Xanqer walked into the room and looked at Meesha's figure sitting on the bed, her head low. He saw that she wouldn't raise her head, so he went down on one knee in front of her. He held her chin and raised it to meet her gaze. He saw the tears on Meesha's and also a hint of redness next to her nose.

  "What's this?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he stroked a hair behind behind her ear.

  When he saw her face, he was slightly surprised. Her left cheek had a clear handprint imprinted on it, with fingers marks clearly visible. The handprint was red, with a deeper indentation where the woman's fingers had dug into Meesha's skin.

  There was also a scratch on her cheek. The scratch was deep and red.

  Xanqer's face darkened as he took in the sight of Meesha's injured cheek. "Who hit you?" Xanqer asked, his voice low and menacing.

  Meesha's eyes looked down, and she couldn't stop herself from crying. "Sarah's aunt and her daughter came to me today," she sobbed. "They said a lot of bad things to me and said I killed Sarah and I deserve to die. She asked for a lot of money as compensation, and I couldn't give it to her, so she hit me out of anger."

  Xanqer's face darkened as he listened to Meesha's words. He didn't say anything, but his eyes flashed with anger.

  He got up and went downstairs, returning with a balm. He opened it and gently helped Meesha apply it to her cheek. Meesha's cheek stung as he touched it, but she felt happy inside. She was happy that Xanqer cared.

  As he applied the balm, Meesha's eyes were locked on his face, while his eyes were focused on the wound. Then, his eyes met hers, and Meesha stared into his eyes, hoping to see something. But Xanqer just averted his gaze and closed the balm.

  He held out her hand and put the balm's plastic container in it, closing her hand around it. "Use it again before going to bed," he said.

  Then, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Meesha alone with her thoughts. Meesha looked at the balm in her hand and smiled happily, feeling a sense of comfort and security. She remembered Xanqer's touch and smiled again, feeling a sense of warmth in her heart.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  *******

  Meesha woke up the next morning feeling a sense of trepidation. She had barely slept the night before, her mind racing with thoughts of the previous day's encounter with Sarah's aunt. She took a deep breath and tried to shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in her stomach.

  As she got dressed, Meesha couldn't help but think about the woman's words. She had said that Meesha had no parents, and the comment had struck a nerve. Meesha had always been sensitive about her past, and the woman's words had brought up a lot of painful memories.

  Meesha looked at her face in the mirror and winced. Her cheek was still red and sore, and the handprint was still visible. She tried to cover it up with some makeup, but it didn't work. She then decided to wear a nose mask to cover her face and let her hair fall down to cover it.

  As she headed to the industry, Meesha couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety. She was worried about what people would say when they saw her face. She was worried about what they would think.

  When she reached the industry, Meesha canceled all her shoots. She couldn't possibly take photos with a face like that. As she was heading home, Meesha saw a figure approaching her. It was Sarah's aunt, and she looked different from the day before. She looked remorseful, and her eyes were filled with tears.

  "Meesha, please forgive me," Sarah's aunt said, falling to her knees. "I was wrong to blame you for Sarah's death. I was wrong to ask you for money. I was just trying to get some money from you, and I didn't care who I hurt."

  Meesha was stunned. She didn't know what to say or do. She looked around and saw that a crowd had gathered, and some people were recording the scene.

  "Please forgive me for what I did to you yesterday," Sarah's aunt continued. "I'll confess to everything I did. I'll tell the police that I was the one who was trying to exploit you for money."

  Meesha looked at the woman, and for a moment, she felt a sense of pity for her. She saw the desperation in her eyes, the fear of being caught. But then she remembered the pain and the humiliation she had felt the day before, and her pity turned to anger.

  The woman removed the mask from Meesha's face, revealing the handprint and scratch. The crowd gasped in shock, and Meesha felt a sense of embarrassment wash over her.

  "Oh my God, Meesha's face is badly battered," someone said.

  "I feel bad for her. It must really hurt," another person commented.

  "That woman is devious. How could she badly batter Meesha's face like that?" someone else asked.

  "How dare she ruin our ice queen's beautiful face?"

  "She doesn't deserve to be forgiven," a voice said.

  "She's a fraud trying to exploit Meesha for money. To top it all, she even hit her," another person said.

  Meesha heard their words, and she looked at the woman, not knowing how to react. She didn't understand why the woman was apologizing to her now, why she had suddenly confessed in front of all these people.

  Meesha led the woman to a secluded area, away from the prying eyes of the crowd. As soon as they were alone, the woman began begging for forgiveness.

  "Meesha, please, forgive me for what I did," she sobbed. "I was wrong, please forgive me."

  Meesha was still confused. "Why are you apologizing now? What's wrong?" she asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

  The woman's eyes welled up with tears. "Meesha, I know I did wrong, and you probably want to get your revenge. But please, forgive us now. We've suffered enough."