Chapter 262

Ethan

Her breathing had evened out.

I didn’t even count how long it took for her to get some rest, but I was glad that she finally got some sleep.

Delilah lay curled on the couch beside me, one hand resting lightly over my knee, the other tucked beneath her head. The fireplace crackled softly in front of us, casting flickering shadows over the scars on her skin, some healing, some still fresh. I hated that I knew the difference by now.

Around my fingers, through her hair, gently massaging her scalp. She sighed in contentment as she slept. But I also knew that she was not fully asleep.

She looked peaceful. Almost. But I could tell by the little twitch of her fingers that she was ready to fight. That she was just pretending to be asleep. That she was just embracing the moment. And I knew that she just didn’t want to ruin the moment. She wanted to be by my side and wanted me to hold her in my arms. And I would be more than willing to do so.

“I