Chapter 1
**Tape No. 1, Angel Stewart.**
"Miss Stewart, my name is Sarah Murphy, and from today, we’ll be doing your therapy sessions together."
The doctor paused to give the girl time to adjust, and to speak if she had something to say, but all she received from the girl was a blank stare and complete silence.
**Tape No. 2, Angel Stewart.**
"Good afternoon, Miss Stewart. How was your day, and what have you done since our last session?" said the doctor with an annoyingly calm tone that made Angel wrinkle her nose.
For the second time, the girl remained silent, as she had become accustomed to, her gaze wandering around the office until it finally got lost in a particular point.
**Tape No. 3, Angel Stewart.**
"Miss Stewart, I need you to open up to me so we can start the healing process. You can trust me. I'm here to help you."
The girl’s lost gaze wandered around the office until it finally settled on the doctor. It was the first time since therapy began that she had the courage to make eye contact with her.
"You can call me Angel," she replied with a trembling voice.
She hadn’t spoken since she was found in an abandoned house, and the fact that she said something so simple now meant an enormous amount, both for her recovery and for her parents.
**Tape No. 4, Angel Stewart.**
"How do you feel now that all of this is over?" asked the doctor, curious to hear Angel’s thoughts.
From what her parents had said, she knew Angel was at peace, but she wanted to make sure and could only do so if the girl answered her questions.
"Empty."
The girl’s response was simple and quick, but it wasn’t the answer the psychologist was expecting. A frown creased the doctor's forehead as she jotted something down in her notebook.
"Can you tell me why you feel that way?"
"Because I’m not with...him."
**Tape No. 5, Angel Stewart.**
"Angel, how did he make you feel?"
The girl didn’t need to think too much because she knew the answer. Even so, she remained silent for a few moments, staring into space as if remembering all the moments spent with him.
"With him, I felt fear, safety, and...love."
"Those feelings contradict each other, Angel. A man who makes you feel fear can’t offer you safety and love."
"And yet, he made me feel all of those things."
**Tape No. 6, Angel Stewart.**
"Angel, I want to understand why you felt those conflicting emotions. Can you explain what you mean by ‘fear, safety, and love’?" Dr. Murphy asked, her pen poised over her notebook, ready to capture every word.
Angel's gaze drifted to the floor, her hands fidgeting in her lap. It took her a long moment to speak, and when she did, her voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"The fear… it was always there. It was in the way he looked at me, in his voice when he was angry, in the things he did." Angel's eyes grew distant as if she was reliving those moments. "But...he also made me feel safe, like nothing bad could happen as long as I was with him. It’s hard to explain. It’s like he was the storm and the shelter all at once."
Dr. Murphy nodded, though her brow furrowed with concern. "And the love, Angel? How does that fit into all of this?"
Angel’s lips pressed together in a thin line, her thoughts racing. She wasn’t sure how to describe the complex web of emotions that had entangled her. It was easier to remember the feelings than to put them into words.
"I loved him," Angel finally confessed, her voice trembling with the weight of the truth. "I loved the way he looked at me when he wasn’t angry, the way he spoke to me when he was kind. I loved him even when he scared me because, at the end of the day, he was the only one who really saw me."
Dr. Murphy’s pen stopped mid-sentence. The room was filled with a heavy silence, both of them lost in Angel’s words. This wasn’t an uncommon sentiment among those who had been in toxic, even dangerous relationships. It was a bond forged in intensity, often mistaken for love.
"Angel," Dr. Murphy began gently, "it’s important for you to understand that what you felt wasn’t love in the healthy sense. It was a dependency, a result of the emotional highs and lows he put you through. True love doesn’t create fear or uncertainty."
Angel’s eyes flickered with something—perhaps recognition, or maybe doubt. But she didn’t respond, choosing instead to look away. Dr. Murphy made a note to revisit this in future sessions. There was a long road ahead, and untangling these emotions would take time.
**Tape No. 7, Angel Stewart.**
"Let’s talk about the last day, Angel. Can you tell me what happened? It’s important to process these events, to help you move forward."
Angel’s expression darkened, her body tensing. She had hoped to avoid this part, the memories too fresh and too painful. But she knew that Dr. Murphy wouldn’t let it go.
"It was raining that day," Angel began, her voice hollow. "I remember the sound of the rain on the roof, how it echoed through the house. He was...different that day. Calmer, but there was something in his eyes that I hadn’t seen before. I knew something was going to happen, but I didn’t know what."
She paused, her hands now trembling as they gripped the edges of her chair. Dr. Murphy waited patiently, giving Angel the space she needed to continue.
"When he...when he came towards me, I wasn’t afraid, not at first. I thought maybe it would be like all the other times, that he’d just...I don’t know, talk to me, touch me the way he did when he was in one of his better moods. But then…" Angel’s voice faltered, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Then I saw the knife."
Dr. Murphy’s heart sank. She had read the reports, knew the details, but hearing it from Angel herself brought a new level of reality to the horror of that day.
"I tried to run, but he was too fast. He grabbed me, and I thought that was it. I thought I was going to die right there in that room." Angel’s voice broke, the tears now flowing freely. "But then...he stopped. He looked at me, and for a second, I saw the man I loved, the man I thought he could be. And then he just...let go. He dropped the knife and told me to leave. Just like that. So I did. I ran and didn’t look back."
Dr. Murphy handed Angel a tissue, her expression soft and empathetic. "It’s okay, Angel. You’re safe now. You did the right thing by leaving."
Angel took the tissue, wiping her tears, though the pain remained etched on her face. "But why did he let me go, Dr. Murphy? Why didn’t he finish it? I can’t stop thinking about it."
Dr. Murphy sighed, searching for the right words. "People like him, they thrive on control, on power. Letting you go was his final act of control, his way of keeping you in his grasp, even after you left. But you’re free now, Angel. And that’s what matters."
Angel nodded, though the uncertainty in her eyes lingered. It would take time for her to truly believe she was free, that the nightmare was over. But with each session, Dr. Murphy hoped to guide her a little closer to that realization.
