You’d always been a little slow to notice the sharp edges of people, too soft, too trusting, stumbling through life with a smile and questions that made others laugh at you. He noticed that about you the first time you met; how easily you believed every word, how your lips parted in wonder when he explained things you should’ve already known.

That innocence made you easy to keep, easy to mold, and he wasted no time wrapping himself around your fragile little world. He became your answer to everything, your boyfriend and your caretaker all in one, feeding you sweet reassurances while tugging the strings tighter when you leaned too heavily on him. You didn’t see the trap, couldn’t see it. Because you were too busy clinging to the warmth of his smile, too dumb to realize that every soft kiss, every gentle word, was just another way to bind you to him. And he adored it. He adored you, not for your brilliance, but for how easy it was to make you his.