Violet fixated her gaze on the ground in disappointment.
She was promised of a chance to see her biological father but this man was too young.
Well, he definitely didn't look quite young unless he have sired her when he was twelve years old.
She was twenty three years old.
Plus, she just celebrated her birthday last week on November 18th.
It was impossible for the man to be his father so she didn't want to go there.
During her individual therapy a week ago, Violet's counselor had informed her that a distant relative, who probably knew one of her biological parents, might come to claim her now when she inquired about why she was about to be released.
The sudden news caught her off guard and turn her speechless.
The most shocking thing of all was that…the brilliant psychologist, who was responsible of sending her from the orphanage towards the best mental health facility in the world, had allowed her to be free.
Despite possessing a perpetual bitch-face, she had worn a smile that couldn't be suppressed for that entire week.
The cold and detached doctor had set her free without a fight even if she expected him to convince the board of directors to repeal the decision.
Violet was aware of his obsession with analyzing her rare illness.
She had no idea why and she had no more reason to figure him out.
She was leaving this mental hospital for good with racing heartbeats and happy tears!
Her joy had caused her footsteps to have an extra bounce on them due to excitement.
She even found herself embracing the nurses and therapists she was a bit close to.
She would dance in place without caring about what others would think.
Honestly, that person was the only one preventing Violet from leaving this madhouse and since she wasn't ready to break out of her comfort zone at that time, she acquiesced to it until he got tired that he would dispose of her to the real world himself.
Perhaps, those eight years was enough for him and after achieving his goal, he wanted to bid her goodbye now.
If that doctor had given up finding the cure for her illness after years of dedicating his life to his research, then, it was his loss.
Even though, she keep reminding herself not to get her hopes up, Violet still wished that the person was one of her parents looking for her.
Even after all these years living as an orphan, she still hoped he hadn't lost the red string of fate tied in her little finger connecting to her loved ones.
Even if the odds seemed to be against her after being transferred from one orphanage to another, despite the 'negative Nancy's' around her, who kept telling her over and over that she was delusional as the rest, and the statistical probability of Santa visiting her bedroom in the mental hospital on Christmas Eve to give her a gift was significantly higher compared to her kin locating her, she still wouldn't give up on believing that she would soon be reunited to a living distant relative. One who would provide her the warmth and love she deserved.
Life had never failed to always convince her that it was unfair.
That, she, a speck of dust in this universe wasn't entitled to justice.
Still, Violet wouldn't allow anyone to change her mind.
She guessed that was one advantage of living inside a bubble she created.
What was the difference between living inside her own bubble compared to other people?
Experiencing this life would soon become a memory, fading gradually until it wouldn't exist anymore.
Eight years floating in the psychiatric ward in her hospital gown still felt surreal even if today was the day that her wheel of destiny would turn——for the better or for worse.
After fitting in her new life, someday she would forget why she was even in this mental facility in the first place.
She would soon forget about lying in her a sterile bed while shivering in fear with the thin blanket over her as unidentified men with lascivious intents creep at the door's glazing just cloudy enough to see through the shadow of their palms pressed on its surface.
Scared and alone, Violet would just close her eyes and turn her side to the window so that she could completely ignore the reason why she was about to scream.
Sometimes, her mind would play tricks on her and would even make her feel even more afraid, that she had turned into one of the 'crazies' as if she just caught a contagious disease.
Thank god, these malevolent people, who wanted to carry out their sinister plans on her, knew better not to do something stupid because all the staff in the psych ward, including the guards, were aware that she was the country's top psychologist's favorite subject when it came to his research.
Even if these perverts initially assumed they could molest a rich man's meek son/daughter or a government-sponsored orphan without terrible consequences, these creeps wouldn't dare offend a big dog's fixation at the moment.
The psychologist only told a few important people about her condition and it was probably the reason why he was able to keep her there for a long time.
"What are you waiting for, miss?"
After giving her a wide berth, the almost middle-aged man tilted his head and gestured at the door to the passenger compartment.
"Oh." She uttered absentmindedly as if she couldn't understand.
Then, her shoulders slightly flinched, startled when she finally got it. "OH."
The stranger's voice and her fast heartbeat seemed amplified in her ears and she was afraid it was the beginning of a panic attack.
Quivering with the effort to control herself, she inhaled and exhaled deeply through her nose while counting her breaths to get her mind back to the present.
"Are you alright, Miss Violet?"
At least, his rough voice had softened with concern, calming her down as well.
Closing her eyes, she expelled a sharp sigh before opening them.
"Yes, sir." She replied weakly.
Courteous enough to open the car door for her to enter, he asked as his free hand reached out to carry the luggage in her grasp, "Perhaps, you are hesitating because you haven't said goodbye to your friends in the hospital, miss?"
As she had previously read in a book, 'Birds of the same feather will always flock together.'
Violet made sure that she didn't make any friends in the mental institution and that was what also kept her sane for eight years.
More than half of the patients—spoiled and entitled rich kids—-she knew around her area did become as violent and aggressive as attacking zombies that it was better to put her guard up and distance herself emotionally.
Violet had already made the mistake of opening her heart thrice at previous orphanages and the rest of her most traumatic experience happened at this madhouse care of her so-called new friends.
Just recalling those past events almost made her posture rigid, imagining some kind of imaginary threat.
Why did the friends she managed to pick despite her almost impossible standards for companionship always tried to kill her?
Perhaps, she still wasn't that good at reading people's hearts and minds.
Honestly, she would rather have no friends than having someone who would get her in trouble or worse, could get her killed.
It was unfortunate that she would always get the short end of the stick when it came to the friendship department.
And, even if revenge was a prospect she would like to entertain, she probably wouldn't be able to do the same thing they did to her——stabbing her forearm with a fork while they were eating lunch just because her 'new friend' was offended for no reason.
Violet remembered herself carefully reviewing their polite chatter so far, wondering what she said wrong.
But then, she was left to fend for herself while the innocent-looking blond girl decided to stab one of her blue eyes next that the staff had to intervene at that point.
Her second 'almost friend' she had [Harriet, was it?] tried to push her down the stairs when she avoided her after Violet sensed a dumb confrontation.
The girl was furious about Violet being too cold and distant when Harriet shared her desire to forge a lifelong friendship with her.
Harriet perceived it as an outright rejection despite Violet telling her that she would think about it.
Seclusion and restraint for a few days weren't enough for those bitches' punishment.
One thing Violet learned from these 'crazies' was… having one's autonomy and opinions as well as making decisions irregardless of what they felt were taken as rejection and insult.
Yes.
Loneliness and fear could make mentally ill patients feel overwhelmed but her only aim was to mind her own business and minus the crazy friends.
If these rich spoiled brats were too sensitive and easily offended with her being unapologetically alive, then they should leave this earth, instead.