Double Betrayal, Broken Donna Chapter 07
By the time Rocco was falling apart in our empty bedroom, my chartered jet was already touching down in
another state.
My parents were waiting at the private hangar – red eyes, a wheelchair, and all.
And right beside them – a face I hadn’t seen in years but would never forget.
One of Victor Sinclair’s medics eased me into the chair. I looked up at him, guilt already twisting in my chest.
“Dr. Sinclair. I’m sorry – I know this isn’t how either of us wanted to meet again.”
Victor had been my psychologist for years.
After the assault ten years ago, everything inside me broke at once. Severe CPTSD. Depression so thick I
couldn’t get out of bed. Episodes that swung from shutdown to rage with no warning.
Victor had taken me in – literally, into his private recovery estate. Steady, patient, there for me every hour of
every day, pulling me back from the edge.
When I’d left this city with Rocco, I’d gone to say goodbye. The look on Victor’s face that day – I hadn’t
understood it then. I did now.
It had taken him a long time to let me go. His last words to me had been a warning.
“Don’t stop your meds. And whatever happens – don’t let anyone push you past the edge.”
“You’re strong enough for this, Camelia. I believe that.”
I gave him something that was meant to be a smile.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Sinclair. I didn’t make it.”
I knew I was losing control the moment I put that knife to Teresa’s throat. After that came the window. Then
the stabbing. I nearly killed her.
I knew – even in the middle of it – that I was spiraling. Something inside me was screaming for everyone to
die.
But I held on. I wasn’t going to throw my whole life away over those two.
Victor’s hand came to rest on top of my head – the same way it used to. His voice hadn’t changed either.
“It’s okay. You fought as hard as you could.”
“Your room’s still exactly how you left it. Stay as long as you need.”
I nodded the effort of it almost too much to bear. I looked up at my parents.
They were crying, trying not to let me hear them.
“We’ll be here every day, sweetheart.”
“We know you’re safe with Dr. Sinclair. Rocco’s men won’t find you here.”
I managed a small smile for them.
But I was running on nothing. Body and mind – all of it hollowed out.
I got a few more words out before the darkness took me.
I woke up in a bed I recognized – my old room, in Victor’s sanctuary. Everything exactly where I’d left it.
The only thing that was different was the woman standing over me. She wasn’t Victor.
My hands clenched in the sheets. Every instinct in me went rigid.
“Where’s Dr. Sinclair?”
“He got called away for something. He asked me to sit with you until he’s free.” She smiled, easy and open.
“It’s okay I won’t be here long.”
Something in my chest unclenched. Just a little.
Her voice was warm – easy, unhurried. She kept the conversation light.
I didn’t realize how long we’d been talking until Victor walked in.
I looked from her to him. I drew a slow breath.
“You’re not going to be my doctor anymore, are you?”
I wasn’t stupid. That casual conversation had been an intake session – and I’d handed her every crack in my
armor without even realizing it.
She stood, still smiling. “I’ll give you two some space. I have to get back to my private practice anyway.”
I didn’t look at her. My eyes stayed on Victor.
He pulled a chair to the bedside and sat. A long silence passed before he finally looked at me.
He drew a breath.
“Camelia – I can’t be your doctor anymore.”
“Why?” The word came out sharper than I meant it. “Is it really that bad?”
He shook his head. The way he looked at me – it wasn’t clinical. It was something softer, something that
had no business being in a doctor’s eyes.
“When a doctor crosses the line and falls for a patient, it compromises everything. Every diagnosis. Every
call. My personal feelings blind me to what’s best for you.”
“That’s what happened last time. I cared too much. It clouded my judgment – and I got parts of your
treatment wrong because of it.”
“I can’t let that happen again.”