Scars of the Past Chapter 2

But as long as he could give my dad a fighting chance, I would take anything.

In a flash, he looked away.

"You must be Mr. Miller's family. Please, have a seat."

His voice was cold and distant.

I remembered he had this unapproachable aura when I first pursued him, too.

He gestured to the chair opposite him with his chin, then...

Went back to writing.

Was he—

Pretending not to recognize me?

The thought flashed through my mind but was instantly dismissed.

How could he pretend in front of someone he loathed?

He was proud. When he got tired of my chasing back then, he would just turn and leave without a word.

But thinking about it, maybe he really didn't recognize me.

I was wearing a mask, and I had bangs now.

So many years had passed.

My heart, suspended in my throat, slowly settled.

After sitting down, my eyes involuntarily drifted to his terrifying hands.

The raised scars from the burn were stark against his pale skin.

My heart clenched.

The pain buried deep inside resurfaced.

Back then, a girl in my lab group caused a flash fire due to improper handling. Flames erupted instantly.

Julian was right next to me.

His reaction was lightning fast. He shielded my face with his hands.

In that instant, his skin burned away, revealing horrifying red flesh. It was terrifying.

I cried and asked him why he did it.

He lowered his head, wiped my tears, and looked straight into my eyes.

"Because it's you, I'd do anything."

Those scars made me certain about Julian.

So much so that on the day I broke up with him, I used those very scars to end it.

The vicious words still echoed in my ears.

"You know, every time I see your hands, I feel sick to my stomach."

"I can't stand it for another day."

He must hate me to death.

The scars he bore for me were met with such cruelty.

...

"Miss Miller?"

I didn't know when Julian had looked up, but his gaze was fixed on my face.

"Yes."

He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, noticing where I was staring.

"My hands won't cause you any physiological discomfort, will they?"