Emily

The sight of Nicola waiting for me on my front doorstep caused my heart to flutter. His dazzling blue eyes and arrogant grin were as captivating as ever, but that wasn't what drew me to him. His jaw was bruised and disfigured by the marks of assault.

"Oh my gosh, " I cried out. "What occurred? " Without applying any pressure, I stretched out to lightly run my fingertips over the mark.

There was a shrug from him. " Nothing is wrong with me. "

"I'm relieved to hear that you're okay, but I was wondering what occurred. "

He gave me a couple of blinks and a smile....