When She Rose From the Ashes

Chapter 41 A New Face

He remembered how, even in the middle of surgery, Natalie had murmured Jensen’s name over and over again. The thought made his chest blaze with fury, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.

Natalie noticed the shift immediately and rushed to explain. “That’s not what I meant. I-”

“Enough,” Baron interrupted. “Whatever you meant to say, whatever you think you’re feeling-let it go. If you want to fully recover, it’ll take a long time. Rest and surgery. I’ve already contacted Witch Doctor. Once your body’s stable, he’ll perform the skin grafts. Your face might not look the same afterward. But if you want it to, Witch Doctor might be able to restore it.”

Natalie paused.

She raised a hand instinctively, trying to touch her face-but she stopped halfway and let it drop again.

Her skin couldn’t handle the pressure. Even a light touch could cause damage.

What is she now, really?

A monster? A child would cry just looking at her.

If she’d survived, it was only because of Baron.

She owed him her life.

But since the fire hadn’t killed her, she wasn’t going to let what Sharon and Jensen did slide.

The old Natalie was gone. Whether her face could be restored or not didn’t matter anymore.

“Baron, I want a new face.”

Before she turned eighteen, she was the misidentified daughter of the Summers family. After that, she was the gilded canary Jensen kept under lock and key.

she never relied on Jensen for support-and even sacrificed everything for him-in the public eye, she was always

fire at twenty-three severed her from Jensen forever-and left scars she couldn’t

would belong to no one but

the determination in her eyes and finally relaxed

reconstruction are painful. The process is long

it’s all I have to offer. Witch Doctor never helps anyone without a price. You can contact him for me, but

rules Witch

with that later. First, focus on healing for the next month. Don’t

“Okay.”

1/3

Natalie nodded.

your eyes and rest. That’s what you need right now. If the pain

She shook her head.

this pain. Every

lip. Her eyes were steely. But when she looked at Baron again, there was a flicker

I made you something to thank you. It might be the last piece I ever

He froze.

mentioning a gift last time they’d met-but he had assumed it was just something she’d said in passing. Now it turned out she hadn’t been

you make

bloomed in his chest-mixed with a flicker of joy he didn’t

A gift?

years since

different from the things he demanded

Natalie had

was so clear, so focused, that Natalie felt like she was staring into the eyes of

couldn’t help but smile a little, even though it hurt. There was a warmth