Chapter 11: The Trap Closes

Caleb’s jaw tightened under my glare. He grabbed my hand again, desperate now.

"Aubrey, I promise, you won’t suffer. This whole wing is for you—far from the main house. If you hate the staff, I’ll get rid of them. We can live like before—chickens, garden, just us. Those were the best days of my life."

For the first time, he spilled everything: he’d never cared for Lillian, only married her to satisfy family duty. I was the only thing that made him feel alive.

He talked about dreams—how he envied the couple down the dirt road who lived simply, how he hated the bar exam, how he didn’t want to be a lawyer. All he wanted was a life like a country song, sun up to sun down, peaceful, ordinary.

Lillian was his reality. I was his escape, his dream.

Men like Caleb—smooth talkers with soft hands and sad eyes—could break your heart twice: first when they lied, and again when you believed them.

His words sounded like a promise, but all I heard was the snap of a trap closing. I wondered if I’d ever get out alive.