Chapter 17
On my thirtieth birthday, I got a package delivered to my door.
No return address, just this beautiful gift box.
Inside was a necklace–pink diamonds, gorgeous and obviously expensive.
There was a card tucked in the box: “Happy Birthday.”
I recognized the handwriting immediately.
Alistair.
He’d been tracking me down for years.
Having people pass along messages, sending gifts, even showing up outside my office building to wait for me.
Every birthday brought another present from him.
Every holiday brought some kind of greeting.
I ignored all of it.
What was done was done–why keep dragging it out?
But he just wouldn’t give up.
Like some stubborn kid who wouldn’t quit until he got the forgiveness he wanted.
I tossed the necklace in the trash and went back to work.
That evening, my girlfriends threw me a birthday party.
They were all people I’d met through work–they didn’t know my history.
They knew I had scars on my face, but they never pried.
“Aurelia, you’re thirty now. Don’t you think it’s time to think about settling down?”
“Yeah, our manager’s totally into you. Are you sure you won’t consider it?”
They were all talking over each other, worried about my love life.
I just smiled and shook my head. “I’m not in a rush.”
Truth was, it wasn’t that I wasn’t in a rush–I was scared.
Every time I looked in the mirror and saw those faint scars, I was right back to that night.
Back to Alistair handing me that bottle.
Back to Seraphina’s triumphant smile.
Back to that hellish pain.
I’d been in therapy for years.
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My Childhood Ex Ruined My Face for His Crush? Cute. I Ruined Their Lives
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Chapter 17
My therapist said I had PTSD and needed time to heal.
“You need to learn to forgive.”
“Not forgive others–forgive yourself.”
“You have to let go of the past to embrace the future.”
I understood the logic, but putting it into practice was impossibly hard.
Those scars weren’t just on my face–they were carved into my soul.
Each one was a reminder of everything I’d suffered.
I was getting better, slowly.
But I still needed time.
A lot more time.
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