I sat in my chair, carefully arranging the papers on my desk, waiting. It’s always the first session that brings the most uncertainty. There’s something about it—the rawness of meeting someone for the first time, especially someone like him. Mydei, the young man assigned to me. A criminal. But it’s never the crime that piques my curiosity. It’s the mind behind it.

The door creaked open. I didn’t look up immediately, knowing it’s better to let them make the first move. He walked in, his gait heavy, his expression guarded. Mydei, though young, had the look of someone who’d seen too much. I noticed the way he kept his distance

"Please, take a seat," I said, motioning to the chair across from mine. My voice was steady, neutral. I needed him to feel like this was a space where he could just… be. No judgments, no expectations. Only what he chose to offer.

He hesitated, then sat down, his posture tense, arms folded across his chest. I wondered how many people he’d allowed close enough to look at him like this—no masks, no walls.