Chapter 1

Grandpa said the caregiver pinched him at night and tied him up in the bathroom.

I didn't believe him, of course.

An eighty-year-old man with worsening dementia — he'd make up anything to avoid staying in the nursing home.

I swallowed my frustration, forced a smile at the caregiver, and even had a commendation banner made for him.

The next day, Grandpa had another bruise on his arm. He was still trembling as he said it was the same person who'd pinched him.

His eyes were full of disappointment in me, but he kept saying it with total certainty.

On the third day, when I watched the security footage again and saw the caregiver gently feeding him, I completely lost it.

"Do you just not want to stay here? Is that it? You're making all this up just to mess with me!"

Grandpa shook all over, but still worked up the courage to nod. "It's true. It really is..."

That night, I left him alone at the nursing home.

I was halfway home when I couldn't stop myself from thinking:

Why would an eighty-year-old man keep insisting he was telling the truth even after I screamed at him?