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Annabelle, Nora, Dom, and Matt sat in the therapist, Dr. Isaacs', office, all of them looking like they'd rather be just about anywhere else.
Annabelle scanned the other three faces, feeling uneasy. In reality, there'd been a reason why her therapist had suggested that she bring along her husband, sister, and best friend to this session. There was a secret that Annabelle was keeping, a secret that she feared might undo all of the pseudo-progress she'd achieved in the past few weeks.
She hadn't remembered it at first; it had come to her slowly over the weeks since everything had happened. At first she'd thought it was just a dream, but it wasn't. The more she spoke about it with her therapist, the more she realized it was absolutely something that had actually happened.
She and her doctor had decided together that maybe it would be best for her to tell the people she was close to in the controlled environment of a session, and so that's what was happening.
"I'm glad to see you've all made it today," Dr. Isaacs said brightly as she walked into the room, smiling at Annabelle and the others. Annabelle managed a small smile back, but no one else bothered.
"I'm not sure what exactly Annabelle has told you about our session here today, but mostly what we're aiming for is open conversation. Annabelle has something she needs to tell the three of you, and then we'll just see where the conversation goes after that," the doctor explained, and Matt, Dom, and Nora all looked at Annabelle inquisitively. She'd told them the session was for conversation, she just hadn't quite mentioned that it was mostly because she specifically had something to tell them.
"Annabelle, when you're ready," the doctor told her, looking at her kindly. Annabelle nodded, her hands shaking. She clasped them together to stop them and Dom instinctively reached for her, putting his hand on her knee. She squeezed his fingers, not able to meet his eyes.
"I... over the past few weeks I've been having memories, of the night that I relapsed. At first I just thought that I'd used and cut myself, but that's not all I did. I was... at some sort of party, and I... I slept with someone. I didn't know him and I have no fucking clue why I did it. I was just so... so hurt about everything that had happened and it was the first time I'd gotten high in so long and it hit me hard and things happened. I know I can't make excuses; I know I can't make it better until it gets talked about, but I'm so sorry," Annabelle said quietly, tears flowing from her eyes. Dom pulled his hand off of her knee and out of her grasp like her words had burned him, and she thought they probably had.
"You... what?" Matt asked, obviously shocked. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know how, and I didn't want to make you have to keep that from Dom," she told him, using the answer she'd prepared because she'd known he'd ask that.
"I... don't know what to say," Dom said, his eyes clouded over with emotion that Annabelle couldn't quite read.
Annabelle's gaze shifted to Nora, and she wasn't surprised to see that her little sister had her head buried in her hands, something she did when she didn't want anyone to know what she was feeling.
"Dominic, I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. I know we were just figuring out how to come back from everything else, and then I hit you with this. I understand if you don't want to try and fix it, if you don't think it can be fixed," Annabelle said, and Dom shot her a look that looked like it could've burned right through her.
"You know, I... I've got to go," Dom said abruptly, standing and walking right out of the room.
Matt called after him, standing as well. He shot a glance at Annabelle and she nodded, knowing that he was in a way asking her permission to follow Dom and make sure he was okay. He nodded back, stepping out of the room quickly.
"Nora, what are you feeling?" Dr. Isaacs stepped back in and Nora's head shot up out of her hands.
"I'm feeling like maybe my sister is actually the absolute piece of shit that everyone always tried to convince me she is," Nora said, venom all but dripping from her tongue. Annabelle looked at her, shocked. Nora had never said anything like that before, not even when Annabelle had most deserved it.
Dr. Isaacs shifted in her chair, placing all of her attention on Nora. She was about to say something else when Nora sighed loudly and got up and left the room without another word.
Tears poured down Annabelle's cheeks as Dr. Isaacs passed her a box of tissues.
"Well... that went well," Annabelle sobbed, and Dr. Isaacs made a small noise in the back of her throat but didn't say anything else right away.
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a/n: sorry it's been a few days again since i've updated; i honestly just wasn't totally sure how to play out the next few chapters. i think i'm pretty happy with this though. hopefully it was worth the wait. 💕
