# Chapter 8: Healing
**Marcus's POV**
I sat watching Lily nibble cautiously on a strawberry, and I was struck by how beautiful she was.
Not in the conventional way that people usually meant—though she was pretty, even with the bruises and the hollows in her cheeks from malnutrition. No, it was something deeper than that. The way the morning light caught in her dark hair. The small furrow of concentration between her brows as she carefully selected which piece of fruit to try next. The fact that she was still here, still fighting, still trying despite everything that had been done to her.
She was the strongest person I'd ever met, and she had no idea.
"What?" Lily asked, catching me staring. She immediately looked down, her shoulders hunching defensively. "Do I have something on my fac
