Introduction

Betrayal of Love and Freedom is a psychological thriller. An experience of awareness, it is a story told through a variety of characters who are challenged with different twists and turns caused by various mind conditions. A true story based on one man's struggle and triumph over Bipolar Disorder. Spanning over five decades set against a backdrop of four continents, Betrayal of Love and Freedom is at its heart a compelling love story with a happy ending.
Two powerful men one at the mercy of Bipolar Disorder, the other facing life imprisonment struggle to regain their freedom. An ambitious novel that makes no apology in its searing examination of the value of freedom, and the experience of its loss, Betrayal of Love and Freedom takes the reader on a journey through the intertwining lives of Luke Powers and Rick Dellich. As well as painting a vivid picture of a man at the peak of his success facing life imprisonment, the story gives voice to the experience of a psychological breakdown in contemporary society. Blending both truth and fiction, and traversing the genres of drama, thriller, romance and crime, Betrayal of Love and Freedom is a potentially life-changing testament to the human spirit for our time. The life of Luke Powers has long been punctuated by abrupt changes in fortune, but nothing could prepare him for the possibility of life imprisonment. Facing charges of murdering the forbidden, great love of his life from thirty years earlier, the influential media mogul is powerless to escape his predicament. Is he a murderer? Even he cannot say for sure. Entrepreneur and family man, Rick Dellich, finds himself stripped of all his rights as a citizen, the result of a mental breakdown. Separated from those he loves, he faces the prospect of confinement to a chemical straightjacket for the rest of his life. Desperate for a true recovery, he commits himself to a psychiatric clinic. Through it all, two women, each offering the possibility of the love that seems to have betrayed him all his life, weave their way into Luke s destiny. So, too, does Wong Peng, a ruthless business magnate wielding the dark forces of power and tied to the enigmatic Society. All the while, Rick struggles to put his shattered life back together, but his deepening search for answers leads him to revelations that threaten to turn his world upside down. Will each man succeed in his quest for love and freedom? Will each man find what he is seeking? Both will face challenges that will destroy or transform them, eventually placing the two on a collision course with one another. Set against a backdrop of four continents, this is a story of power, love, and ultimate freedom.

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Excerpt

No Longer Feeling Human

How can I ever call myself normal again? The doctors tell me, if I continue with the medication, I may be able to call myself normal again, some day. But I’m only a shadow of my former self. Who am I now? Am I the real Rick, or has he vanished forever? Either way, the people back home will never see me in the same way – I’m branded for life. Almost an outcast in some respects – a potential part of the human experience that people would much prefer not to acknowledge exists. It’s too scary. Taboo.

It shames me. I don’t know anyone else who has had this problem. They all seem to be capable of dealing with life – but not me. I’ve always risen to every challenge! I’ve shattered every obstacle! Not anymore. I no longer even qualify as a normal human being.

This separation from my family makes it even worse. Kate and the two boys. The center of my universe. ‘Life isn’t fair. Life is what you make it.’ My own words to my two sons, Michael and James. ‘At the very end of your life, only two things will truly matter to you. One, if you are lucky, you will have filled your life with many wonderful experiences. And two, if you are very, very lucky you will be surrounded by a few people who love you. Nothing else will matter.’ I doubt very much that this experience will fall into the first category.

An Unbroken Spirit

Do I believe in myself? Do I feel I am a good man? Am I still a man? Am I capable of fighting for the life I want and the way I want to live my life, with love and freedom? And can I surrender my freedom in the knowledge that I will win it back, fight for it, a second time?

Can I enter the lion’s den – have I the faith, strength and belief in myself to conquer my own demons? Can I survive such a challenge and keep my battered spirit intact? I committed myself a second time; I gave up my freedom, knowing that if I can conquer fear – the fear of no love, the fear of no freedom – then fear will have no power. I will truly be free.

Maybe this is my chance to prove to myself that I can. I will not allow my spirit to be broken, as tempting as it may be to capitulate. I will accept the challenge and, no matter what happens, maintain my sense of self, and improve as a human being. Get a hold of yourself, Rick! Think of all the people, from all over the world, who have experienced much more frightening challenges than you. Yes, even worse than this!

Losing Control

Furthermore, as of today, you have lost all of your rights as a citizen of New Zealand because you are mentally unfit. This is important – it means that all contracts you enter into are null and void.’ Rick listened in disbelief. ‘You are now a ward of the state as outlined in the Health Act. We will take your passport, your identification and your credit cards. You cannot sign checks. You cannot sign contracts. You will receive a letter from the government confirming this officially, but it is effective as of today. Do you understand?

