Page 41 of Penalty to the Heart

Not fucking today.

Before she has time to utter a word, I race out of her office, only to find the blonde receptionist—who I just realized never even gave me her name—jump in my way.

“I can have my coffee break now,” she says. “I know just the broom closet we can hide in,” she coos and licks her lips provocatively.

I look at her up and down with utter disgust—all directed at myself rather than her.

“Yeah, that’s going to be a hard no. You can thank your boss for that,” I mutter with a snarl before rushing out of the office like my ass was on fire.

I was supposed to make it so that Dr. Roxanne Seymour wanted nothing to do with me.

And what did I do?

I fucking let her get inside my head.

Great job, motherfucker.

You’re really winning at life these days, aren’t you? Stupid piece of shit.

‘Do you believe yourself to be broken?’ I hear her voice in my head.

I almost wanted to laugh when she asked me that.

Because the answer is… I’m beyond broken.

I’m… empty.

Nothing.

If I don’t want her to see just how damaged I truly am, then I better bring my fucking A-game next time we meet.

And make sure that our next session will be our last.

Chapter 7

Roxanne

Sitting on my favorite park bench, I close my eyes and tilt my head back to soak in the early spring’s rays of sunshine. I let it warm my cheeks as I listen to the cheerful chipper of the tiny sparrows soaring in the sky above me, rejuvenating my spirit with their gentle song.

This moment of peace and quiet is just what I needed.

And if the serene smile tugging at Rex’s lips is any indication, this is exactly what he was in the mood for, too.

In every bustling metropolis, finding a quiet retreat for moments of solitude and reflection can be challenging. None more so than my beloved city of Boston. I’ve lived here most of my adult life and never found a place quite like this one, where I could just sit in silence, away from the noise of the hectic urban jungle I live in. Fortunately, Rex introduced me to this hidden spot when he hired me. Hailing all the way from Texas, he astonishingly navigates the city with much better ease than I do. Though, in all fairness, it’s really not that surprising. His beloved Martha loved this city with all her might and went to great lengths to make sure her husband saw the same beauty in it as she did.

She didn’t have to try so hard, though.

Rex would have loved anything Martha did because he loved her just as fiercely.

And now that she’s gone, every corner of the city she once loved serves only as a painful reminder of what he lost—hence his decision to leave Boston and return to Dallas.

“Are you going to miss it?” I ask him with my head still laid back, enjoying the sun’s warm rays.

“Yes,” he replies without missing a beat, his tone sounding slightly conflicted.

I straighten up and turn to face him.

“Are you having second thoughts about leaving?”

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