The day before the model competition, I found myself locked inside my house as it went up in flames. By the time they rescued me, my face was torn and scorched and most of my body was severely burned. Outside the operating room, my mother was crying like her heart had shattered, blaming herself over and over for accidentally locking the door. My fiancé pulled every string he could, rallying all the top dermatologists in the city, swearing he'd restore my face to the way it was.

However, just as I was being wheeled into surgery, I heard my mother's hesitant voice through the door. "Jacob, even if it's to help Kimmy win the modeling contest, wasn't it too cruel to set the fire and lock the door, leaving Lily disfigured like that?"

Jacob Todd let out a cold laugh. "If Lily weren't so vain and selfish, I wouldn't have had to go this far. She knew Kimmy had depression, but she kept flaunting her perfect figure in front of her. All she lost was her face and skin. Meanwhile, Kimmy lost her happiness. Lily owed her. Don't worry, I'll still marry Lily. Once she has the title of Mrs. Todd, even if she looks like a monster, no one will dare talk. I'm being so good to her; she should be grateful."

Is destroying my health and career being "good" to me? I gritted my teeth, a mix of coldness and pain tearing through my heart. The man I loved deeply, the mother who doted on me—I wanted neither of them anymore.

***

"Hold off on the surgery. Get all the specialists out of the room. Let them wait," Jacob ordered.

The doctor, who had just put on his gloves, looked surprised. "Mr. Todd, Miss Stewart's burns are too severe. Her trachea has also been damaged by the smoke. If we don't operate immediately, she'll not only become mute, but her face and skin will be completely ruined."

Hearing this, my mother seemed to soften. "Jacob, Lily is so badly hurt; she definitely can't participate in the model competition tomorrow. Why not just let her have the surgery … "

"If she's ruined, so be it. Suppose we operate now with her vain and selfish personality, even if she can't win. In that case, she'll find a way to sabotage Kimmy. The only way to stop her is to break her spirit completely. This is for her own good. She needs to be taught a lesson."

He picked up a damp cotton swab and gently dabbed it on my cracked lips. His touch was soft, but his words cut deeper than any wound. "I promised Kimmy. She has to win this modelling contest. I won't let anyone stand in her way."

My mother let out a small sigh and turned to the doctor. "At least ease her pain. Just clean and disinfect her burns. Be gentle, don't let her suffer too much."

No one noticed how hard I was shaking as my soul had just been stabbed right through. So, it wasn't an accident after all. The fire that nearly killed me was all part of their plan. The man I loved set me up just to clear the way for Kimberly. Even my usually doting mother was an accomplice.

They stood at the door, indifferent to my desperate cries for help from the other side, their minds filled with relief that I was finally ruined. The pain crushed my chest. My raw throat convulsed and I coughed up a mouthful of blood. My mother hurriedly reached out but then realized there was nowhere on my body she could touch. Her eyes welled up with tears of distress. "Baby, Mommy's here. It hurts, doesn't it? Don't be scared. Mommy's not going anywhere."

Jacob lost his temper and snapped, "Where the hell are those skin specialists? If anything happens to my wife, your whole hospital is done!"

The doctor, who had obviously been briefed, explained obsequiously, "Mr. Todd, we've been urging them. There was a traffic accident on the way and the road was blocked. The earliest they can arrive is tomorrow."

Jacob kicked him out of the way. "Get lost!"

Jacob turned back, a face full of fake guilt as he squatted down in front of me. "Babe, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault for being so late and making you suffer so much. Don't worry. No matter what it takes, I'll definitely fix your skin and face. I'll get you back on that runway."

I stared blankly at his Oscar-worthy performance, a bitter taste in my mouth. "Can I really get better?"

"Yes, you absolutely can." His confidence lies just made me feel like a complete idiot. To get rid of me, this obstacle in Kimberly's way, this man who went from school uniforms to wedding vows with me, who swore he'd love me forever, used lie after lie to push me to my breaking point. Even my mother, who'd treasured me like a princess since I was little, had chosen to raise the knife for Kimmy, the two-faced adopted daughter she favored more than her own blood.

At that moment, I really wanted to scream at them, to ask why they were being so cruel to me. Alas, all the words just froze in my ice-cold heart, turning into dead silence. A few doctors walked over with antiseptic, their faces showing pity and sympathy as they looked at my horribly burned body. "Miss Stewart, the specialist hasn't arrived yet. We'll have to disinfect the wounds first. It's going to hurt a bit. Please bear with it."

Still, "a bit" was a joke. The moment the disinfectant touched my skin, the pain shot through my body like fire. It felt like I was being thrown into the flames all over again. My fragile veins burst open and the entire bed was soaked with blood and pus. My mother stood there watching, clutching her mouth, her whole body shaking as she sobbed. Jacob's eyes were red. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white like he wished he could take the pain for me. Their concern looked so real, but I knew the truth. It was all fake. The only real things were the lies and the pain.

