All Chapters of UGLY SCARS: Chapter 71 - Chapter 76

VIVIAN POV. Life in jail was hell. The walls smelled like sweat, fear, and regret. The air was damp and heavy, clinging to my skin like it wanted to choke me. The food tasted like cardboard, and the nights dragged on forever with screams echoing from other cells, each one a reminder that I wasn’t alone in my misery—but still, I was.There’s a rhythm to jail, a cycle that grinds you down. Wake up. Count. Eat. Work. Count again. Sleep—if you can sleep through the crying, the shouting, the endless clanging of metal doors. Repeat until your sanity starts peeling away like rust.But none of that compared to the ache inside me—the wound Victoria left when she came. I hated her for it. Hated that she dared to look at me with pity. Hated that she said sorry. Hated even more that she forgave me.Why doesn’t she hate me? Why does she always have to stand on some shining, self-righteous pedestal while I rot in the dirt? For one stupid second, I almost felt regret. Almost. And that made me feel

VICTORIA POV. The cemetery was quiet, the kind of quiet that pressed on your chest and reminded you of everything you lost. I knelt in front of my mother’s grave, flowers shaking in my trembling hands. My tears spilled before the petals even touched the dirt.“Mom…” My voice cracked, broken. “It’s over now.”Hazel, Jake, and Michael stood behind me, giving me space. They didn’t move. They knew this moment wasn’t theirs.“I know it doesn’t erase the pain you went through,” I whispered, staring at her name carved in stone. “But justice has finally been served.”I laid the flowers gently. My chest caved in. “You can rest now, Mom.”The sob that broke from me was raw, ugly. It ripped through me. My hands curled into fists against the earth. Why did it still hurt so much?Yesterday, the judge had delivered his verdict. Vivian—fifty years without parole. My stepmother—twenty years for second-degree murder. My father—ten years for obstruction of justice. Mike and Vivian’s accomplices—thirty

VICTORIA POV. A MONTH LATER—I stood in front of the mirror, breath hitching at my own reflection. The white ball gown made me look like a princess—like a dream—off-shoulder, sweeping the floor, glittering with tiny stones that caught the light like scattered stars. My hair was swept into a Cinderella bun, my veil resting delicately behind me. The makeup was flawless. For the first time in forever, I didn’t see the broken, wounded girl. I saw a bride.Audrina clutched her chest dramatically. “Oh my God… you look too beautiful, Victoria.”Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Thank you,” I whispered, trying to calm my racing heart.The door burst open. Hazel stormed in, breathless “It’s time…” Then she froze. “Oh. My. God!” Her eyes widened as she approached slowly. “Victoria, you look… stunning.”I bowed playfully. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Sterling.”Hazel actually blushed, and Audrina and I laughed.“Don’t do that,” Hazel scolded softly, resting her hands on my shoulders. “Today is about you.