Crystal
I sat at the breakfast table, my gaze fixed on the food before me. The taste was bland, but my appetite was the least of my concerns. Maurice's cruel words still echoed in my mind, reverberating through the fragile walls of my composure. As I silently picked at my food, Maurice energetically chatted away with Marla and Gary, but only intensified the bitterness within me.
Gary, noticing my paleness and silence, spoke up. "Crystal, is something bothering you?" His concern was genuine, a stark contrast to the cruelty that had become a norm in this household.
I hesitated, glancing at Maurice and Marla, who wore matching expressions of disdain. "No, Beta Gary, I'm fine," I mumbled, unwilling to expose the vulnerability festering beneath the surface.
Marla, never one to pass up an op
