His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 22

In the end, Virginia spent that entire night dry-heaving in a dim, rundown rental apartment.

Back then, her hands shook so violently she couldn't even hold a glass of water. It felt as if an invisible claw was ripping her chest apart from the inside out. Her breaths grew shorter and shallower until she eventually curled up on the hardwood floor, her entire body going numb as she lost touch with reality.

As a psychologist, she knew exactly what was happening. It was the physical manifestation of her PTSD.

It happened a second time, then a third... countless times.

But there was never an Archer Vanderbilt there to pat her back and tell her it would be okay. She survived every single episode entirely on her own.

It wasn't until she became Doctor White's final protégé that she experienced what it felt like to be valued and cherished for the very first time.

The flood of memories made Virginia's fingers tingle with numbness. Recognizing the warning sign, she immediately dropped her pen and stood up, fighting desperately to keep her mind lucid and anchored.

"Professor, let me get you some water."

Doctor White glanced at her. Sensing she was out of sorts, he gave a subtle nod.

Virginia stepped out of the consultation room, pulling the door shut behind her.

The hallway was empty.

She leaned heavily against the wall, wrapping her right fingers around her left wrist to check her pulse.

A hundred and twelve.

Too fast.

She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself into abdominal breathing—inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, exhale for eight.

One round. Two rounds. Three...

By the fourth cycle, her heart rate finally leveled out, and the tingling in her fingertips slowly faded away.

She opened her eyes, let out a long, shaky breath, and headed to the breakroom to pour a glass of room-temperature water.

On her way back, she ran into Archer, who had evidently been 'asked' to wait outside.

He stood right in the middle of the hallway, his posture rigid and tense. He looked deeply concerned about the woman crying behind the closed door.

Virginia frowned. Gripping the glass of water, she hesitated, her feet freezing in place.

When she pushed the door open, Doctor White was guiding Chloe through a set of breathing exercises.

Virginia set the water on the desk, returned to her seat off to the side, and picked up her pen.

Doctor White threw her a quick glance. Seeing her turn to a fresh page in her notebook and smoothly resume her note-taking, he let out a silent breath of relief.

The session continued.

A little while later, Chloe's emotions finally stabilized, and her erratic breathing slowed to a steady rhythm.

Doctor White led her through twenty minutes of progressive muscle relaxation before assigning her a mood diary as homework.

"We'll stop here for today." Doctor White adjusted his glasses. "Miss Caldwell, your next session is scheduled for Thursday at the same time. If you experience any severe discomfort before then, you can reach out to me anytime."

Meanwhile, the nurse ushered Archer back into the room so Doctor White could brief him on the results of the first phase of treatment.

Chloe was currently leaning on her assistant for support. Her face was incredibly pale, but the heavy, defeated gloom in her eyes had lifted, replaced by a subtle brightness.

Archer felt a profound stir of relief. Taking her hand, he nodded in deep appreciation and thanked Doctor White profusely.