Soon, the door opened again. A maid came in with cleaning supplies and silently wiped up the remaining mess. While she worked,I quietly bent down, felt under the bed, found that shard, and hid it under my pillow.
The maid finished and left with her head down. Right after, Silas walked in with a middle-aged woman. She wore a white coat and black-framed glasses, her manner gentle and professional.
"Anthea, this is Dr. Reed," Silas said. "Let her take a look at you."
"I'm not sick." My voice came out flat.
Silas's brow furrowed. He wanted to say something, but the doctor had already spoken.
"Hello, Anthea." She sat in the chair by the bed, her tone soft. "May I call you that?"
I leaned against the headboard, staring out the window. Refusing to engage.
"I heard you're an elementary school teacher?"
Still silence.
"You must love children." She smiled. "Olei is such a sweet, well-behaved boy. I saw him in the living room just now. He was drawing."
At Olei's name, my gaze finally pulled away from the window.
"He said he's making a picture for his mommy." Dr. Reed continued, her tone casual, like she was making small talk. "He's working so hard on it. Spent forever on the coloring."
My fingers curled slightly.
"He's worried about you, you know." She looked at me, her eyes gentle but sharp. "Children are more perceptive than we think. He can feel that mommy's unhappy, even if he doesn't understand why."
My eyes started burning.
"Anthea," her voice turned serious, "I understand what you're going through. Being trapped somewhere you don't want to be, losing control of your life—it breaks people. But hurting yourself isn't the answer."
"Then what is?" I asked Dr. Reed but looked at Silas standing nearby. "Can you make him let me go?"
Silas's fists clenched. He dropped his head, unable to meet my eyes.
Dr. Reed paused before speaking. "I can't make decisions for other people. But I can help you find the strength to face this."
I gave a bitter laugh. "Strength? I don't have any left."
"You do." She said. "You have Olei."
Those words pierced the softest part of my heart.
Dr. Reed stood and turned to Silas. "Based on my observations, her current state is genuinely concerning. She's using pain to confirm she's still alive. It's a psychological defense mechanism, but without intervention, it will escalate."
"How do I make her better?" Silas's voice came out urgent. "What medication? What treatment?"
"I'll prescribe something to help stabilize her mood." Dr. Reed adjusted her glasses. "But medication is just support. The real change has to be psychological—she needs to feel respected. Like she has choices."
She gave Silas a pointed look.
Silas fell silent, his jaw tight.
"I'll have someone bring the ointment and pills." Dr. Reed said to me. "Use the ointment on the wounds on your arm. Take the pills on schedule. If you feel anything unusual, you can send for me anytime."
She walked to the door. Silas followed. They spoke quietly near the doorway. I couldn't hear what they were saying and didn't care to.
Finally, Dr. Reed left. Silas stood in the doorway, looking back at me.
