Chapter 195: Lock and Key

Charlotte It was slow, it was eventual, but I was definitely cracking. I felt like an egg subjected to the pressure of hot boiling water, dipped inside without even a consideration of the water’s temperature. It was a well-known fact that if you put an egg in boiling water, the egg would crack, and that was exactly what was happening to me. I was cracking under the strain, the moment overwhelming me as tears began to cascade down my cheeks. The tears flowed unbidden, a silent proclamation that I was failing in my resolve to remain stoic. I had firmly told myself not to shed tears, but here I was, completely unable to prevent them. This woman had an uncanny ability to pick me apart, exposing my vulnerabilities as if she were frying the inside of me open for everyone to see. Well, maybe not everyone, but certainly for her to see. It felt like every word she spoke was designed to peel away another layer of my defenses, to lay bare my most hidden insecurities. "I just... I don’t know w