“You weren’t stupid, baby.” Locke reaches up, gently brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "He just knew exactly what buttons to push.”
"Every single one," I say. “And God knows, I tumbled right into it. Headfirst, zero hesitation, swept up in an absolute whirlwind courtship that left no room for me to breathe or think clearly. I was twenty-three, completely naive, and convinced that my teenaged dream was finally coming true."
Locke stays quiet, letting me lay out the full picture of those crazy months.
"He showed up at my office building with bouquets of sunflowers because he remembered I liked them," I say. "He sent sweet, attentive texts every morning before I even woke up. He took me to quiet, high-end restaurants where he'd hold my hand, look at me with sheer intensity, and
