Ziad helped Veronica bathe and consistently applied ointments on her back in the hope that she would heal sooner. His temper kept rising whenever he saw her body, but she would kiss his frown away whenever she noticed.
She was much more at ease after they had talked and she had opted to sleep in his room snuggled in his arms. His morning was much brighter when he had woken to her small body beside him, her hands resting on his hairy chest. They had talked through the night until she fell asleep twirling strands of his chest hair with her fingers.
They had spent the morning cooking and going over clothes she could wear to hide the marks on her body. Her mood had shifted tremendously and as they were getting ready for lunch, their peace and quiet were interrupted by a loud banging on the
