As I leaned against Mary, pretending to take solace in her embrace, I couldn't help but feel a surge of revulsion at her touch. Her hand on my shoulder felt wrong, and I had to fight the urge to pull away.
But I forced myself to stay still, to keep up the act, knowing that it was all part of the plan to expose Mary's true intentions.
"Thank you, Mary," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what I would do without you."
Mary smiled down at me, her eyes filled with sympathy. "You don't have to thank me, Jade," she said, her voice soft and gentle. "I care about you. And I hate to see you hurting like this."
I nodded, trying to ignore the knot of disgust that twisted in my stomach at her words. "I just don't know what to do," I said, forcing more tears to well up in my eyes. "I thought Raven was the one, but now I don't know what to believe."
