Chapter 72

• Later, after it was over, Jasper sat on the edge of the bed with Annie before him. He stared at her bruised face, guilt and sharp ache hit at his chest.
• He dipped a cloth into the basin, wrung it out, and gently pressed it to the gash on her arm.
• Annie flinched and whimpered, tears streaming freely now that she no longer had to be brave. She cried like a child, the sound twisting Jasper’s heart until he thought it might tear apart.