All Chapters of UGLY SCARS: Chapter 31 - Chapter 39

JAKE POV“Brother, please, I don’t want you to do something reckless. He’s not worth—”“I said give me his fucking address, Audrina!” I snapped. “Don’t make me repeat myself again.”My voice cracked from the weight of it. Pain. Rage. Guilt. It poured out of me like a flood I couldn’t stop.She flinched. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hand still wrapped tightly in mine. I saw the tremble in her lips as she finally gave in.“Okay… I’ll give it to you.”“Fast,” I growled. My chest was on fire. My hand trembled as I gripped hers. Not too hard. But I needed something to hold onto before I exploded.“But only if you promise me, brother. Promise you won’t do anything reckless. Please.” Her voice cracked. “I don’t wanna lose you.”That I won’t do something reckless? What the hell does that even mean? Was I supposed to go there and hand that bastard a bouquet of flowers?“I’ll try.”She grabbed my hand tighter. “If anything happens to you, Jake… I promise I’ll kill myself.”I froze.“It’s ok

LIZ POV. Sundays were supposed to be peaceful, but peace wasn’t what I felt. I’d slept through most of the morning with Hazel, both of us curled up in silence like two broken dolls. For me, sleep was the only way to run away from reality. From the pain I felt in my heart—this gaping hole Jake left in my chest. I kept telling myself it didn’t matter. That last night was just a dream. That maybe he didn’t mean it when he said I was just a maid. Maybe he was angry. Maybe he’d change his mind.But he didn’t. And he wouldn’t.****After lunch, we sat on our beds. Quiet. Heavy. Hazel was clutching that picture again—the one she always carried like it was special. She didn’t even notice me watching her. She just stared at it like it held the answers to everything she ever lost. Sometimes she’d smile at it. Other times, she’d look like she was about to cry. I hated that picture—she hardly even smiled at me. But that damn picture? Whoever was in it, they meant the world to her. I cleared

JAKE POV. That night, I’d heard the knock. Not once. Not twice. Four goddamn times. And each time, I sat there, staring at the door like a coward. Heart pounding—fist clenched. Back pressed against the headboard like I needed the wood to hold me down or I’d do something stupid—like open it and pull her straight into my arms.But right before the fifth knock could land, I opened it. I didn’t even think. Her hand was already mid-air. For a second, her face lit up—hopeful.But I shut it all down. I crushed it before she could speak. I told myself it was the right thing to do. That if I wanted to keep her safe from this hellhole of a family, I had to push her away. Be cruel. Be heartless. Anything to make her stay away from me. For now, at least. She’s too soft. Too pure. Too fucking good for all of this. But when I closed that door, I swear, it felt like I’d shut something in me too.I stayed up all night. Sleep? Forget it. I kept seeing her face.The way her eyes watered. The way her

HAZEL POV. We got home together that night. I didn’t go far—just stepped out to the garden. I needed a second to breathe, to clear my head, to pull myself together.I didn’t want Liz to see me crying. I didn’t want her to see me weak.But when I got back in, I noticed she wasn’t in the room when I came back in. I wondered where she was, but I couldn’t think straight. Not after the hospital. Not after everything that happened in the hospital today. All I could think about was my dying mother and how I was supposed to save her.That’s when the knock came. Knock knock.I opened the door, blinking. “Madam Oliv—”Before I could even finish, she cut me off. “Hazel,” she said firmly, “if you care about Liz, you have to warn her seriously.”I froze.Madam Olivia? Of all reasons, Madam Olivia showed up at my door to warn me about Liz?The other maids always had stories about her—cold, stern, heartless. But not to me. She liked me from the moment I walked into this mansion as a maid. I never

LIZ POV. “Lizzy Brown, will you do me the honor… of being my girlfriend?”My breath caught in my throat. Wait—what? Did Jake Blackwell just ask me to be his girlfriend?!I blinked, staring at him in disbelief, then actually pinched myself—hard to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The sting confirmed it for me, but I still couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Jake? Jake Blackwell just asked me to be his girlfriend—here and now. I was so stunned I forgot how to speak. Jake tilted his head, smirking—like he already knew the answer. I mean—of course he did. But he still had to do all this. The date, the dress, the gift—he made me feel like a proper woman, and not just a maid who cleaned his mansion. “So… what will it be?” he asked casually, like he didn’t already know I was dying to be his girlfriend.“Yes!” I gasped, way too loud. “Yes, yes, yes! I’ll be your girlfriend!”Heads turned. A few people clapped. Someone gasped. An older woman at the next table whispered loud enough for us to h