Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 78

After a long day of treatment, Camila Davis returned home completely exhausted. She spent a good while just recharging, knowing she’d need all her energy for tomorrow’s session.

Meanwhile, that same night, over at the military base…

Mr. White’s phone buzzed unexpectedly. It was Dennis Williams on the line.

“I’ll be there at 3 a.m.,” Dennis said. “I need to run a psychological evaluation for those two special ops soldiers. Their cases are… unique.”

“Three in the morning?” Mr. White was surprised but didn’t argue. Dennis Williams had always played by his own rules, but nobody ever questioned his expertise.

The higher-ups had made themselves clear: whatever Dennis needed, the team was to cooperate. No exceptions.

“I’ll make the arrangements,” Mr. White replied quickly.

***

At exactly 3 a.m., a sleek, understated Rolls-Royce glided through the base’s security checkpoint.

Dennis Williams stepped out from the back seat, dressed in a black dress shirt, tailored slacks, and a long dark coat. In the daylight, he came off as cool and reserved, but now he seemed almost part of the night itself—a presence both mysterious and quietly commanding.

He and Aaron made their way up to the second-floor psych ward, where Mr. White was already waiting.

“Mr. Williams, you made it,” Mr. White greeted, standing up quickly.

Dennis nodded. “Sorry to drag you out at this hour, Colonel.”

His tone was polite enough, but there was something about him—a natural authority that made even the usually imposing Mr. White feel a bit… smaller.

Mr. White just waved it off. “You’re the one doing the heavy lifting here.”

Dennis barely reacted. He wasn’t bothered by the late hour. What did trouble him, however, were the two soldiers waiting for treatment. He frowned just slightly as he considered their cases.

Their symptoms were different from the others: sudden bursts of anger, panic attacks, occasional screaming or sobbing, and sometimes even bouts of deep depression or suicidal thoughts. From previous sessions, Dennis suspected classic PTSD—Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

According to their files, both had endured prolonged psychological torture behind enemy lines. They’d witnessed horrific violence, spent hours soaked in blood, and lived surrounded by corpses. After an experience like that, PTSD was almost inevitable.

Dennis had already met with them twice, and initially, there’d been some improvement. But just a couple of days later, both men had relapsed—worse than before. Something wasn’t adding up, which is why Dennis had chosen this unusual hour, hoping to use a specialized approach when their mental defenses would be weakest.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify