The Asylum Confessions (The Asylum Confession Files, #1)

by Jack Steen

We all have our reasons why we force ourselves to walk through the gates of whatever hell we think we deserve.

Death can stop you from living, but it shouldn't. Death should be the catalyst for you to yearn more from life.

all the things we could have done mean nothing because what we do is what we will always do if given the chance to redo our mistakes.

I like to be personable with people and make them feel like we are best friends, even confidants. What most people don't understand, though, is that being personable isn't being personal.

Being personable means holding a portion of myself back. Giving to that person only what I want them to know or see. I could never afford to be personal. It hurt too much.

I used to have nightmares about being judged for my secrets. Can you imagine living with that fear as a child?

In fact, I was told to make sure I never needed to return because there wasn't a home for me to return to.

I can't tell you how often I thought of killing myself. I missed my family. I missed being loved, of feeling loved, of knowing I was important to someone instead of a burden.

The choice was mine, and I wasn't a quitter. I wasn't a victim, either, and I sure as hell wasn't going to be defeated by two people who didn't deserve an ounce of my love. I was going to survive and be successful on my terms,

There were times I was jealous, but I was mainly relieved because when he was around, I became a person in their eyes, not just a burden.

I'd been so focused on surviving, on being strong enough for whatever came my way, that I'd forgotten it wasn't just about getting through each day. It was about taking everything life threw at you and declaring it didn't matter.

I’m a student of human nature, and I'm inquisitive and full of questions about the decisions we make because of the circumstances we face. Are we predestined to be the people we are because of our nature, or are we raised to be that way?

Their family came last in the grand scheme of life, and their obvious lack of love was clearly evident.