Chapter 86

I'm surprised that the light is on in the kitchen when I get home. The silhouette of my father is blurry from the frosted glass windows. He's at the kitchen counter, reading. A cup of coffee is beside him, and he wears a thick, knitted sweater and his spectacles.

He looks up when I shut the front door behind me, "Hey, kiddo."

"Hey," I slip my shoes off and take them upstairs to my bedroom. I change quickly and go to the bathroom to assess the damage.

The only thing about having my parents home constantly now is that I have to do a better job hiding my bruises. Which is fine, since most of them I get from sparring or patrols...but this isn't that.

I'm hiding bruises that my boyfriend gave me because he snapped.

I tug down my sleeves and cover my wrists. My lip is a larger problem. It's bruised and split open, and I'm not sure how I'm going to cover that up. There really isn't a way...but I can't tell my parents how I got it. They won't understand.

To be honest, I don't understand eithe