I Came Home From Qatar and Found My Mother Locked in a Room—Then I Lifted Her Mattress and Found an Insurance File in My Name Dated Two Days in the Future

People in coercive situations do not always respond the way outsiders imagine they should.

Fear narrows choices.

Isolation makes even obvious exits feel theoretical.

I stopped asking:

Why didn’t you?

And started asking:

What made it hard?

Different question.

PART 24 — THE PHONE CONTROL

Mark gradually took over Mom’s phone.