NIA’S POV
My plan was working…slowly, but it was working.
Caleb had started letting his guard down. I could see it in his eyes…the hope, the twisted belief that I was coming back to him.
But inside, I was screaming.
Every time he touched me, I wanted to claw my skin off. Every smile I forced made my stomach turn. And every night I spent pretending, I felt a little more of myself slipping away.
I didn’t know how much longer I could do this. How much longer I could fake it before I broke.
But I had to keep going.
Because this was the only way out.
I lay on the thin mattress, staring at the cracked ceiling, the room dimly lit by the glow of the TV left on.
I turned on my side, curling into myself, and let my mind drift where it always did, Alexander.
I could still feel his
