Chapter 9 - Behind the Bandages
|
At noon, the chief reconstructive surgeon entered my room to inspect the burn sites and change my facial dressings. He was a sleek, overly polished man in his fifties named Dr. Harrison—the very man Rachel had warned me was paid off by Victor Mercer.
"Now, Maya," Dr. Harrison purred, his voice dripping with practiced, fake sympathy as he snipped the medical tape behind my head. "We're going to take a look at the tissue integration. I must prepare you... the damage is quite extensive. The chemical structure of the compound caused deep dermal destruction."
As he slowly peeled the heavy cotton layers away, the cool hospital air struck the right side of my face. A sharp, icy sting radiated across my cheekbone, temple, and jawline.
He brought a small hand mirror toward my face. "Do you want to see?"
"Yes," I said, my voice deadpan.
He handed me the mirror.
I looked at my reflection.
The right side of my face was a horrifying landscape of raw, deep crimson skin, raised scar tissue, and blistering burns that ran from just beneath my right eye down to the edge of my collarbone. The smooth, symmetrical features that had made me a cover model were gone, replaced by a jagged map of violence.
Dr. Harrison watched me closely, expecting me to burst into hysterical tears, expecting me to collapse into despair just as Logan had planned.
Instead, I stared at the mirror for ten long seconds, my left eye wide, my right eye narrowed against the tightness of the scar tissue.
I didn't cry. I didn't scream.
The reflection looking back at me was no longer Maya Carter, the sweet, naive girl from Brooklyn who believed in fairy tales and red carpets. The woman in the mirror was a survivor forged in fire.
"It's perfect," I whispered.
Dr. Harrison blinked in shock. "I... I beg your pardon?"
May you like
"It's a very clear picture, Doctor," I said, setting the mirror down on the tray. "It shows exactly what kind of monster Logan Vance really is."
Before Harrison could digest my words, the door swung open, and Rachel Mercer stepped inside, disguised in a dark blue paramedic uniform.
