Chapter 11

Joyce's condition did not improve. Night after night, she woke screaming from nightmares and would cry on her bed until dawn. The shadows of what Nathan did to her in the dream had left her unable to allow anyone to get near her. Even when Lucas reached out to hold her, she sometimes pushed him away. In less than two weeks, she had grown alarmingly thin. She did not want to be like this, but she could not control it. Nathan's cruelty was like poison, seeping into her bones, leaving her in agony every single day. … Two more weeks passed before she agreed to undergo therapy. It was not easy at first, but with Lucas by her side, she endured. It took her a full year to stabilize her condition. Even then, she could not accept his love. "Lucas, don't waste your time on me. It's pointless. I have nothing left to give another man," Joyce said. He only smiled faintly. "Syl, don't make such statements. You'll always lose to me in the end." The determined gleam in his eyes pulled her ba