Page 49 of The Breaking Point

Dr. Brett nods. “It’s okay to be scared. But don’t let that fear make all your choices for you.”

He leans forward slightly, his voice calm and sure. “Here’s what I want you to do. Go home. Find a quiet spot. Take a piece of paper. And write the letter again. Not the list of everything they did wrong. But how those thingshurt you. What you needed. What it felt like. Write it as if you’re going to send it. Even if you never do. Alright?”

I nod slowly. My throat feels tight again.

He offers a small smile. “You don’t have to be perfect. Just be honest.”

I shift in my seat and change the subject. “How can I make Aiden go to therapy? Individual therapy, I mean.”

Dr. Brett doesn’t press, though I can tell he knows I’m deflecting. He lets me have the detour anyway. “Why do you believe he needs therapy?”

I sigh. “His dad left when he was ten. Just walked out. He never talks about it, never even mentions how it felt. He acts like it didn’t hurt him. But it did. I know it did. In our couple’s session, he brought it up, just in passing, like it was some random story. He needs to talk about it. Actually talk. Instead of just shoving it down. I’d know what that looks like.”

Dr. Brett studies me. Then he says, “You said your husband asked you to go to therapy after your youngest was born.”

I nod. “Yeah. I had a little postpartum, but I got over it.”

“Without therapy?”

“Yeah,” I say, a little sharper than I mean to.

He raises his brows gently. “Why didn’t you try it back then?”

“Because I didn’t want to.”

His voice is calm, not pushing. “Why not?”

I cross my arms, more defensive now. “Because it was my choice. And I was fine.”

Dr. Brett gives me that quiet, knowing look. The one that makes me feel seen even when I don’t want to be.

I sink into the silence for a moment. Then I sigh. “Ah. You’re saying it has to behischoice.”

He nods. “You can’t force someone to open up about their deepest wounds. Especially not an adult. Especially not someone who’s been trained by experience, to believe silence is strength.”

I look down at my hands, feeling a sting behind my eyes. “But what if he never chooses to? What if he just keeps carrying it and it keeps bleeding into everything else?”

Dr. Brett speaks gently. “Then all you can do is keep your side of the street clean. Be honest with him. Tell him how it feels to watch him carry that pain alone. Tell him youwanthim to talk to someone, not to fix him, but because he matters to you. And then let him decide.”

He leans back, voice softer now. “Sometimes love means letting someone face the mirror on their own time.”

I nod slowly, even though it hurts. Because I know he’s right.

“You know, I used to be happy,” I say, the words catching me by surprise even as I speak them. “Back before motherhood, I was actually carefree. I had friends, hobbies. I was on the cheer squad, if you can believe it.” I offer a small, self-conscious laugh. “Now all I do is worry.”

Dr. Brett’s expression softens. “Maybe it’s time to get back to that happy place again. What are your hobbies?”

I blink, caught off guard by the question. I think for a long moment, too long. “I don’t know. I haven’t really had the time to think about that.”

He nods thoughtfully. “Then it’s time tomakethe time. Once a week. Let your husband be with the boys, and you do something just for you. Something that has nothing to do with being a wife or a mother.”

I scoff lightly, though there’s no real resistance behind it. “What would I even do? And it’s not that easy. I mean, sure, I have the timenow, I’m still on vacation but I have to go back to work soon. Then I’ll just want to sleep in when I’m free.”

He studies me for a moment. “What do you do?”

“I’m an executive assistant to the CEO of Jacky’s,” I say, a bit defensively. “I know it sounds like a glorified babysitter, but it’s actually demanding. Time-consuming. I manage the entire East Coast operations. And now there’s a promotion up for grabs. If I get it, it’ll be even more.”

Dr. Brett tilts his head. “You don’t sound excited about that.”

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