Chapter 104: Marked By Pain
Lily’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected him to agree so easily. She reached for the bottle of shampoo, her movements slow and deliberate.
“How should we...?” Zayn gestured awkwardly, unsure of their positioning.
Lily pointed to herself, then in front of him, indicating she should move behind him. Zayn understood immediately. He shifted forward in the tub, creating space for her to slide behind him.
Lily’s heart raced as she slid through the warm water. Their skin brushed against each other, sending a jolt of electricity through her body.
Lily positioned herself behind Zayn, her back against the cool porcelain of the tub. Her bare legs stretched alongside his, their skin touching underwater. She tried not to think about how intimate this position was, how vulnerable they both were.
She poured a generous amount of shampoo into her palm and began working it into his dark hair. Her fingers moved in small circles across his scalp, gentle yet firm. She’d never washed anyone’s hair before, but tried to mimic how Martha used to wash hers when she was young.
Zayn remained silent, his shoulders tense at first. But as she continued, Lily felt him gradually relax under her touch. His head tilted back slightly, giving her better access.
From this position, Lily had a clear view of his back. Scars crisscrossed his skin, some old and faded, others still pink and relatively new. She recognized some as whip marks, similar to those that marked her own skin. Others were burns, deliberate and cruel. Evidence of the torture he’d endured during his enslavement by her father and brother.
They weren’t so different after all, she realized. Both marked by pain, both survivors.
Zayn’s eyelids quickly grew heavy as she continued to massage his scalp. His breathing slowed, more even. His shoulders began to relax.
“That feels...nice,” he murmured, his voice heavy with unexpected contentment. “No one’s ever done this for me before.”
The admission surprised Lily. Such a simple act of care, yet it was new to him. She wondered briefly about his past mate, Irene. Had they never shared moments like this? Or was it too painful for him to remember?