The Therapist’s Secret – Season 1, Episode 1
Dr. Adaora Nwosu had spent years mastering the art of silence. As a therapist, she understood that words could be both weapons and balm, and in her line of work, knowing when to listen was just as crucial as knowing when to speak. But nothing had prepared her for the storm that walked into her office that afternoon.
The woman was tall, striking, and visibly tense. She hesitated at the door before stepping in, her eyes scanning the room as though she were memorizing every detail. Adaora gestured towards the chair opposite her desk, offering a warm, professional smile.
“Please, have a seat.”
The woman sat, exhaling sharply. “My name is Halima,” she said, her voice carrying an unsteady rhythm, as though she were testing each syllable. “I… I need help.”
Adaora nodded, encouraging her to continue.
For a long moment, Halima said nothing. Then, in a near whisper, she added, “It’s about something that happened to me. A long time ago.”
A familiar tension coiled in Adaora’s stomach. She had heard these words before, from too many women, too many times. But something about Halima’s presence made the air feel heavier, charged with something unspoken.
Adaora leaned forward slightly. “Take your time.”
Halima’s fingers curled into fists on her lap. “I was… cut. When I was ten.”
A sharp stillness settled between them. Adaora had counseled survivors of female genital mutilation before, but each story carried its own wounds, its own ghosts. And judging by the haunted look in Halima’s eyes, hers was unlike any Adaora had encountered.
“What brings you here now?” Adaora asked gently.
Halima swallowed. “Because… I think it’s affecting my relationship. And because… I remember something. Something I shouldn’t.”
Adaora’s pulse quickened. “What do you mean?”
Halima met her gaze, her eyes dark with an emotion Adaora couldn’t quite place. “I think I loved someone I wasn’t supposed to. And now, I can’t tell if I still do.”
A flicker of something deep and forbidden passed between them—an understanding that this was not just another case. This was a door to the past, waiting to be opened.
And Adaora wasn’t sure she was ready for what lay on the other side.
The silence stretched between them before Halima finally spoke again. “It wasn’t just the cutting. It was what happened after.”
Adaora noticed the tremor in her hands. “Do you feel safe talking about it?”
Halima hesitated, then nodded. “I have to. Because… I think it’s happening again. To someone else.”
Adaora inhaled sharply. “Someone you know?”
Halima’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Someone I love.”
A chill crept over Adaora’s skin. This was no longer just a personal wound—it was a warning.
She took a deep breath. “Halima, I need you to start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”
Halima closed her eyes for a moment, as if gathering the strength to relive the past. When she opened them, they were filled with memories too painful to contain. “It started in my village. The night before I was taken… I wasn’t alone.”
Adaora felt the weight of those words. Whatever Halima had buried all these years was about to surface.
And it would change everything.
Heads up!
What do you think Halima is about to reveal? Should we continue with Episode 2? Let me know in the comments!
About Her circumstances in her village