066

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," she said softly, her eyes full of understanding.

But Dr. Zita took a deep breath, lifting her gaze to meet Stephanie's. "No, it's okay," she replied, her voice steady but sad. "Whatever happened between Chris and me was a long time ago. I think I'm finally ready to talk about it."

She began to recount the early days of their relationship. "We started dating in high school," she began, a small, wistful smile tugging at her lips.

"Everyone knew us back then because we were inseparable. We'd go to the cafeteria together, walk to classes together... We even rode to school on Chris's bike. I was terrified at first, but he always reassured me that I was safe with him. I trusted him completely."

Stephanie listened intently, nodding along as Dr. Zita spoke. The memories seemed to bring a brief, bittersweet joy to her friend's face. But then, as the story progressed, Dr. Zita's expression darkened, her voice growing quieter.

"Things started to c