Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN BENEATH THE SCARS
The next morning, I stood in front of my bedroom mirror.
I wore a simple cotton camisole.
My back was visible.
The scars crossed my shoulder blades and extended down toward my waist.
Some were pale.
Others darker.
Raised in places.
Uneven.
The result of thirteen surgeries and years of healing.
I touched one gently.
For five years, I'd looked at my body through Preston's eyes.
Damaged.
Ugly.
Unwanted.
But that morning, I remembered something different.
The fire.
The heat.
The smoke.
The moment I found Preston unconscious.
The way I'd dragged him toward the exit while the ceiling collapsed behind us.
I remembered the pain.
But I also remembered my own courage.
My phone rang.
It was my younger brother, Owen.
“Viv?”
I smiled faintly.
“Hey.”
“You sound tired.”
“Long week.”
He hesitated.
“Are you okay?”
I looked at the mirror.
Then whispered, “I'm getting there.”
Owen was twenty-eight.
He'd been the one who stayed beside my hospital bed when Preston stopped visiting regularly.
He'd helped me learn to walk comfortably again after months of treatment.
He'd seen the worst of my recovery.
And he'd never once looked at me with disgust.
“Come over tonight,” he said.
I smiled.
“Why?”
“Because I made lasagna.”
“You can't cook.”
“That's hurtful.”
I laughed.
He continued.
“And because you shouldn't have to be alone.”
My eyes filled.
“I'll be there.”
At work, Gideon asked me to review a set of operational records.
We spent two hours examining discrepancies.
He treated me exactly as he always had.
As a capable professional.
Not a victim.
Not a woman with scars.
Not someone to be pitied.
When we finished, he looked at me.
“Excellent work.”
I smiled.
“Thank you.”
He hesitated.
“Vivian?”
“Yes?”
“Are you attending the gala?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
His expression softened.
“Good.”
I studied him.
“Why?”
He looked at me.
“Because no one should make you feel unwelcome in a room you've earned the right to enter.”
I looked down.
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
Then whispered, “Thank you.”
Gideon nodded.
May you like
And returned to his work.
But I carried those words with me for the rest of the day.
