Gideons POV
I reached her door and knocked gently, waiting a second until I heard her raspy, quiet voice call out, "Come in."
When I pushed the heavy oak door open, she was sitting by the wide stone windowsill, a leather-bound book resting open in her lap. The moment her hazel eyes landed on me, she set the book aside and stood up. A soft, bright smile spread across her face—a real, genuine smile that reached her eyes and completely melted my heart. Seeing her look at me without terror in her gaze, seeing the ugly purple bruise around her eye faded down to nothing more than a faint, yellowing shadow on her cheek, felt like a miracle.
As she walked across the room toward me, I reached into my coat pocket and held out the folded paper.
She took it, her slender fingers unfolding the parc
