Grant's shirt was nearly soaked through with her tears by the time Innocensa finally regained her composure and stepped back, her breathing uneven but steadier. Her hands, however, remained firmly planted on his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin as if anchoring herself in the moment. The faint sting barely registered in his mind, a trivial discomfort overshadowed by the way she looked up at him with a trembling, hesitant smile.
He couldn't help but marvel. How could someone be so heartbreakingly beautiful, even like this? Her swollen eyes glistened with remnants of tears, her nose reddened from crying, and yet, in her vulnerability, she radiated a kind of fragile grace that took his breath away. She was, without question, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
