---- Chapter 7 Old Friend "Do you want me to send you off?" I shook my head and pretended I didn't hear his sigh. And I left. There was no hesitation in my steps. As long as I remained in this house or around Lawrence, my scars would never heal. Forgetting my past was a must if I wanted to move forward. My father knew I resented the family, and he had to let me go, or that resentment would grow into hatred. Lawrence's reaction? I couldn't care less about that. I left the house and booked a hotel room for the night. The next day, I called an agent and rented a duplex away from the city. There was a private hospital nearby, which made things easy for me. Thad to get over this, or I would say goodbye to sleep forever. Every time I closed my eyes, I was taken back to the darkest weeks of my life. I ---- couldn't function properly. Finally, I mustered the strength to go to the hospital and made an appointment with someone from psychiatry. The doctor was young and ina white coat. A mask covered his face, and under his glasses was a pair of cool, impassive eyes. He looked oddly familiar to me. "Name?" "yvonne Marlin." The doctor was writing down my details, but he paused. Suddenly, he met my eyes, and I felt no warmth in his gaze. Triggered, I tried to finda hiding spot without even thinking. When I was... taken as a prisoner, my tormentors would abuse me every time I even tried to look at them. I could still feel the swing of their bats and the pain they gave me, but all I could do was move out of the way. ---- Every time I did, the tormentors would laugh gleefully. They looked at me like I was some sort of circus monkey trained for their entertainment. It was humiliating at first, but it didn't take long for me to focus on how to get abused less. Dignity meant nothing if I could get less pain. Dignity couldn't help me get away from these people, so I threw it away. The doctor noticed my response and quickly approached me. He wanted to hold me, but then he put his hands down. Calmly, warmly, he said, " Don't drown yourself in those memories. Take a deep breath." I gulped in air, breathing as deeply as I could, just like what the doctor told me. That calmed my heart down, but I was still shivering. The doctor frowned. "Are you feeling better?" Iwas shuddering, so I didn't look at him. I nodded, grabbed my purse, and got ready to leave.