Ariel POV

"Huh?" I was taken aback when Lucian suddenly touched my back.

"Why are you surprised?"

Lucian's gaze flicked to me, revealing a great deal of curiosity.

"Oh, this is..." how should I put it?

"Nadine, this is a big wound. I'm sure when this happened, you must have been in a lot of pain."

Of course, I was. My aunt hit me with a piece of wood because I was late washing the family's clothes. She hit me like she was punishing a criminal. I was almost unconscious for a few ...