Rick couldn’t speak. He nodded. He felt a tear begin to form in his eye. The humiliation in front of his own family was too much.

Even if my family still loves me, how can they ever respect me again?

9

Feeling Like a Prisoner

Rick sat motionless, brooding over his lack of autonomy. What could he do to escape? The situation was hopeless, he concluded, as he stared out of the reinforced glass window. Regardless of how much he pleaded with the staff, he knew they would only release him on their terms, not his, and that the more desperate he appeared, the longer they would make him stay. He had truly become a prisoner.

Rick could feel the anger building but he managed to control himself. He was left with no choice; arguing would only worsen his position. It was a no-win predicament. He made it known to the doctor that he was unhappy with the situation and that he wished to leave immediately, then left the office for his room.

He found himself in the unbearable but not uncommon position of having to conceal what it was that he yearned for most in the interest of increasing his likelihood of receiving it. He had been at the Jennings Clinic for seven days, eight hours and fifteen minutes, and he was convinced that he had served his time. He looked around the tiny room, little more than a cell. How, long would it be a substitute for home? He couldn’t bear to think about it.

Starting Over

Yet in the face of it all, he felt somehow freer than he had for years. Still, he found it hard to believe that his plan to rebuild his life was actually working under such trying circumstances.

His separation from Kate, the greatest tragedy of his life and one through which he desperately yearned for comfort and support from those he loved, had only exacerbated the problems between him and Rosa. It was one more opportunity for her to isolate him, another chance to exploit a weak position.

He felt that life was throwing every challenge it could muster at him, as if to test his commitment to this new life that he had chosen. And every time he rose from the ashes, stronger than before, more committed than ever to his truth. Now, at long last, with Wayne’s and Dr. Korovin’s independent assessments of him, there was outward confirmation of what he felt deep within: that he was living his new life exactly as he should be in spite of the challenges that refused to subside.

On A Mission

He had spent two years searching for his new home, but what he had suspected during that time was now confirmed: it was not here in Auckland. His birthplace, his sole residence for his forty-eight years of life, could no longer provide what he needed.

He was free. But free of what? Certainly not of loneliness. Nor of his search. Or his need to find whatever it was he was best on discovering.

Already, he had searched the globe for his soul mate, with no luck. But he would not give up. He would not rest until he had found what he was looking for. His pilgrimage to the heart of life, to the woman who would understand him, to his new home, wherever they may be, could end in only two ways with his arrival, or with his death. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

From the publisher:

Discussion Questions

1. How do the opening scenes in part 1 and 2 of the novel set the stage for Luke and Rick's stories? How do the settings relate, and how are the tones distinctly different?

2. How do you think the author has related his own real-life experience to both of the main characters in the novel?

3. What is the significance of Luke and Hughie’s friendship? How do Luke's relationships build the storyline and reveal his inner conflicts?

4. What is the transition from Luke's feelings of rejection to Luke's hunger for power? Was the change a real transition of his personality or do the two actually go hand-in-hand?

5. Luke fights a constant battle of self identification—how he is perceived and how he perceives himself. How do his feelings of emptiness and loneliness hinder his abilities within the story? How do they reveal his personality to the reader?

6. Which signs of internal imprisonment are revealed throughout Luke's childhood? How does it build the story to Luke's actual impending imprisonment?

7. Why do you think the author breaks up Luke's story by introducing Rick as a new character in part 2? How does the author relate the two characters to build a cohesive story? Do the two appear to be immediately intertwined?

8. Both Rick and Luke are continuously controlled by fear. What role has fear played in creating their characters? Though they are ultimately fighting for their freedom, how might they be fearful of finally achieving what they want?

9. What role does self-acceptance play in the novel, and how does it bring the story to an end?

10. What difficult truths and moral issues shape Luke and Rick's identities?

11. What role does destiny play in the novel? Do you think the author displayed situations of chance or fate?

12. How did the challenges faced by each character affect them, both positively and negatively?

13. Have you had any experiences with friends or family who were diagnosed with bipolar disorder or some other mind condition? How did it affect your life and theirs?

14. What type of personality does it take to succeed when so many factors are fighting against you?

15. How important is love when you are struggling against outside forces and / or yourself?

Weblinks

»	Official web site for Betrayal of Love and Freedom
»	Paul Huljich's web site
»	MWELLA Site (Mind, Wellnes, Awareness)
»	MWELLA Foundation

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