PAOLO

Dr. Linda's office smelled like cedar and old books.

I had noticed that the very first day I came here, fourteen months ago, when I sat in the waiting room for twenty minutes seriously considering leaving before she called my name. Something about the smell had kept me in the chair. It had ground me. Today it felt like a cruel joke. Nothing felt safe today.

I was in the leather chair closest to the window. Elbows on my knees. Hands clasped so tightly my knuckles had gone white. I had been staring at the floor for the better part of ten minutes.

Dr. Linda waited across from me,...