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Anna stepped out of the shower and dried herself off slowly. Then she made the mistake of doing something she never did. She looked across into the mirror at her naked self.

She stared at her reflection with a wave of emotions storming over her and let herself finally feel the one thing that her submissive self wouldn't let her feel. Hatred.

Hatred for the man who wasn't a man but a monster. Hatred for the teen years she missed out on. Hatred for the whispers and innuendos she still got till this day. Hatred for being so damn weak. Hatred for the scars that swarmed her body... hatred for the way she looked that caused all this in the first place.

How could someone like Damon want... this?

That was when she realised the thing that she hated the most was the speculation of what will happen when he finally sees her body... would it be pity, understanding or disgust?

"Beany!"

His voice calling out as he entered the bedroom had her rushing to get to her clothes just as the bathroom door swung open.

"Beany! There you..."

His eyes swept over the body of his wife as she grabbed her clothes and held them against herself and he fell silent. Her face echoed the fear she felt inside and he wanted to wipe away those fears with everything he had inside him.

His face was blank as he looked down her body. He deliberately controlled his outward reaction while inside he raged. He was furious. What he saw was beyond all perceivable ideas of humanity and he found himself filled with an even bigger loathing for Frazer than he'd felt before.

His wife stood before him and he knew that his reactions would determine how she would react to him in the future.

He looked to her face and slowly walked forward. His caught the movement of her hands as they tightened on the clothes she held in front of her. Reaching out he grasped the clothes in one hand while taking one of hers in the other.

She was frozen solid as she watched him step closer. His eyes captured hers and held them as she found herself forgetting to breath.

She searched for emotion, anything, to tell her what he was thinking but he was void of anything that would help her. She gripped the clothes harder and wished that she'd locked the door to the bathroom.

To her surprise she saw his hands reach out with slow deliberation and as he took hold of her clothes she let out a small whimper. He ignored it as he took her by the wrist.

Then his eyes softened, no longer empty of emotion and for that brief moment she let her grip go and she was standing in front of him completely exposed. She cried out and tried to cover herself with the arm of the hand that was free from his grip.

He grasped her other hand after he dropped her clothes to the tiled floor and opened her arms out wide. He looked at her face and smiled softly.

"You're beautiful." A statement that would have left anyone else with no doubt what so ever.

"No..."

"Shhhhh... you're perfect."

"But the scars...."

Damon searched for the words that he knew she wanted to hear. He looked down at her stomach again and inwardly he cringed at what he knew must have been excruiating pain that she felt when she received the 'punishment' that left behind the horrific scars that rendered her so undeniably self conscious.

He knelt down in front of her and dropped her hands to grab her by the hips and pulled at her to close the gap between them.

Anna was stunned as she felt the first light touch of his mouth on her scars. Standing rigid she felt them over and over again until there was no doubt that he'd covered every possible inch of raised blemished skin.

He stood up so quickly that she jumped in surprise as his face met hers and he took her mouth in a fast passionate kiss. He pushed through her shattered resistance to plunder into her mouth seizing the chance to taste every portion hidden from him.

She felt the smirk as she started to respond and lifted her arms up and around his neck grabbing his hair in her fists. She smirked herself as he groaned and reminded herbof how he'd reacted to her touch the night before.

He was holding back from what he really wanted to do. Yes, she was his wife and he could legally do with her as he wished and with the way her body responded to his touch he knew that he could do just that.... but.... she wasn't ready. If touching her was difficult before they were married then now it was absolute torture. He would wait a painstaking wait until they finally made love and he fucked her senseless as she screamed his name. In the meantime cold showers would have to suffice.

He pulled back unwillingly before things got too out of hand and rested his head down on her shoulder. They both drew in breaths of air.

"Never" he whispered hoarsely "never hide yourself from me Beany. You're mine to love."

"They're so ugly. I'm ugly"

He stood up straight looking down at her.

"Don't. Don't demean everything you've achieved by putting yourself down." He paused as he saw the flash of pain cross across her face. "You know what these scars tell me Beany?" she shook her head. "They tell me that you made it through. You fought demons no one should ever have to fight... and you won. You won Beany. He may have left you with physical scars and even emotional ones but he will never ever have you. He doesn't own your mind Anna. You do."

He stopped talking to let his words sink in and pulled her head into his chest. That was when he let his face show the thunderous anger he felt inside. He looked at them both in the mirror and his eyes narrowed peircingly as he saw the scars on her back, arse and thighs.

He thought of the first night he saw her when she was naked in the bath and realised that Gregory fucking Frazer was a very clever man. All her scars had been covered by the water and bubbles she'd been bathing in. He'd made sure that no one saw the evidence of his foul and evil mind. She could easily wear a strapless dress with no one knowing.

Damon's resolve to hurt this man grew more than it had before. He was going to die and Damon couldn't wait to see the man begging and writhing in pain reminiscent of the suffering that he'd caused his wife; his Beany.