was my world. I was a jewelry designer, and my days were filled with creating beautiful things and c

e doctors at the hospital spoke in low, serious t

eeds extensive skin grafts. To avoid scarring, they recomme

e. "Of course. W

the effective ones give me terrible reactions. But the thought of my

patch of skin from my thigh. Each pull, each slice, sent a wave of fire through my body. Mark held my hand,

ecame a patchwork of healing wounds, eac

. The house was quiet. I walked towards the living room and s

again, Dad? Aunt Scarlett sai

myself against the wall, my h

look her best for her new movie. We can't have any mistakes. And your

e Aunt Scarlett so much more. She'

, his voice full of a promise

" were a lie. My pain, my sacrifice, was not for my son. It was to provide my twin sister, Scarlett, w

My husband and my

of deceit. The love I felt was a one-way street. Heartbreak wasn

o stifle a sob. The scars on my thighs and back suddenly b

at myself in the mirror. The woman staring bac

sage from Scarlett. It was a picture of

ft, sis. You were

way with this. I wasn't just going to be heartbroken. I was go

from my past. Ethan Reed. A college peer who had moved abroad and started his own design fir

ted an

er still on the table?

message from my sent folder a

d on the bedroom door. "Ava? Ar

g my face into a mask of tired

id, forcing a weak smile. "The las

my skin crawl. "You're so strong, Ava. The stron

forming in my mind. He had no idea wh

his phone lit up. He tiptoed out of the ro

g... Yeah, she's sleeping n

is words fuel the fire inside me. He thou