Page 118 of Butterfly

Pichard pushed Ollie towards the edge. Ollie grabbed the bar in case Pichard tried to force him over.

“Iwarnedhim.”

“What do you mean?” Ollie asked, clutching the bar with both hands.

“Did you really think youdroppedthat clipboard?”

Ollie blinked. “I don’t—”

“It was sweet of you to take the blame, but I made sure you didn’t get a grip of it before letting go. I made sure Keith woke up, and then I left you in a locked room with him while I waited around the corner. I know the kind of man Keith is. I know why he’s in Hollybrook. He can’t help himself.”

“You…you stopped him.”

“As I said. It was a warning. I could’ve let him rape you, but I didn’t. I got to play hero, and you went back to your wing shaken up and more battered than when you left it, and I’m guessing you told Teddy.”

Ollie bowed his head. “I told him you stopped it. You saved me.”

“Teddy would’ve known it for what it was. A threat. A promise.”

“He pushed me away afterwards. He put distance between us…”

Ollie thought back to the night in the cell when he’d first kissed Teddy.

Teddy had been distressed, cowering like a beaten dog against the cell door.

I can’t protect you.

“How can you do that to someone? Someone you once cared about?” Ollie asked. “How can you trap him like that? Take away every chance of happiness? Isolate him and make him believe he’s worthless?”

“I have a life, a good one, and the only way I’ll keep it is by making sure Teddy doesn’t get one of his own. It’s not pretty, but we do what we have to.”

“I love him.”

Pichard dug his fingers into Ollie’s abdomen.

“I know you do,” Pichard whispered. “My warning wasn’t enough. I still heard things on the hospital wing about you and Teddy. I thought I’d have to deal with you the same way I’d dealt with Ryan, but then I heard news of an appeal.”

“I didn’t want to appeal—”

“I bet Teddy pushed you into it.”

Ollie could hear the smile in Pichard’s voice.

“He knew he had to, or I would’ve taken you from him in a more permanent manner eventually.”

“He promised me I’d get to visit him. He said he’d ask Captain or someone else to help write letters. I even said he should call me despite not being able to speak. I believed him because he looked like he wanted to so badly whenever I brought it up. He looked like he wanted to keep me in his life, like he was desperate to, but he was holding back.”

“Now you know why he didn’t. Is it a comfort to know it was because of me, not you? That I put a muzzle on him?”

“It’s not a muzzle, it’s a gag.”

Pichard snorted. “Same difference.”

“It’s not. He’s not a rabid animal, and you’re wrong. He did write to me.”

Pichard stiffened.

“He asked me to visit him when you were away.”

---