The limousine pulled up to the imposing facade of Mendez Hospital, its sleek black exterior a stark contrast to the bustling cityscape of Manila. Mariana, her heart pounding in her chest, took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the leather strap of her handbag. This was it. This was the moment she had been dreading, the moment she had been avoiding for months.
She reached for the door handle, her hand trembling slightly. She glanced at her reflection in the tinted window, her eyes meeting her own in a silent confrontation. The sunglasses, a necessity to hide the keloids that scarred her face, obscured her gaze, but they couldn't hide the fear that flickered in her eyes.
The face mask, a constant companion since the terrible incident, felt suffocating, a physical manifestat
