“You know what Dr—”

Teresa’s sentence was interrupted when Jessica burst into the office in a full panic.

“Dr. Pleasant, I’m so sorry to interrupt your session!” Jessica screamed with tears running down her face.