Chapter 8
Three months passed.
Life got quiet.
Good quiet.
I started a nonprofit.
Called it Scarred, Not Broken.
For survivors of burns and domestic abuse.
We paid for reconstructive surgeries for people who couldn’t afford them.
Ran support groups.
Did speaking engagements at schools to teach kids not to bully people who looked different.
Liam funded the whole thing.
But it was my baby.
I ran every part of it.
For the first time in my life, I had a purpose.
Something that was mine.
Something good that came out of all the bad.
I started speaking publicly.
Telling my story.
At first, I was scared.
Scared people would stare at my scars.
Laugh at me.
But they didn’t.
They listened.
They cried.
They came up to me afterward and told me their own stories.
My scars stopped being something I hid.
They became my badge.
My superpower.
People listened to me because of what I’d survived.
They trusted me.
I gained confidence.
Started wearing my hair up, instead of letting it fall over the left side of my face to hide the scars.
Started wearing bright red lipstick. Dresses that showed my arms.
I didn’t care if people stared anymore.
Let them stare.
I was proud of who I was.
Proud of every line on my face.
They told my story.
One night, Liam took me out to dinner at the fancy restaurant where we’d had our first date.
We were sitting by the window, eating dessert, when he got down on one knee.
My heart stopped.
“Audrey,” he said, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket. “Our first wedding was… well, it was memorable. But it wasn’t about us. It was about them.”
He opened the box.
Inside was a ring.
A simple, beautiful gold band.
With a small, perfect diamond set in the center.
And around the band, I saw tiny engravings.
I looked closer.
It was made from the gold of my mom’s locket.
Tears filled my eyes.
“I want a do-over,” Liam said. “A real wedding. Just us, and the people who actually love us. No drama. No lies. Just you and me. Starting our lives together, the way we should have.”
He took a breath.
“Audrey Hale, will you marry me? Again?”
I didn’t even have to think.
I threw my arms around his neck.
“Yes,” I sobbed. “A thousand times yes.”
The whole restaurant started clapping.
Liam slipped the ring on my finger.
It fit perfectly.
May you like
Like it had been made for me.
Which it had.
