Ashes of Beauty, Her Fiancé Lit the Fire

Chapter 1

The day before the international modeling competition, I was locked inside my burning house.

When they finally pulled me out, my face was barely recognizable, skin melted and burned beyond repair.

Outside the operating room, my mom was a wreck, crying hysterically, blaming herself for locking the door by accident.

My fiancé, Jack, was doing everything he could to fix me, throwing every dermatologist in the city at the problem, promising to restore my looks.

But then, standing just outside the door, I overheard my mom's voice, hesitant and unsure.

"Jack, are you sure about this? Setting the fire and locking Lily in... even if it helps Coco win, isn't this... too much?"

Jack's laugh was bitter and cold. "If Lily hadn't been so vain and selfish, I wouldn't have had to go this far. She knew Coco was dealing with depression, yet she kept showing off her perfect figure in front of her. She's only losing a little skin and a face, but Coco could lose her happiness. This is what Lily owes her."

"Don't worry," Jack continued, his voice smug. "I'll still marry her. With the title of Mrs. Thompson, even if she's disfigured, no one will dare talk. I've done more than enough for her, she should be grateful."

Destroying my health, my career, this was his idea of being 'good' to me?

I felt the icy sting of betrayal in my chest.

The man I loved. The mother who had always been there for me.

I didn't want either of them anymore.

...

"Don't start the surgery. Tell the specialists to wait outside."

The doctor froze mid-motion, one glove already on. "Mr. Thompson, Miss Turner's burns are extensive. Her throat's been severely damaged by smoke inhalation. If we delay the operation, she could lose her voice permanently, and her face, her skin… it might never recover."

My mom wavered, clearly torn. "Jack, Lily's hurt so badly. She can't possibly compete in the modeling show tomorrow anyway. Maybe we should just, "

"She won't be able to compete, but she'll still try to ruin it for Coco." Jack cut her off, his tone flat and merciless. "That girl's too vain, too spiteful. Even if she doesn't win, she'll find a way to sabotage Coco. Unless she's half-dead, she won't stop. This… this is the only way to break that toxic streak of hers. It's for her own good."

He dipped a cotton swab into a little bowl of water and gently touched it to my bleeding lips.

His touch was soft, but his words sliced straight through me.

"I promised Coco this crown would be hers. No one, not even Lily, is going to stand in her way."

My mom exhaled slowly, her resistance melting. She turned to the doctor and said, almost too calmly, "Just give her something for the pain. Clean the wounds, but don't make her suffer more than necessary."

Not a single one of them noticed how I was shaking, how every word out of their mouths felt like a knife to the chest.

So the fire... it wasn't an accident.

Jack did this. He planned it. All of it.

And Mom, my own mother, stood by and let it happen.

They had both been outside that locked door, listening to me scream and beg as the flames closed in… and they felt relieved.

Relieved that I was finally out of Coco's way.

A violent pain surged in my chest, and I suddenly coughed, blood spilling from my throat, sharp and metallic, like shards of glass cutting their way out.

Mom gasped, reaching for me, only to realize there wasn't a single inch of my body she could touch without hurting me more.

Tears streamed down her face. "Baby, Mommy's here, okay? I know it hurts… but I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Jack's temper flared. He barked at the staff, "Where the hell are the dermatologists? If something happens to my wife, your entire hospital's going under."

The doctor flinched. "We've been trying, sir, but there was a multi-car collision on the interstate. They're stuck in traffic and won't arrive until tomorrow morning at the earliest."

Jack lost it and kicked the metal cart beside him, sending it clattering across the room. "Then get the hell out of my sight."

And just like that, he turned back to me with a completely different expression, his voice tender, his eyes full of fake remorse.

He crouched beside the bed, brushing my hair back like he hadn't just ordered my suffering a few minutes ago.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he murmured. "This is all my fault. I should've been there sooner. I should've protected you. But don't worry, okay? I'm gonna fix this. No matter what it costs, I'll make you beautiful again. You'll be back on that runway, just like before."

I stared at him, my eyes dry, my heart completely numb.

His performance was Oscar-worthy.

And I used to believe every word.

"Will I really get better?" I asked, my voice hoarse and shaky.

He nodded eagerly. "Of course. I promise. You will."

But all I could do was smile bitterly.

Because I finally understood, I'd never been anything but a stepping stone in someone else's fairytale.

And now that I was broken… they were just sweeping the pieces aside.