Early the next morning, Hattie called in a psychiatrist to examine Elisa. She had returned home last night without knowing about Elisa’s auditory hallucinations.
It wasn’t until the psychiatrist entered the room that the nurse who had been taking care of Elisa told Hattie about what happened last night.
Hattie remained expressionless, but her lips were tightly pressed together.
At this moment, there were only the psychiatrist and Elisa in the ward. Even Hamish had been asked to leave and wait quietly for the results.
Half an hour later, a hoarse cry came from inside.
Elisa’s illness had flared up again.
This time, the psychiatrist didn’t give her a sedative but instead tied her to the bed, with a towel stuffed in her mouth to prevent her from biting herself and protect her throat.
Hamish’s heart tightened, and without thinking, he pushed the door open and rushed in.
“What are you doing?!” Hamish’s temples throbbed as he saw Elisa bound tightly to the bed.
The psychiatrist explained, “Miss Powell’s condition has worsened. If we don’t do this, she will harm herself.”
“Why didn’t you give her a sedative?”
The doctor sighed, “Have you ever seen someone being injected with sedatives multiple times a day? Overdosing can damage the brain’s nerves. Her nerves are already fragile, so it’s better to let her vent like this.”
Hamish froze. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Elisa struggling on the bed. She was clearly in so much pain, yet her gaze was vacant, like a robot.
Hamish wanted to approach her, his toes lifting off the ground, but then he recoiled, forcefully suppressing his inner restlessness.
Hattie stood at the door, looking at Elisa and then at Hamish, who stood there in silence. When Hamish came out, she opened her lips and asked, “Do you regret it?”
Regret what? Hamish pursed his lips and didn’t answer.
Hattie sneered. She knew he regretted it, but what was the use of regret? Guilt and self-blame were the most worthless things in the world.
Elisa struggled for ten minutes before finally collapsing on the bed. Her chest heaved violently, and she gradually calmed down, breathing heavily.
The doctor opened the door. “The patient’s family should come with me.”
Hamish hesitated for a moment, looking at Hattie entering the ward before following the doctor’s steps to his office.
“Is the patient your wife?” the psychiatrist casually asked.
“Yes.”
“She currently has moderate depression and schizophrenia, which causes hallucinations.”
Hamish had already guessed this result last night, but when the psychiatrist told him the diagnosis in person, he found it difficult to accept. It was like a bolt from the blue.
“What happened to her before the onset of the illness? Please tell me in detail, such as what you did to her and what you said to her. Elisa’s condition is severe; she either remains silent or screams, completely losing her sanity.”
Hamish had no choice but to tell the psychiatrist everything that had happened before and after.
After listening, the doctor could only think of one word: “Monster!” He suspected that Elisa must have desecrated his family’s ancestral grave in her past life, which was why she was being bullied like this in this life.
“After a miscarriage, a woman is at her most vulnerable, yet you brought another woman in front of her and forced her to give the child to someone else to raise? What was this man thinking?”
Hamish’s face turned cold. “I was angry at that time. I didn’t expect her to be so fragile.”
The doctor’s heart sank at his callous words. After pausing for a moment, he said, “Whether she’s fragile or not, it’s not a reason for you to mistreat her. Honestly, her condition is very bad now, and the things you said to her have caused her a great deal of harm.”
Hamish couldn’t imagine the pain Elisa was currently enduring. He had always been privileged, accustomed to smooth sailing, and unable to empathize with others.
He thought Elisa’s suffering was just a puddle, but when he approached and lay down, he realized that this puddle could drown a person alive.
“Now the patient has locked herself in a dark room. I can’t communicate with her normally, so I can only try hypnosis. Do you agree?”
After hesitating for a moment, Hamish nodded.
The psychiatrist took a deep breath and took out a form from the drawer for Hamish to fill out.
While Hamish was filling out the form, the psychiatrist entered the patient’s information into the computer and also prescribed medication, primarily for nerve relaxation and stress relief.
After Hamish finished filling out the form, the psychiatrist confirmed that there were noproblems and stamped the page below, tearing it off and handing it to him.
“Go to the pharmacy and get the medication. Use less sedatives.”
Now that he knew Elisa’s current condition, the psychiatrist’s words somewhat restrained Hamish.
Hamish took the prescription and hurried to the pharmacy, where there was a queue. The medication box indicated the daily dosage.
When Hamish returned, he saw Hattie standing in the corridor, surrounded by five or six people, including patients and their family members. It seemed like they were discussing something urgently with Hattie.
Hattie’s usually calm doll-like face showed rare signs of cracking.
Hamish didn’t know what had happened, and from a distance, he couldn’t hear their voices clearly. It wasn’t until he got closer that he heard them discussing Elisa.
When they saw Hamish approaching, one middle-aged woman walked up to him quickly and asked, “Are you the patient’s family member in this room?”
Hamish remained expressionless. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? Can’t believe it. That person…” She sneered, “She went crazy and disturbed the peace late at night. I don’t know if her illness will harm others. A patient should be in the appropriate hospital ward. The psychiatric ward is in the adjacent building.”