he mattress. The thick memory fo
rass bedside reading lamp. It cast a warm,
uth were completely gone. His jaw was relaxed. Without his icy
t hand in hers. Her fingers felt small and d
y the dried, flaky blood crusted under his fingernails
int, troubled frown appeared on his forehead. But
the cooling antiseptic ointment to the small, angry
bandage around a deeper cut on his thumb. Satisf
. His large hand clamped down around her slen
aped into her throat, choking her. Sh
de-eyed at his face, waiting for h
t rose and fell in a deep, rhythmic pattern. I
turned his head slightly, burying his face into the
open with her free hand. She didn't want to b
grip tightened painfully. A low, distressed
heartbreaking words about his trauma and his
cided to let him hold her hand until he f
he slid off the high mattress and sat down o
mattress. Her right arm remained stretched out across
unds were the loud ticking of the grandfath
mind raced. She thought about her sister Sylvia, lyi
oded blackmail. She felt the crushing weight o
a lifeline in a storm, she felt a strange, unexpected sense of so
stress of the wedding, the frantic escape attempt, and the terrifying
ly heavy. They felt like
intended to sneak back to the leathe
s large thumb began to unconsciously str
motion acted like a potent lullaby
. Her head sank deeper into
other second, she fell into a deep, dreamless
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