JJ
The bruise on my jaw had darkened by the time I got home.
I noticed it while standing in the bathroom with an ice pack pressed against my face, studying my reflection beneath the harsh vanity lights. The swelling had spread enough that the left side of my jaw looked subtly uneven now. Not obvious. Not the kind of thing most people would immediately notice.
But I knew tomorrow would require extra concealer, and I was already mentally calculating how much makeup it would take to hide the fingerprints beginning to bloom beneath my skin.
At least he hadn’t split my lip this time.
The thought arrived with such bitter practicality that I almost laughed at myself. Almost.
Instead, I lowered the ice pack and stared at the woman in the mirror for another moment. There had been a time whe
