Chapter 1

Seven years ago, I threw myself in front of an out-of-control truck to save Liam Sterling.

It ruined half my face.

After a failed skin graft, the right side of my face was left with twisted, puckered scars, and the corner of my mouth could never fully close again.

My best friend, Chloe Bennett, claimed she hated seeing me hide behind a face mask.

She insisted on helping me "step out of the shadows."

So, whenever we were in a situation that required me to show my face, she would force me to try.

She would slip off my mask while I was asleep, film my defenseless, scarred face, and post it on TikTok.

She even pinned her own comment at the very top: "What a horrifying face, literally scared me to death."

When I confronted her, Liam defended her. "Sera, she's just trying to get you to accept yourself."

At a group dinner with friends, Chloe snatched my mask away right before we walked through the door.

When I took a sip of water, it trickled down the side of my mouth that couldn't close properly.

Everyone at the table quickly looked away.

She wiped it off for me and laughed, "You're not afraid of kissing your boyfriend, so why are you afraid of people looking at you?"

Someone at the table joked that she and Liam looked more like a real couple.

They didn't deny it. They just laughed and kept flirting.

It went on like this until Chloe canceled the reconstructive surgery I had been waiting two years for.

She claimed she was just terrified the surgery would fail again.

Liam nodded in agreement. "She's just doing what's best for you."

Just then, Liam's phone lit up on the table.

His mother, Eleanor, had messaged their family group chat: "Have Chloe accompany you to the family dinner this weekend. Seraphina isn't really fit to be seen in public."

Last night, Liam had replied: "Okay."

In that split second, I finally understood.

They forced me to "accept" this face in public, yet they were too embarrassed to let this face be seen by their own family.

Without saying a word, I booked a consultation at a specialist clinic in Los Angeles.

Seven years ago, I saved Liam.

Seven years later, I finally decided to save myself.