Page 141 of Traitor

She tilts her head at me, gaze sharpening with a quiet kind of concern. "I am obligated to report a crime, Temperance." She leans forward slightly, her eyes locking onto mine, holding me there. "But not in hypothetical conversations. If, however, you confess to a crime, I'll have to report it."

She's giving me an out. A chance to tell the truth without actually telling it.

Well, alright then. Let's avoid a police visit.

"Bones is back!" The words fly out of my mouth like a shot fired in a closed room. "He's been back for months! A lot of months. Too many. Eight. And he's been a pain in my ass! He won't leave me alone, even though I told him I want nothing to do with him! He's always there. Saying sorry. Gifting me adorable and delicious things. Looking like a kicked puppy. Guilty as fuck. Letting me do things to him without fighting back or stopping me!"

I snap my mouth shut, eyes going wide. Fuck.

Dr. Monroe just watches me, waiting.

I clear my throat. "Not that I did anything bad to him!" My hands go up in a defensive motion, palms facing outward. "I just... I just had a...dreamabout hurting him."

I swallow hard, my throat dry.

"In mydream, I kept him in my basement for four days. Exactly as long as Jinx kept me after Bones handed me over. And, in mydream, I hurt him exactly the way Jinx hurt me. I just didn't cut his throat at the end.In my dream, that is! He is still alive and well in real life. And in my dream!"

I suck in a sharp breath, my heart slamming against my ribs.

Dr. Monroe's expression doesn't change. No shock, no judgment. Just quiet understanding.

"Go on," she says, voice even. "I get the sense that things didn't stop at your... dream."

I huff out a bitter laugh. "No... they didn't." I lean forward slightly, hands gripping my knees. "The fucker came back with a whole-ass tattoo of the word 'traitor' on his neck. Like the one he put on my arm." I pause. "Please excuse my language, Dr. Monroe."

She smiles, warm and patient. "That's okay, Temperance. This is a safe space. You can speak freely, any way you feel comfortable. Please continue."

I nod, chewing on the inside of my cheek. "So he tattooed himself. And then he started following me around. Leaving small gifts on my porch. Like the little things he used to give me when we were together. And then he started sending me texts." I roll my eyes. "Telling me why he loves me."

My fingers dig into my knee. "And I keep blocking him, but he keeps going. How many numbers does the man have?" I throw my hands in the air in frustration.

She just nods, waiting for me to go on.

I press my fingers to my temples and groan. "Anyway, I... ugh... well, you know Bones has his brothers. The men in his club. The ones who were there that night, who didn't say anything. Who just watched. Well... I might have... ugh... spanked them in revenge."

I wave my hands like I can erase the words from the air. "Hard. And destroyed their bikes."

Her eyebrows lift slightly, but she says nothing.

"But it's nothing illegal!" I blurt out. "They agreed to let me do it! I didn't force them! They just stood there and took it!"

Silence. Then—

"And also," my voice drops lower, "Jinx is getting another trial. Because of ineffective counsel, apparently."

The words taste like acid in my mouth.

"So you see, things are really confusing and fucked right now. I'm stressed. And freaking out a bit." My voice shrinks. "I thought that after I hurt Bones...in my dream, that is, it would get better. That I'd feel peace. But that lasted only a few weeks. And then... I started feeling myself randomly raging again. And the only moments when I calm down a little is when I see that tattoo across Bones' neck. It's like justice being served in front of me. For everyone to see. But then I look at his face and the rage comes back..."

I close my eyes, exhaling through my nose.

"This morning, when I woke up, I threw the glass I had on my nightstand at the wall because I had a dream. A memory. Of me and Bones. Again." I shake my head, eyes burning with unshed tears. "It's been happening more and more. And I don't understand why. I never had these kinds of dreams these past years. Only nightmares."

I meet Dr. Monroe's gaze, dejected and exhausted. "Why now?"

She sits back in her chair, watching me with those sharp, calculating eyes. The room is too quiet, heavy with everything I just dumped into the air. She folds her hands in her lap, tilting her head slightly, like she's picking apart the mess inside my head and deciding where to start cutting first.

"Let's break this down," she says finally. Her voice is calm. Even. But there's no softness to it. Just a steady, undeniable force. "You took your revenge on Bones. You hurt him in ways you thought would balance the scales.In your dream, of course. But now that the high of that vengeance has faded, you're left with something that doesn't feel quite as satisfying as you thought it would."

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