I couldn't sleep. I was awake until midnight, restless and thinking. Dinner came just as Aaron promised, and it was delicious. I ate in my room, and a few hours later, I retired to bed but didn't sleep. Countless and never-ending thoughts clouded my mind, and it was none other than leaving and finding safety and sanity away from all of this. I felt stuck and needed an escape from everything.

I wanted protection more than anything, but at what cost? Losing it all to Aaron? First, I'd ...