Semua Bab UGLY SCARS: Bab 41 - Bab 50

ARIANA POV. “Jake, don’t…” I had stopped him from running after that maid. He didn’t even look at me. Just brushed past like I wasn’t standing right there, like I was nothing but air. His jaw clenched, that angry muscle ticking in his cheek, and then—he stormed up the stairs. No glance back. No hesitation. He walked straight to his room, and slammed his door shut.And me? I stood there frozen. My legs numb. My heart pounding. What the hell just happened?Was that really Jake right now? My Jake? The Jake who used to hold my hand in middle school. The Jake who kissed me then like I meant the world to him. The Jake who used to fight boys twice his size for bullying me in the hallway.He used to protect me, and love me like I was his whole world. But tonight? He looked at me like I was a stranger. And worse—he looked at her like she was everything.That maid. That nobody—Liz. I wonder what she’s done to him. He never even looked at me like that. Not once. Not when we were young and stu

JAKE POV. I tore the mask off.“Is this what you really want?!”Ariana froze like a damn statue. The gun slipped from her fingers and hit the ground. Her hands flew to her mouth as her eyes locked on my face—on the scars.“Oh my God…” Her voice cracked. “Jake… what have you done?”Her tears came fast. But mine were already there, hot and bitter.“Is this what you wanna wake up to every morning?” My voice broke. I was burning inside, suffocating in shame. I’d sworn no one would ever see me like this. This wasn’t even how I’d planned to show Liz—not yet. Not now. I didn’t even wanna look at her. But from the corner of my eye, I saw it—her hands covering her mouth, her shoulders trembling. She was crying too.“I tried telling you, Ari. I tried. But you wouldn’t listen…” I whispered, the pain slicing through my throat. My knees hit the ground. “You told me once you were addicted to my face. Said it was your drug. Well… it’s gone now. Just scars. So please—go find someone whole.”“I’m so

HAZEL POV. I saw everything that night. The second that gunshot rang out, I bolted. My legs moved before my mind did. I ran straight for the garden, heart pounding, dread clawing at my spine.And there they were. Jake, Liz, and Ariana. Jake had his back to me. His hand out, trembling slightly. Liz was frozen. And Ariana… she looked like the devil. Holding a gun—aimed right at Liz.But then Jake did it—he took off the mask. And I saw his face. All of it. The side he always kept hidden, even from the world that once worshipped him. The scars—it was brutal. The lines were jagged, uneven… a silent kind of suffering.My breath caught. I didn’t think I was supposed to see that, but I did. He dropped the mask like it was nothing—just to save her.The moment Liz didn’t get shot, I turned and ran as fast as I could. Quietly—I didn’t want them to know I’d seen. That I’d witnessed something that intimate… something that sacred. But one thing I definitely knew for sure—that man loved her.And i

HAZEL POV.I still remember how I felt on my first day at the Sterling mansion. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. My chest felt tight, making it hard for me to breathe. It felt like I was walking into a whole new universe. Every surface gleamed luxury. The tiles, the interior decor—intimidating. This wasn’t my first maid job, but it felt like an upgrade. I’d only taken it because the pay was almost too good to be true, and I needed every damn dollar for my mother’s hospital bills. She was the only reason I even agreed to work in a place so above me I could barely breathe right.“Don’t talk too much. Don’t talk too loud. Don’t look them in the eyes. Stay small,” the head maid hissed, slapping a folded cleaner’s uniform into my hand.I gripped the uniform tightly. “Yes, ma’am.”“You may resume immediately. Change at the maid’s quarters—now.”I turned to go, heart pounding. The mansion was a maze of perfection—white marbled floors, chandelier lights, expensive silence hanging between the

HAZEL POV.Two years—that’s how long I managed to stay buried. Two whole years since that night. Since I almost lost my life. Since Victoria Langston saved my life, and told me to disappear. So I did.I spent every day of my life running and hiding. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. The Sterling name? It tasted like poison on my tongue. The Langstons? Worse. If the Sterlings were fire, the Langstons were ice. And both burned.But the Blackwells? They were different. Untouchable. Powerful enough to stand toe-to-toe with the Langston empire—and just as ruthless.More importantly, they hated the Langstons. So when I saw the Blackwell mansion was hiring? I didn’t even hesitate.They paid well. Didn’t ask too many questions. And they had zero ties to either family that ruined my life. It was the safest option I had.I walked in with a lie on my lips and desperation in my eyes. They didn’t dig too deep. Didn’t care much about who I was before.“You’ll be staying in the maids’ quarters,” the h