Holding Back His Storm

Vivienne’s POV

I braced my palms against the vanity and leaned closer to the mirror as the morning light from my balcony revealed what I had been dreading. A faint shadow bloomed under my cheekbone, purple creeping along the skin like a stain I couldn’t wash away. Up close, the swelling was obvious; a small, angry mark of my own carelessness. From a distance, if I bent my head just right, I could