The messages didn’t stop.
That was the worst part.
Not the content.
Not even the threat behind them.
The consistency.
Every time my phone buzzed, my body reacted before my mind could catch up. A sharp jolt of tension, a tightness in my chest, like something bad was already happening and I was just waiting to see how bad.
Max noticed.
Of course he did.
“Turn it off,” he said quietly.
I looked at my phone, then back at him. “That doesn’t make it go away.”
“No,” he agreed. “But it stops them controlling your reaction.”
“They’re already doing that.”
“Only if you let them.”
I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair. “That’s easy for you to say.”
“No,” he said. “It isn’t.”
That made me pause.
Because for the first time—
He didn’t sound completely certain.
Just controll
