CAN I TRUST YOU?

I had hoped that her coming would provide some relief, a way out from this nightmare, but it wasn't long before such hopes were merely another word. Far from being an ally I desperately needed, Evelyn became an added layer to this prison. Her eyes were always on me, cold and calculating, as if she wanted to unravel whether my affection for Noah was real or just a ruse. She wasn't an idiot; she knew her son's tendencies toward the darker side, and she was determined to make sure that I didn't do anything to hurt him-or what was more important-to embarrass the family.

Each day, her presence weighed heavily upon me. I felt her eyes on me, piercing into my skin, weighing every word I said, every gesture I made. I was always on my guard; my head racing with the need to seem obedient, loving, loyal. Yet, inside, I was coming undone. The effort of keeping up the charade-of keeping at bay the terror and despair that threatened to engulf me-was taking its toll. Weaker, paler, frailer by the day