~ Camilla

I thought I had it all figured out. Keep my head down at work, avoid Alex unless it was after hours, and stay invisible whenever that bastard was anywhere near. Out of sight, out of mind, that was my survival tactic. I wasn’t stupid; I knew what he was capable of, and though I hated giving him that power, fear had a way of curling itself into your bones and making you walk straight.

So I carved out time with Alex in the shadows. Dinners a couple of times a week. They were quiet, simple things. He’d talk, I’d laugh, and for a few hours, the weight of...