I'm beginning to question my suitability for this particular case. While he claims to need assistance, I often wonder about his honesty. He’s hiding something from me. Something important. But I can’t figure out what.
Over lunch, I can’t stop myself from looking. Eli’s family history.
Mother: Melanie Calder
Father: Arthur Calder
No siblings. No living family members.
It’s his father that has me most interested.
He’s clearly the reason for Eli’s obsessions—even if he can’t admit that to himself.
I pull open Google, my fingers flying over the keys.
It’s in case he comes back.
This will help me help him.
The lies I tell myself are thin. My personal curiosity is stronger than my professional.
Arthur Calder, respected Chelmsford businessman, dies suddenly.
Well, at least Eli wasn’t lying about that.
Arthur’s son sells the house he inherited for £1.3 million
Fuck. That’s a lot of money.
I don’t find anything of any interest really. Just that Eli’s father was a well-liked man. Clearly, he hid the other side of his personality well. The one that broke Eli.
Closing the tabs, I try to forget about Eli, my mind drifting elsewhere.
My stalker has been unusually quiet. I've not even been feeling his presence in the flat. I’m not sure what that means—perhaps he’s grown bored of me and disappeared. That’s the most likely explanation. It’s not like I’m very interesting. All I do is read and eat.
Eli hasn’t returned to therapy.I can’t keep him off my mind for long.Apparently, when Kayla called, he said that he’s decided that therapy isn’t for him. I wish I could contact him and convince him to give it a shot with a new therapist—but I’ve already crossed too many professional boundaries with him.
Instead, I’m throwing myself into my other patients. Now that I have a gap in my schedule I’ve taken on a new client that’s been on the waiting list for a while.
It’s a little unclear from his form what exactly it is he wants help with. But I’m hopeful that I’ll understand by the end of thefirst session.
I step out into the waiting room, finding a man who looks to be around twenty-five. He looks up at the sound of my heels on the hardwood floor.
Something about him puts me on edge—but that’s not unusual in my line of work. He’s normal looking really—short blonde hair, blue eyes, a pleasant smile. So why do I get a strange vibe?
“Liam?” I ask, smiling warmly despite the chill running through me.
He grins, getting up to follow me inside.
I sit in my usual armchair, while he takes a seat on the sofa.
“My name is Doctor Morgan. I like to start these sessions by asking you to tell me a bit about yourself to begin with…” I give him my usual speech that I do with all my new clients then sit back and wait.
“Thank you for taking the time to see me,” Liam starts. “I’ve been struggling with anxiety and intrusive thoughts.”
He doesn’t say anything more.
“Okay, and how long has this been troubling you?”