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Chapter 9
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2025-12-08 20:53:34
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Pathological dependence Chapter 37
The national psychology conference in Seattle was a whirlwind of ideas and faces. Leonard was there to present his first-year research project, a small poster session, but it felt like a monumental step. He moved through the crowded convention center with an ease that would have been unimaginable a year ago, chatting with researchers, asking insightful questions at talks, his new business cards feeling legitimate in his pocket.He was standing near a coffee cart, scrolling through his phone to check the time for his presentation, when a voice, smooth and vaguely familiar, cut through the chatter.“Leonard Elliot. My, my. How the ambitious climb.”Leonard looked up. Mark Sanders stood before him, wearing a smirk that didn’t reach his cold eyes. He looked the same—perfectly groomed, exuding a sense of superiority that now struck Leonard as brittle rather than intimidating.“Professor Sanders,” Leonard said, his voice neutral. He didn’t smile. He simply closed the distance Mark had tried
Pathological dependence Chapter 36
Paul had never been one for birthdays. His own, especially, had always felt like just another day—a marker of time passing, often spent grading papers or preparing lectures. Celebrations felt frivolous, and being the center of attention made him uncomfortable. It was a holdover from a childhood where achievements were noted, but feelings were rarely celebrated.So, when his birthday arrived that fall, he expected nothing. He mentioned it offhand to Leonard a week prior, more as a calendar note than a hint. Leonard had simply nodded, saying, "Okay," and Paul had thought nothing more of it.The day began normally. Paul taught his morning class, saw a couple of therapy clients in his home office, and was mentally preparing for an evening of reading journal articles. When he walked out of his office at five o'clock, he stopped short.The living room was transformed. The lights were dimmed, and the curtains were drawn against the early evening dark. Dozens of small, warm-white fairy lights
Pathological dependence Chapter 35
The Psychology Department’s welcome reception for new graduate students was in full swing. The air in the atrium was thick with the buzz of intellectual curiosity, clinking glasses, and the nervous energy of people trying to impress. Leonard stood near a table of hors d'oeuvres, engaged in an animated discussion with two other first-years and a senior professor about cognitive biases in eyewitness testimony.He was different. It wasn't just the new glasses or the confident set of his shoulders. It was the way he held himself—no longer trying to shrink into the background, but standing firm, his voice clear and sure as he articulated his point. He laughed at something the professor said, a genuine, easy sound that carried across the room.Paul stood by the punch bowl, a cup of lukewarm juice in his hand, watching him. A profound, aching pride swelled in his chest. This was the man he had always known Leonard could be—bright, engaged, unafraid. He had seen the potential buried under lay
Pathological dependence Chapter 34
Oregon was a world of green. Lush, rain-washed evergreens pressed against the sky, a stark contrast to the East Coast's brick and ivy. Their new apartment was small, sunlight streaming through bare windows, boxes stacked like a cardboard city in every room. The air smelled of fresh paint and pine-scented cleaning products. It was a blank slate, heavy with the promise and terror of new beginnings.The first few days were a whirlwind of practicalities—setting up internet, buying groceries, learning the labyrinthine streets of their new town. Paul had found a part-time teaching position at a small liberal arts college and was building a private practice. Leonard was preparing for the start of his graduate program in the fall. They were busy, purposefully so, using the mundane tasks to avoid the larger, unspoken question of how they would fit together in this new, ordinary life.On the third day, they tackled the study, a small room they’d decided would be their shared office. Leonard was
Pathological dependence Chapter 33
The sun beat down on the sea of black robes and colorful hoods. The university quad was packed with families, friends, and faculty, all buzzing with the celebratory chaos of graduation day. The air vibrated with laughter, cheers, and the occasional airhorn blast. For most, it was a day of uncomplicated joy.For Leonard, standing in line with his graduating class, waiting to process onto the main stage, it was a day of profound, complex emotions. The weight of the robe felt symbolic. He was shedding a skin—the skin of the broken, anxious student who had walked into Paul’s classroom two years ago.He scanned the endless rows of faces in the audience. It was impossible to pick out anyone specific in the blur of thousands. But he knew Paul was there. He’d insisted on coming, despite the risk. “I’ve watched you fight for this every step of the way,” he’d said the night before, his voice fierce with pride. “I’m not missing the finish line.”The procession began. Pomp and Circumstance swelle
Pathological dependence Chapter 32
Spring bled into early summer, bringing with it the frantic energy of finals and the looming reality of graduation. The fragile normalcy Leonard and Paul had built—their clandestine dinners, their quiet evenings in Paul’s apartment, the simple, hard-won comfort of falling asleep next to someone—was now shadowed by a pressing question: What next?The ethics committee’s review had resulted in a formal reprimand for Paul and a permanent note in his file. He was barred from teaching undergraduate courses for two years. It was a professional blow, but not a fatal one. He still had his research, his graduate students. But the university, once his kingdom, now felt like a gilded cage, a place of sidelong glances and quiet judgment.They were sitting on the floor of Paul’s living room, surrounded by a sea of Leonard’s textbooks and notecards. The air was warm, the window open to let in the evening breeze. Leonard had just finished his last final exam. A strange, weightless feeling had settled
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