Candice doesn't panic. She can't. Childhood trauma taught her how to leave her body when the world turns violent or unmanageable. Trauma also taught her how to slow time and think while everyone else is breaking. It's what kept her alive the first time Carl tried to kill her.Now, years later, he's back and planning a reunion.The invitation is subtle: a breadcrumb trail leading deep into the Adirondack wilderness. Most would call it madness to follow, but Candice isn't most people. She's detached, calculated, and she's been preparing for this longer than he knows.But the deeper she slips into survival mode, the harder it becomes to tell who among the men she's following to Carl can be trusted, and what's just her mind trying to keep her safe.Candice isn't just surviving this game-she's controlling it.Because nothing's tougher than hardened candy that refuses to crack.A visceral psychological thriller about trauma, control, and the dangerous calm of a woman who stopped being afraid a long time ago.