Antonin nodded, serious now. "What she's doing will kill her as surely as if I did shoot her in the head. It just isn't as quick, and there's no telling what it might do to you or Ella - especially Ella."
"Millicent hating me might be unfortunate from my viewpoint, because I know her family, and only wish I'd known and been able to be there for her during her hard times, but if that's what it takes, that's what we'll do. You are welcome to watch, but you can't cater to her in any way. She'll lie, rationalize her behavior, say she wants to die, say she hates us all, but hopefully, if you don't get too involved, she'll only be angry with me. There's even the hope that after all is said and done, she'll understand."
"Still," Antonin sighed, "when we get through the physical dependency, you will want to be there for psychological support. Let her know that you are there for her as long as she is working to get over this disease. Tell her you will always love her, even if she says she hates you. Your love needs to be unconditional, but your behavior has to demand that she gets herself better, and means to stay that way."
"Unfortunately, she may refuse to get better. Some people do. Are you strong enough to walk away from her and take Ella?"