(Ruby's POV)
The cottage was warm when I woke.
The fire had burned down to embers, but the room was still comfortable. Soft gray light filtered through the curtains. The sea was quiet this morning, no wind, no waves crashing. Just a gentle lapping against the rocks below.
Nicholas was still asleep beside me. His dark hair was spread across the pillow. His face was peaceful, younger than it looked when he was awake. The scar on his chin was faint in the dim light. His chest rose and fell slowly.
I watched him for a while. I thought about the first time I had seen him in that dark hotel room. How scared I had been. How I had thought he was a monster.
Now he was my husband.
Life was strange.
I slipped out of bed and walked to the window. The floorboards were cold under my bare feet. The garden behind the cottage was small, overgrown. Weeds and wildflowers tangled together. A stone path led to the cliff's edge. The sea was gray, calm, stretching to the horizon.
