His voice controlled me, overpowering my last defenses, and forcing me to surrender.
Terry Black reclined in his chair, watching me with a look of cold fury, and in that moment, I saw the full, painful truth of my wasted life. Every failure, every shattered dream—all because of this man who once whispered that he loved me.
"Terry Black…" I choked, my voice barely a whisper as I sank to my knees before him, trying to avoid his outstretched hand. "Why can't you just… let me go? "
A sneer twisted his lips. "Let you go? Hattie Garza, don't even dream of it—not in this lifetime."
At first, he looked furious, but something broke in his gaze as he took in my desperation. He opened his mouth as if to apologize, to ask for my forgiveness, yet the words stuck, unable to cross the chasm between
