Chapter 303: Therapist
Remo sat in the plush chair, his hands resting on the armrests as he stared at the therapist across from him. The room was quiet, the only sound being the soft hum of a distant air conditioner. He hadn’t been here in years, not since he’d felt the weight of the world crushing down on him, but now, the pressure he felt was different. It was sharper, more urgent.
The therapist, Dr. Mitchell, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes and a calm demeanor, sat opposite him, her pen poised over a notepad. She had been listening intently as Remo described Abby’s behavior, carefully leaving out any identifying details. He talked about her intensity, her sudden mood swings, the way she could be loving and sweet one moment and distant and cold the next. He spoke of his discovery of her past, the mental facility, the diagnosis, the treatment that had been so extreme it sent shivers down his spine. And finally, he shared his fears—that the woman he loved was deeply troubled, and he didn’t know how to help her.
Dr. Mitchell nodded thoughtfully as Remo finished speaking. "It sounds like you’re dealing with a very complex situation," she said, her voice gentle. "From what you’ve described, it’s possible that she may be struggling with a form of obsessive behavior, which could be tied to a personality disorder or past trauma."
Remo felt a knot tighten in his stomach. The words were clinical, detached, but they carried a weight that was impossible to ignore. "Is it dangerous?" he asked, his voice low, almost afraid of the answer.
The therapist hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Obsessive behavior, particularly when it’s tied to deep emotional attachments, can be risky," she explained. "It’s not just about the potential for harm to others, but also the harm she might do to herself. When someone’s sense of identity or stability is tied so closely to another person, any perceived threat to that relationship can trigger extreme reactions."
Remo’s mind flashed back to the night Abby had called him, crying, claiming she had stepped on glass and was bleeding. He had rushed home, heart in his throat, only to find her seemingly fine. Had that been a test? A way to see how far she could push him? Or worse, a cry for help that he had dismissed too easily?
"What should I do?" he asked, feeling the weight of his own helplessness.
Dr. Mitchell sighed softly. "It’s clear that you care deeply for her, but it’s important to understand that you can’t fix this on your own. Support and patience are crucial, but so is professional help. If she’s resistant to getting help, trying to force the issue could backfire. She might see it as a betrayal, especially if she perceives your relationship as the one stable thing in her life."
Remo nodded, absorbing the information. "So what do I do? Just... watch her spiral?"
"No," Dr. Mitchell said firmly. "But you need to tread carefully. You could consider slowly introducing the idea of therapy or support, but it has to be done in a way that doesn’t make her feel attacked or cornered. Staging an intervention is an option, but it’s a very delicate situation. You have to weigh the potential benefits against the risk of pushing her further away."