Tattoo

Staring down at Kaelen's peaceful, sleeping face in the dimly lit elevator, Voktor felt his chest tighten with an unresolved, bitter agony. Her head rested against his coat, her breathing even and deep, oblivious to the turbulent storm raging inside him.

"It’s better if you hate me." Voktor mumbled softly into the dark.

A twisted, bitter relief washed over him. The woman he held in his arms was