Pathological dependence
He crawled back to his bed, curling into a ball, tears of pure despair streaming down his face.
He was right, a treacherous voice whispered in his mind. It was Paul’s voice, smooth and knowing. You need me. Without me, you fall apart.
It was the most horrifying realization of all. The therapy might have been a manipulation, but the results had been real. Paul hadn’t just been a placebo. He was a powerful, addictive drug, and Leonard was going through a catastrophic withdrawal. The “healing” had been a cage, but it was a gilded one, and now he was back in the cold, exposed to elements he could no longer withstand.
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