“THE SILENT PATIENT” by Alex Michaelides

“Alcestis is the heroine of a greek myth.
A love story of the saddest kind.
Alcestis willingly sacrifices her life for that of her husband, Admetus, dying in his place when no one else will.

An unsettling myth of self-sacrifice, it was unclear how it related to Alicia’s situation.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“-Hello, Gabriel, he said.

-Who the fuck are you?

-I’m a married man. So I know what it’s like to love someone. And I know what it’s like to be let down.

-What the fuck are you talking about?

-Only cowards betray the people who love them. Are you a coward, Gabriel?

-Fuck you.

-I was going to kill you. But Alicia pleaded for your life. So instead, I’m going to give you a choice. Either you die–or Alicia does. You decide.

-No–

-Yes. Alicia dies, or you die. Your choice, Gabriel.
Let’s find out how much you love her.
Would you die for her? You have ten seconds to decide…
Ten…nine–

-eight…seven–

-four…three…

-two…

And then Gabriel spoke.

-I don’t want to die, he said.”

Kindle, 2019