Page 100 of Merciless Sinner
He touches my face.
“You remember that?”
“Yes.”
* * *
“Morning,” Dr. Belmont greets me with a heartfelt smile.
“Good morning. Thank you so much for seeing me at such short notice,” I reply.
“You know that's not a problem. Take a seat.” I sit in the chair before him and bring my hands together nervously. We were supposed to have a consultation tomorrow, then Saturday. But after last night, I couldn't wait to speak to him.
“So, you had another memory. That's really great news.” He smiles wider. “Why don't you tell me all about it?”
“Sure.” I nod.
I pull in a deep breath, take my mind back to last night, then recount the distinct memory of Virgo and me in Florence.
“It stopped when he kisses me, then speaks those Russian words,” I conclude, but I can still feel the emotion behind what I remembered.
“That was your twenty-second birthday. That was the year when everything happened,” he points out.
“Yes, it was.”
His face clouds, and an overcast settles over my heart.
It's good I remember all these beautiful memories, but I can only think of what will come next.
“That's very significant, Olivia. This is the first time you've had a memory of an important event in the lead up to the incident.
“It is.” I nod, agreeing. “The incident happened ten months later. Maybe that’s what I’ll remember next.”
“Not necessarily,” he surmises. “You have ten months of life events in between. The one thing in common with all these memories is Virgo.”
I smile. “Yeah, I noticed that, too.”
“Maybe you can think of him as your anchor.”
“That sounds nice.” And it suits him.
Dr. Belmont thinks for a moment, then sighs. “Let’s do some hypnosis today and see where that takes us.”
“Okay.”
“Come on, let's go over here.”
I follow him to the chaise lounge, where I lie down and position myself, so my body is relaxed.
He sits in the chair beside me and takes out a pocket watch. When we first started these sessions, I imagined him with a pendulum like in the movies. Or one of those strange pieces of equipment that you see in horror flicks.
“We won't use any music today,” he says. “All I want for you to do is to listen to the sound of my voice, and let the memory flow, okay?”
“Yes.”
“Let's start.” He straightens. “Close your eyes and take ten deep breaths. Inhale and exhale slowly. Do that three times. Go as slow as you can until you feel air light.
I close my eyes and do as he says. By the time I reach my second set of breaths, I feel like all the negative energy from my mind is being expelled with every exhale I take.