Chapter 14

Camille's point of view

Victoria watched with unreadable eyes as Dr. Torres led me to the large bathroom. A white cloth covered the full-

length mirror. The doctor positioned me carefully, standing slightly behind my right shoulder.

"Remember," she said gently, "what you see today is still healing. There's swelling, bruising. The final results. won't be visible for weeks. But you'll get a first impression of your new appearance."

With that, she pulled away the cloth.

I gasped.

The woman in the mirror was me, but not me. My face but enhanced in ways that transformed my entire appearance. My cheekbones cast elegant shadows beneath them, giving my face a sculpted quality it ha Even through residual swelling and

faint bruising, I could see the changes Dr. Torres had created. Subtle Individually, powerful collectively. My lips had a new definition, not obviously augmented but somehow more present. My nose, always slight a perfect straight bridge.

I raised a hand to my face, watching my reflection do the same. The stranger in the mirror touched her cheek with trembling fingers.

"What do you think?" Dr. Torres asked quietly.

Words failed me. This new face looked.. strong. Confident. The kind of face that belonged on magazine covers or in boardrooms. The kind of face people remembered.

"It's..." I swallowed hard. "I hardly recognize myself."

"That's partly the swelling," Dr. Torres assured me. "And partly the shock of change. Your brain needs time to adjust to the new image. In a few

weeks, this will feel like you. The real you."

But which me was real? The woman I'd been before, or this new creation designed for power?

stepped forward, studying my reflection with critical eyes. Then, something rare happened, she smiled. A genuine expression of

suppress. I shouldn't crave her validation this way. Shouldn't feel this rush of pleasure at her acceptance. Yet I did. Dr. Torres detailed the continuing care

listened with half an ear, still captivated by the stranger in the mirror who now wore my

Torres had gone, I sat alone in the

reaching for the small hand mirror beside my bed, checking to see

seen

time, those new eyes looked back at me, harder, sharper, more penetrating than the eyes I'd known all my life. Eyes that no longer pleaded for love or acceptance. Eyes that demanded respect. As night deepened,

the darkness behind my eyelids, Dreams

Rose," her perfect face contorted with fear. Between us, a

e until her back

her, my new face reflected in her terrified eyes. She kept retreating hit the

took everything

cold as the rain drenching us both. "My husband. My family. My

terror in her voice as the railing began giving way behind her. "I'll fix

scream cutting off as she hit the surface and dis 1 should have

broke the surface

the sound of the railing breaking, Rose's scream as she fell. But what disturbed me most wasn't I hadn't wanted to

to the bathroom, where splashed cold water on my face, my new face, before looking up at

yellow. Something in my eyes had changed too. Something

suddenly afraid of what I saw there. Not the physical changes, but the transformation

who could dream of her

of the night. I sat by the window, watching city

was shifting within me. Something that might be Two more days passed in the recovery suite before Victoria declared it time to return to the mansion. The bruising had faded enough to be

As James drove us

officially announce you as my heir at next quarter's shareholders meeting. We'll need professional portraits before then. Dr. To I

disinterest or distraction," Victoria observed, setting aside her tablet. "Which is it?" I turned from the window to face her. "I had a dream about Rose. About watching her drown and..

expected judgment, perhaps even concern about my psychological state. Instead, Victoria's expression

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