I smiled to hide the hell I lived. I smiled to hide the darkness. On the surface, I smiled and grinned and laughed. I had mastered my emotions. What emotions I feel, I allow. No one suspected my wars. Living with Joe was better than living with Shaun. I was happy. My cats weren"t abused. I no longer needed my subterranean lake or Erik. The war was over.
It was supposed to be.
Joe loved playing with my body. Loved tormenting it. Loved control. What I didn"t know, was that the cold hate left in his heart from when his mother beat and abandoned him, left him loathing women. He hated women. He sought to punish each and every one of them. He loved giving them pain. He started with me.
He asked things of me and I said yes because if I said no, he threatened to return me to my father"s house.
