"Nancy" she smiled, looking at me with pity and a hint of pleading. It was then that I stopped once again to observe how battered her face was. Her beautiful and lovely face: her lips were somewhat bruised, with small cuts on them, and both of her cheeks had bruises of a purple and slightly greenish color in some parts, which also seemed quite painful. One of her eyes, the right one, was somewhat swollen and bruised too. And her forehead had some cuts that would leave scars, but they would be the kind of scars that didn't look very good unless you pressed your face against hers.

"What?" I...