“I’m sorry, princess. I didn’t mean to wake you.” It’s him. He’s here. He’s back. No, no, no, this is wrong. This is all wrong. He left you, and he didn’t say goodbye. He promised you you'd would always be together, and he left. What is he doing here?

You spot the crimson splatter crawling up the wall, pooling on the wooden floor and painting his skin with the poisonous color. You've seen him stained with red, smelling like iron and danger, but never like this. Not with drops freckling around his steel eyes and dripping from his dark hair.

A sob breaks free from your lips, and then Roman’s hands are on you, keeping you there. “No, no, shh. It’s okay. Don’t cry, alright? I’ve got you.” His fingertips caress your face as he gently wipes away the tears he caused, replacing them with the blood tainting his gloves.

(Snippet from The Skin of a Sinner)