Chapter 37

Ava had stewed over the fact Eveline had branded Hunter all night. It was perfectly clear to her now how deeply he had been brainwashed at the hands of this mad woman. Maybe it was that he had been hidden away from the world for so long, and he no longer had the strength to fight back. She clearly understood how abuse was a factor, but needed to get in his head and break the hold his stepmother had over him.

Placing her laptop down at the desk in the hotel room, Ava scooted into the chair and opened the screen. Taking a deep breath, she looked up Stockholm syndrome and various forms of trauma. As she was reading over one medical article, a text box showed on her screen.

Hunter: I told you to get your ass home.

Shaking her head, she typed away.

Ava: And I told you to stop hacking my laptop.

Hunter: You’re better off looking up your cat videos and porn, sweetheart. I’m not a victim.

Ava: Really? Tell that to the burn marks on your arms.

Hunter: (Silence...) Ava, I know you’re worried, b