Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace ( Dexter )

The woman with glasses had an air of maturity and stability about her, making her seem older than me, yet her skin was too smooth and delicate to accurately guess her age.

I watched her guardedly, feeling an odd sense of danger emanating from her presence.

"Foebe's act of injuring Olivia's husband was in self-defense," Finn finally finished, his intelligence peaking through once again. "Olivia's husband attacked her with a knife in an attempt to harm her, and Foebe managed to disarm him and fight back, causing only minor injuries."

He disdainfully pushed past Bran, stepping closer to where Anthony and Henry stood. "So, you're Foebe's dad, and you're here claiming your daughter has always been emotionally unstable?"

Anthony pointed at Foebe and bellowed, "Yes, that crazy girl has been trouble since she was a baby. I demand a psychiatric evaluation!"

Finn snorted in derision.

It was clear now; Anthony had been coached by someone smarter before coming here, but alas... Anthony's lack of intellect was his downfall. "Foebe was switched at birth by your family's former nanny, who then raised her as her own. You've never been a part of her life, so how can you claim she's always been emotionally unstable? Seems to me like you're the one in need of an evaluation."

"No sane, rights-bearing individual should be forcibly confined or sent to a psychiatric facility against their will!" Finn declared sternly.

The bespectacled woman smiled calmly, stepping past Anthony and pulling out her smartphone. "Here's a video of Foebe inciting some street kids to retaliate against her bullies. Don't you think a family has the right to be concerned about such violent tendencies?"

Henry raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed with today's unexpected ally.

I frowned, watching the video on the woman's phone.

Foebe had always looked after the homeless kids, who in turn were fiercely loyal to her. So, when someone threatened Foebe, it was no surprise they'd rush to her defense.

"All this shows is that those kids were simply protecting Foebe from harm," Finn stated firmly, his stance clear - he wasn't going to let anyone take me away today.

"Is that so?" The woman smiled knowingly at Henry.

Henry nodded, signaling someone by his side.

This woman was deliberately stalling, and it was obvious she was after me...

Suddenly, one of Henry's men turned and headed straight for me.

He wasn't armed, but the threat was palpable. Instinctively, I braced to fight back, only to be tightly held back by Colin.

Colin shielded me, kicking the approaching man away.

"Involuntary treatment is reserved for mentally ill individuals with violent tendencies, and without a court order, no one has the authority to commit a citizen to a psychiatric facility Finn said coolly, a smirk on his face. "Madam, you might try to provoke Foebe, but here in Sea City... you'll need a court's decision to commit her."

The woman nodded with a smile. "You misunderstand."

I gripped Colin's wrist tightly, wary of this woman's intentions...

"Foebe, aren't you curious about who I am?" The woman seemed confident she had myriad ways to commit me.

I watched her cautiously, not the least bit curious.

Colin instinctively moved to protect me, his gaze warning the woman.

"And who might you be? Anthony is at least, Foebe's father, and Henry is a member of the Langley family. But you? Finn blocked the woman from getting any closer to me.

"Hello, I'm Naomi, a Ph.D. in psychiatry and also the mentor of Doctor Damian," the woman said with a confident smile, introducing herself as a mental health

professional.

I instinctively tensed up at her introduction. Damian's mentor? Damian was nearly fifty-how old was this woman?

"A Ph.D.? You look to be in your twenties," Finn remarked, eyeing Naomi skeptically.

Naomi brushed her hair aside with a laugh. "Thank you for the compliment. I'm actually fifty-two."

At Naomi's revelation, all eyes shifted to her in disbelief.