9:
501 Words
Since Veronica woke up in the hospital, she hadn't yet seen her reflection in the mirror. Although she was aware of the state of her body due to the accident, she hadn't "felt" the pain on her face because the doctor had injected her with medication to temporarily numb the pain.
Her face was properly wrapped in bandages to protect her open wounds from bacteria, and she was not yet aware of this. Another reason Veronica didn't know the true state of her face was because Javier had instructed the doctors not to tell her. He wanted to be the one to inform the poor woman about her condition and offer her a proposal.
Suddenly, Veronica felt a pang of anxiety. Why did his voice change tone? And why hadn't she thought of looking at her face since she woke up?
She didn't know, but she trembled as she reached for the mirror in his hand. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she slowly lifted the mirror to see her reflection.
Her heart pounded, and she didn't know why she was feeling this way. Perhaps it was because of the serious expression on the man's face in front of her.
She took a deep breath and stared at the face in the mirror she held. She saw a face entirely covered in thick bandages, with only her eyes, nostrils, and mouth visible.
Veronica frowned. Why was her face bandaged? What happened?
She stared even more intently at herself in the mirror. Something was wrong. She saw what seemed like reddened and decaying skin under her eye. She scrutinized herself further.
Her arm lifted to touch her face. Her fingers carefully walked across her skin, feeling the reddened area under her eye.
Rough. Painful. It seemed wounded.
Her fingers wandered to other parts of her face: her cheeks and nose. Her heart pounded harder. Why did her face suddenly hurt now that she was touching it?
Javier watched the woman who had no idea what had happened to her face. He was certain she wouldn't be able to accept the state of her face.
Veronica touched her nose. Her frown deepened. Why couldn't she feel her nose? Her nose had a high bridge, so why couldn't she feel it now?
She felt an inexplicable fear. She really couldn't feel it. All she could touch was the flat nose that wasn't like this before. Anxiety gripped her, so she touched her cheeks as well. Her once-plump cheeks were now sunken. She felt a sting in that area too.
"W-What’s happening to me? Why does my face hurt? Why are there bandages? Where’s my nose? My cheeks, why are they like this?" she asked, panicking.
Her fear intensified when she saw blood on the bandage. "What’s happening to me?!"
Javier took a deep breath and stared into her eyes. "Your face is ruined. It is severely damaged and you need plastic surgery."
His words felt like a bomb exploding in Veronica's ears.
- Writer
