Page 134 of Prey for You

~ BRIDGET ~

I stood in the dark little closet behind the two-way mirror, numb and shaking, while Sam almost killed Jeremy.

Gerald stood at my side, cursing as we watched the entire shitshow play out. I didn’t know who to root for.

At first, every word out of Sam’s mouth would have made my heart leap and my faith in him get even stronger—but then Jeremy told him about the picture of him with my dad andhe didn’t say it was faked. He didn’t ask what picture.No, he snapped and…

I almost ran out when Jeremy’s face turned purple. Almost ran into the hallway and to that room to confront him.

But then Sam finally let him go, and Jeremy was fuckingsmilingeven as he struggled to breathe. Because he knew.

He wasn’t pretending. He knew he’d caught Sam out.

It was real. It was fucking real.

Something deep inside my chesttore.

It was like I stood outside myself, watching myself watch everything I believed in be torn apart.

“Bridget—” Gerald breathed and put a hand on my shoulder.

I shook him off. “Don’t fuckinganalyzeme right now,” I spat through my teeth. But I knew he was doing it anyway.

Watch as the patient is confronted with the evidence that her husband is a liar and a manipulator.

Observe her acute stress response: Sweating. Tears. Trembling. Elevated breath rate. Distressed vocalizations.

Clinical notes state the doctor attempted to apply anti-anxiety medication, and the patient refused them because, quote,“That shit fucks me up too much.”

Initial treatment applications were wholistic: Isolation in a safe place, lack of stimulus, a glass of sweet tea to increase blood sugar, and a calm environment to aid the body and brain in processing and return to normal chemistry.

Two hours later the patient appeared calm. Careful examination of the problem and additional information from law enforcement indicated further analysis was needed.

Clinical notes state the Doctor advised against any further immediate stimulus, but the patient insisted because, quote,“If he’s a fucker, I want to see him fucked.”

Law enforcement suggested covert observation to allow the patient to glean additional information while remaining undetected and without risk. The patient was, at all times, under the care and observation of her primary mental health professional…

“Bridget,” Gerald said quietly, his hand soft on my shoulder. “Let’s go. This isn’t proof of anything except that these two should never be in the same room.”

“Are yousticking upfor Sam?” I was so shocked I looked Gerald right in the eyes.

He shook his head, but also shrugged. “I don’t have a clue who’s right or which way is up. All I know is you need some time to process. And no more shocks. We should go—”

“I’m not leaving until Iknow,”I said through my teeth.

“Bridget, you’re shaking.”

“I’ve been shaking for two fucking years, Gerald.”

“Your heart—”

“It’s fine.”

It wasn’t. I kept seeing those stars at the edge of my vision. And I’d felt it flutter more than once. But it wasn’t hurting. At least, not physically. Last year when things went bad, it started hurting.

Now my whole body ached because it appeared I was losing everything I thought I had. Everything I thought I knew. And the calmer I got, the more numb I became.

Weird how one piece of information could shift your whole world.

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