207

MAXINE

As the days passed, Ronan kept making his presence in my life known. At first, I thought it was part of his twisted game, a way to keep me under control. I thought it was a way to manipulate me into doing his bidding.

But as the days turned into weeks, something unexpected happened, and I found myself talking to him. Talking. It started innocently.

He’d stop by my room in the evening. It was always unannounced. He would sit in the chair, making sure that he was facing me where I sat in my bed. He never came with any agenda or demands anymore. He just simply wanted to talk.

It was strange, seeing this side of him. He laughed freely now and even made jokes. But he seemed genuinely interested in whatever I had to say. The first time I caught myself laughing, I felt guilty.

Everyone else was trapped and I was laughing. At first, I was careful with my words. I was always expecting a trap that I was sure he was laying for me. But the more we talked, the more I found myself lowering m