He stares at me for a moment before he places the showerhead next to me in the tub and stands up. Slowly, as if giving me time to change my mind, he starts taking off his clothes. He undoes the bowtie at his neck, throwing it to the ground before unbuttoning his shirt.

I lick my lips as he shrugs the shirt off, letting it drop to the floor. He's always been beautiful to me, but I never imagined he'd have such a powerful physique. Isn't it pathetic? We've been living together for more than a year and I've never seen him without his shirt off.

As he reaches for his belt, he raises his brows at me.

I nod, pushing my anxiety aside.

He quickly discards his pants too and stands entirely naked before me.

I gulp, doing my best not to avert my gaze as heat climbs up my cheeks.

Getting in the tub, he sits behind me, pulling me to him and laying his cheek against my back. Slowly, he nuzzles his face against my skin, his palms splayed across my stomach. One hand moves higher, the tips of his fingers grazing my breast.

I inhale sharply.

"I'm not going to do anything, Luce. Not now. Not today."

"But—"

"We're not married yet. And I'm not marrying you today."

"What?" I burst out, turning to face him.

He gives me a sad smile as he tugs a strand of wet hair behind my ear.

"Today we talk. We grieve. We cry for the past," he tells me, taking my hands and bringing them between us. With gentle movements, he washes my scratches before bringing my knuckles to his lips to kiss the pain away. "Today we face everything we didn't dare face before."

I bite my lip as I stare at him. Renewed sobs bubble in my throat just as tears stab at my eyes.

"And tomorrow?" I ask in a whisper.

"Tomorrow is another day." His lips pull up.

"Please don't be mad at me. I couldn't bear it if you were mad at me," I mumble as I drag myself closer to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. My chest brushes against his, and we both suck in a breath at the sensation. Goosebumps cover my body, a tingle of awareness spreading to my core. Raising my gaze to meet his, I note the darkening of his eyes. His pupils are dilated, his lips half-parted as his breathing intensifies.

"I'm not mad at you, sweetheart. I'm mad at myself because I didn't realize what you were going through. I thought you were healing. I thought time could cure it, but it didn't, did it? It only made it worse."

I stifle a sob at his words and give him a slow nod.

"We'll get through this together. Because you have me, Luce. You'll always have me."

"I know. I was foolish to say that. You're the most important person to me, Nikki."