I sprang to my feet and rushed toward the hospital bed, grabbing Celeste’s wrist and trying to pull her with me.
“Come with me! Let’s leave! I won’t hold anything against you anymore!”
Celeste screamed as she fell, clawing for balance. She snatched a vase from the bedside table and smashed it violently against my head.
“Let go of me!”
Porcelain shattered against my scalp. Blood combined with cold water as it flowed down my face.
My father’s bodyguards burst into the room, wrenching my arms behind my back and forcing me to the floor.
“He’s gone mad! Completely mad!” my father shouted. “Send him to psychiatry. Lock him up and make him come to his senses!”
Pinned to the floor, my vision blurred.
The last thing I saw was Philip carefully pulling Celeste into his arms.
I was sent to a psychiatric hospital.
Under the effects of tranquilizers, time lost all meaning.
Each day, during the single hour I was allowed to watch television, the screen was filled with news of Philip and Celeste.
They were in the Maldives with my sister, smiling brightly, their happiness dazzling enough to blind me.
I knew that if I kept causing trouble, I would never be allowed to leave.