Nigel’s eyes turned red. His throat felt tight, as if something sharp was stuck there. The pain made it hard to breathe.
Allison saw the look on his face and spoke for him. “You’re trying to say that’s just how psychiatric hospitals are, right? That the patients don’t understand boundaries? That if anyone is to blame, it’s me. That I was selfish and couldn’t stand Sherrie, so I deserved to be sent there. That I should be grateful I wasn’t sent to prison instead?”
Nigel started to speak, but when she said it so plainly, he felt cornered. “Isn’t that the truth?”
Allison didn’t look at him again. She turned to Ruth and asked in a trembling voice filled with pain, “Mom, was it really me who hurt your daughter?”
Ruth was shocked after hearing Allson's question. Panic flashed in her eyes, bu
