" Oh, God,” Victoria choked behind him, staring in horror at the white scars that crisscrossed his beautiful back. There were dozens of them. Her fingers shook as she reached out to touch them; the moment she did, his skin flinched.

“Do they still hurt?” she whispered in anguished surprise.

“No,” Jason said tautly. Shame washed over him in sickening waves as he waited helplessly for her inevitable reaction to the stark evidence of his humiliation.
To his utter disbelief he felt her arms encircle him from behind and the touch of her lips on his back.

“How brave you must have been to endure this,” she whispered achingly, “how strong to survive it and go on living. . . .”
When she began kissing each scar, Jason rolled onto his side and jerked her into his arms.
“I love you,” he whispered agonizedly, plunging his hands into her luxuriant hair and turning her face up to his.
“I love you so much.... "

― , Once and Always (Sequels, #1)