CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN – MISTRUST

The arguments with Lance intensified, their once-solid relationship fracturing under the weight of Kayla's growing isolation and mistrust. "Why are you shutting me out?" Lance demanded one night, his voice thick with frustration and hurt. "We're supposed to be a team, Kayla – partners in everything. But lately, it feels like you're pushing me away, and I don't understand why." Kayla's jaw clenched, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. "I just... I need some space, Lance. To figure things out on my own terms." "Figure what out?" Lance pressed, his brow furrowed. "Talk to me, Kayla. Let me in – let me help you through whatever it is you're going through." But the doubts that had taken root were too deeply entrenched, and Kayla found herself retreating further into her self-imposed isolation. "I can't," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not right now." As the days turned into weeks, Kayla's world grew smaller and smaller, her circle of trust shrinking until it encompa