Chapter 1

The day my husband checked me into the psychiatric hospital, he told the doctor,

"She's insane. Don't believe a single word she says."

I was strapped to the bed, the restraints rubbing my wrists raw.

Outside the door, my daughter stood crying as she watched me, until my husband covered her eyes.

"Don't look at her. She'll hurt you."

I screamed her name over and over, but she just hid against him and asked in a small voice,

"Daddy, when is Mommy going to die?"

He didn't answer. He only had the lawyer set a thick stack of documents down in front of me.

...

I turned to the last page and saw the list of assets.

The house, the savings, the company shares, all of it to be managed on my behalf by Neil Dickerson.

The term of authorization was... permanent.

I looked up at him.

"You said this was only temporary guardianship."

"It is." Neil's face stayed calm. "You're a patient now. Of course you can't manage your own assets. Once you're well, I'll give it all back to you."

I stared at him, and then I laughed out loud.

He didn't understand why, but he laughed along with me.

"Doctor, you see? She's off on her nonsense again."

The doctor's face gave nothing away as he wrote a line in the chart.

Neil saw it and kept right on talking.

"Ninny's still out there. She's terrified of you. Sign, and I'll let her come in and see you."

I looked up at him, forcing down the fury inside me.

"And if I don't sign?"

"In your condition, no one can say how long the treatment will take. Maybe a few days. Maybe a few years."

His voice was as gentle as every other time he'd ever coaxed me.

I threw the pen back onto the table the second he finished.

"Give it up. I'm not signing."

The room went quiet for a few seconds, and every trace of gentleness drained from Neil's face.

He gave the doctor a nod, and the doctor picked up a syringe and came toward me.

I shrank back as hard as I could.

"You can't force me!"

My mother-in-law stood in the doorway and said coldly,

"A madwoman's words. Who's going to believe them?"

As the needle pierced my skin, the last thing I saw was Neil pulling our daughter close, his hand over her eyes.

He murmured against her ear, "Don't be afraid. Your mommy's just gone crazy. She needs treatment."