{"id":26828,"date":"2026-01-17T21:12:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T21:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=26828"},"modified":"2026-01-17T21:12:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T21:12:27","slug":"i-was-recovering-from-reconstructive-surgery-after-a-fire-my-boyfriend-peeled-back-the-gauze-took-one-look-at-my-scarred-face-and-vomited-on-the-floor-you-look-like-a-monster-he","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=26828","title":{"rendered":"I was recovering from reconstructive surgery after a fire. My boyfriend peeled back the gauze, took one look at my scarred face, and vomited on the floor. \u201cYou look like a monster!\u201d he yelled, backhanding me across my sensitive skin. \u201cI can\u2019t be seen with this!\u201d He started packing his things, throwing my clothes into the trash can. He didn\u2019t know that my wealthy grandfather had just arrived to see me, and he was watching from the window\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 1: The Bandage and the Barrier<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou look like a monster! I can\u2019t be seen with this!\u201d He didn\u2019t know that the monster wasn\u2019t the woman in the hospital bed, but the man standing beside it\u2014and the only person who could tame monsters had just walked into the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The smell of the burn unit was distinctive: antiseptic, saline, and the underlying, metallic scent of singed things. My room was private, a glass-walled box overlooking a gray Chicago skyline that matched the color of my spirit. I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands trembling as they rested on the white sheets.<\/span><\/p>\n

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My face was wrapped in thick, white gauze. It felt like a mask, heavy and suffocating. Underneath, my skin was a battlefield of raw nerves and fresh grafts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStop shaking, Elena,\u201d Mark snapped from the corner of the room.<\/span><\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t looking at me. He was looking at his reflection in the darkened monitor, adjusting the knot of his silk tie. He was dressed for a gala\u2014a charity event for burn victims, ironically enough. A photo op he couldn\u2019t afford to miss.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Chapter 1: The Bandage and the Barrier \u201cYou look like a monster! I can\u2019t be seen with this!\u201d He didn\u2019t know that the monster wasn\u2019t the woman in the hospital bed, but the man standing beside it\u2014and the only person who could tame monsters had just walked into the room. The smell of the burn…<\/p>\n

Read More “I was recovering from reconstructive surgery after a fire. My boyfriend peeled back the gauze, took one look at my scarred face, and vomited on the floor. \u201cYou look like a monster!\u201d he yelled, backhanding me across my sensitive skin. \u201cI can\u2019t be seen with this!\u201d He started packing his things, throwing my clothes into the trash can. He didn\u2019t know that my wealthy grandfather had just arrived to see me, and he was watching from the window\u2026”<\/span> »<\/a><\/p>\n

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