Chapter 2: The Unveiling
341 words
The crash of the metal tray echoed like a gunshot, but it was the nurse’s horrified silence that stopped Elena’s heart. The girl was backing away, staring at Elena’s face as if she were looking at a corpse. The smell of decay was suffocating now, filling the small recovery room.
"Give me a mirror," Elena commanded, her voice trembling but sharp. The panic was a cold stone in her stomach, outweighing the fiery pain in her cheek.
The nurse hesitated, shaking her head. "Ms. Vance, you shouldn't—"
"Mirror! Now!" Elena screamed, the effort sending a fresh spike of agony through her skull.
Thorne re-entered, annoyed by the noise. He snatched a hand mirror from the counter and thrust it at her. "Drama suits you ill, Elena. Look."
Elena lifted the glass. The scream died in her throat. The left side of her face was a ruin. The skin was black and purple, swollen to twice its size, the tissue clearly necrotic. It wasn't just asymmetry; it was butchery. The facial reconstruction cost her life savings, and he had destroyed her.
"You did this," she whispered, touching the cold glass. "You ruined me."
Thorne laughed, a dry, humorless sound. "I performed a textbook procedure. You, clearly, have poor hygiene. You likely introduced bacteria to the site immediately after waking. I won't be blamed for your filth."
"You wouldn't listen about the pain!" Elena shrieked, swinging her legs off the bed. "I need a medical malpractice lawyer. I’m going to bury you!"
Thorne’s face hardened. He snapped his fingers, and two burly security guards materialized in the doorway. "Escort Ms. Vance out. She is disturbing the paying clientele."
As the guards grabbed her arms, dragging her barefoot across the cold floor, Thorne stepped into her path. He shoved a clipboard into her chest. "Sign this. It authorizes a corrective procedure. I'm feeling generous."
Elena squinted at the text through her tears. It wasn't a surgery consent form. It was a liability release, absolving him of all fault.
End of Chapter 2
