EPISODE 1
1361 Words
It was 8:00 AM when Selene Moretti looked at the clock.
She needed to get to the hospital in an hour.
She rushed to her car after taking a quick, cold shower, running her fingers through her short, damp black hair in an attempt to tame it.
"Selene! Have you gotten your jacket? From the balcony came the voice of Mrs. Romano.
Selene sighed after freezing.
She responded sheepishly, "Ah… no, Mama!"
After briefly disappearing inside, Mrs. Romano came back carrying the jacket.
Selene easily caught it when she threw it down.
"Young lady, Grazie!" Mrs. Romano shook her head affectionately and laughed.
Selene smiled at her, put on the jacket, and hopped into her tiny, dilapidated vehicle.
She took off as the engine barely came to life.
It was a quick but rocky drive through the congested streets to the hospital.
People were moving quickly to work, vendors were already setting up, and the city was bustling with its typical cacophony.
Her friend at the front desk was already shaking her head when she parked and rushed inside.
"Good morning, sunshine. ""It's late again," she teased, smirking.
“What’s today’s excuse?”
Selene let out a breathless laugh.
To be honest, how did you sleep? Sleep soundly. There were no alarms and no nightmares. I suppose my brain required the additional sleep.
With a smile, her friend shoved a file in her direction.
"Your patient has been waiting, then. In actuality, the patient waited for thirty minutes.
Selene's calm exterior betrayed nerves, causing her smile to fade slightly.
Leonardo De Luca.
The name alone was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
Taking the file, she offered quick thanks and made her way down the corridor.
Each step felt heavier than usual.
Her thoughts flickered with the case file she'd read over the past week.
Leonardo De Luca, now twenty-eight, had a dark past that read like something out of a crime thriller.
At sixteen, he’d been convicted of killing his mother and her lover.
According to rumors, they intended to kill Leonardo's father in order to inherit the family's property.
Leonardo's response had been... drastic.
He had sprayed them with gasoline and ignited them.
The verdict had been clear, but no one knew exactly how much truth lay beneath the headlines.
years of therapy mandated by the court, psychological testing, and juvenile detention.
These sessions—with her—were the last component of his "rehabilitation" after over ten years.
Why the board had paired him with her was a mystery to Selene.
Her approach was... different.
More intuition, less textbook.
She felt that people required more than analysis and medicine.
They required a connection.
Have faith.
Leonardo De Luca probably hadn't heard of this in years.
Outside the consultation room, she inhaled deeply, straightened her jacket, and pushed the door open.
The walls were painted in gentle hues, and the space was comfortable and warm.
Not at all clinical.
No harsh lighting.
There was only a window letting in the morning sun, a low table, and two chairs.
Leonardo was sitting by the window.
Broad-shouldered, tall, and wearing black.
His fingers were moving swiftly and accurately as he twisted a Rubik's Cube in his hands.
Even though he had a calm face, there was a sharpness in his eyes that was noticeable, and his dark hair fell across his forehead.
Selene walked slowly up.
"Hello, Leonardo," she said steadily.
The cube paused in his grasp, but he didn't immediately look up.
His green eyes flicked to hers after a beat, intense and alert.
"Doctor Moretti," he said calmly.
Selene sat down opposite him, her face relaxed and open.
"You seem to have a knack for solving puzzles."
Twisting the final side into position, he shrugged.
"Some things are simpler than others."
She gave a small smile.
"Isn't life somewhat like that? There are pieces all over the place, but you eventually figure out how they fit together.
Leonardo silently studied her.
"Or perhaps some pieces are missing," Selene added.
Though it didn't reach his eyes, his lips curled into what appeared to be a smile.
“And if they are? Then what?
Selene leaned forward slightly.
"Then we discover new ones."
They were silent for a moment.
It resembled circling one another in a dance that neither of them wanted to initiate.
The silence was finally broken by her.
Leonardo, you've experienced a lot. I'm not here to pass judgment. I'm here to help you figure out how to proceed.
He clenched his jaw.
"That's what everyone says."
"Perhaps. However, most people don't mean it.
Without flinching, she looked him in the eye.
“I do.”
Leonardo leaned back, eyes narrowing.
“Why? What’s in it for you?”
Selene gave a shrug.
"Perhaps I'm sick of seeing people dismissed. Perhaps I believe you are worthy of more.
Then he made a low, sarcastic laugh.
"Deserve? People don't use that word around me.
"Then perhaps it's time they did."
One more pause.
Leonardo c****d his head, observing her intently.
"Don't you think that's true?"
She gave a nod.
"Yes."
Between them, he placed the Rubik's Cube on the table.
"Doctor, three months. You only have that.
Selene smiled softly.
“Three months is plenty.”
Days turned into weeks.
Their sessions became a strange routine.
They conversed occasionally.
They sat silently at times.
Selene asked questions and paid close attention, but she never pushed.
She pulled out a sketchpad one afternoon.
She handed him a pencil and asked, "Have you ever tried drawing?"
Leonardo raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Really," she said.
"Art therapy." The picture isn't important. It concerns what lies beneath.
After some hesitation, he accepted the pencil.
He didn't draw anything for a while.
Then the page slowly started to show lines.
sharp edges.
shadowy forms.
managed chaos.
Selene did not comment as she watched.
After finishing his work, he slid the sketchpad back to her.
The illustration was intricate yet rough, bordering on violent.
There is no way out of this labyrinth of intersecting lines.
"Is this how your mind feels?" she inquired softly.
At first, Leonardo remained silent.
His gaze remained fixed on the illustration.
At last, he said, "Some days."
"It's worse on other days."
Selene tapped the paper and nodded.
However, you remain here. You continue to move forward.
His face was unreadable as he gazed up at her.
"What if there isn't a way out?"
She steadily looked into his eyes.
Then perhaps you don't have to flee. Perhaps you should just quit running.
He clenched his fingers around the pencil but remained silent.
After that, she observed minor changes in every session.
the looser way he spoke.
The way he continued to look at her.
However, every question no longer felt like an interrogation to him.
The serene exterior was not without cracks, though.
Selene decided to go a bit farther one wet afternoon.
"Leonardo, tell me about your father," she said.
He tensed his shoulders.
"My dad passed away."
"I understand. But I’d like to know what he was like.”
Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.
“He trusted the wrong people,” Leonardo finally said, voice low.
"That's all."
"Is that the reason you no longer have faith in anyone?"
Leonardo's jaw moved, but he didn't respond.
Selene bent over.
"I'm not here to turn on you. I'm not here to pass judgment. I'm simply here.
Something unreadable flickered in the green depths of his eyes as they met hers.
She briefly questioned whether he had completely shut down.
However, he spoke instead.
"Do it yourself if you want it done correctly," my father used to tell me.
Selene gave a gentle nod.
"And you've been doing that ever since?"
Leonardo averted his eyes and stared at the raindrops running down the window.
He whispered, "I discovered early that you can only rely on yourself."
Selene listened to his words in silence.
After a moment, she remarked, "Maybe, but sometimes, even the strongest people need someone else to lean on."
He didn’t answer.
But he didn’t walk out, either.
And to Selene, that was progress.
- Writer