When I woke up again, two days had passed. I could hear Jacob and my mother talking outside the ward door. "Jacob, Lily's condition is already this bad. We've been delaying treatment for two days. Do we really have to give her that new experimental psychiatric drug? The doctor said the drug hasn't been fully tested yet. The side effects could be seizures and incontinence."

After a few seconds of silence, Jacob's voice was firm. "That's exactly the side effect we want. Today is Kimmy's celebration party and a lot of important people will be there. Anyway, Lily is already a mess; a little more embarrassment won't hurt. Only when she's completely lost her dignity will she not compete with Kimmy. After tomorrow, I'll announce our engagement. That can be considered my compensation to her."

After speaking, he carefully instructed, "Mom, have those specialist doctors wait outside the house. As soon as the celebration banquet ends, they can treat Lily."

My mother agreed immediately. I stared blankly at the ceiling as silent tears streamed down my cheeks. The salt stung the open wounds on my face, sending waves of sharp, searing pain through me. Still, none of it compared to the pain in my chest.

These were the two people closest to me. They knew how weak and sickly I'd been since I was a kid. They saw how hard I worked and how much I gave up to become a model. Now, just with a few careless words, they had destroyed my lifelong dream. If I had known I would end up like this, I would have instead been burned to death in that fire.

The hospital room door was pushed open. Jacob saw I was awake and handed me two pills with a look of tenderness. "Babe, I just asked the doctor. This is a new painkiller the hospital developed. It has no side effects and will help ease your pain a lot."

I lowered my eyes to look at the two bright red pills, my throat feeling like it was full of rust. My voice was hoarse as I spoke, "Jacob, the medicine is too bitter. I don't want to take it."

Jacob hesitated for only a couple of seconds before smiling and squeezing my hand. "Seeing you suffer every day breaks my heart. Can you bear to see your husband in pain? Please, honey, just do it for me."

Before I could even say no, Jacob shoved the pills toward my lips. "Come on, be a good girl. Let hubby feed you."

The bitter medicine slipped into my mouth as he half-forced it in. That sticky, nauseating taste spread instantly and the next thing I knew, the world spun around me. Taking advantage of my dizziness, Jacob grabbed my hand. "Honey, today's Kimmy's celebration party. Her biggest wish is to get your blessing. If you don't show up, people on the outside will start rumours about you being petty and not accepting your adopted sister. I'll go. Just get my clothes ready."

I knew Jacob had everything planned out. He wasn't going to give me an opening to say no anyway, so there was no point in arguing. Just then, my mother walked in and caught the end of our conversation. Her face lit up. "My sweet girl, I knew you were the sensible one. Once Kimmy's celebration is over, I'll personally organize your wedding with Jacob," she added with a smile.

I numbly pulled my hand back. At that moment, my heart felt like it had turned to ash. The car arrived at the house quickly. The moment I was helped out of the car, countless camera flashes suddenly swarmed me. I panicked and reached for Mom's hand but grabbed nothing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her walking quickly away with Kimberly in her arms, not even sparing me a glance. My face turned pale. I lowered my head, clutching my hat tightly.

"Miss Stewart, we heard you were afraid your own sister would win the modelling competition, so you deliberately started a fire to burn her to death, but it backfired and you ended up burning yourself. Is that true?"

"Miss Stewart, someone as vicious as you still dare to come to your sister's celebration party? Don't you have any shame?"

"Miss Stewart, you're so good at twisting on the runway. How could you be afraid of losing your sister? Is it because the sugar daddies you're serving aren't satisfied?"

As one of the reporters spoke, they suddenly yanked the hat off my head. A collective gasp echoed all around. My burned, disfigured face was exposed under the harsh flashes of their cameras.

"Oh my god, that's disgusting! Is that a monster?"

"I'm gonna throw up! That's so damn ugly, like seeing a ghost in broad daylight!"

My heart pounded and my vision started to go black in waves. Sadly, they had no intention of letting me go. Several phones were held up, starting a live broadcast.

"Famous model Lilian Stewart, corrupt and malicious. Tried to set her sister on fire and ended up getting burned herself. Word is, there isn't a single patch of good skin left on her. Let's see what karma really looks like."

Someone started shoving me and I fell to the ground. The loose clothes I was wearing ripped easily. My arms, thighs, stomach, everything was exposed. A hoarse, broken sob escaped my throat. Then, my hands and feet started shaking uncontrollably. My whole body jolted like I was being electrocuted.

The reporters tearing at me seemed to have discovered something new and shouted excitedly, "She's having a seizure! This is amazing! Quick, get a close-up! This is all great footage!"

I rolled my eyes back in pain and white foam kept bubbling out of my mouth. I knew the drug was taking effect, but there was nothing I could do. Like a clown stripped bare, I let them tear my dignity to shreds. Suddenly, someone shrieked. A warm liquid flowed out from under me and a fishy, foul odour instantly filled the air. The immense humiliation made me unable to even cry. I wished I could just die right there and then.

While they kept expressing their disgust and insulting me, the camera flashed focused on my lower body, snapping away like crazy. I was like a dead dog, without a shred of strength left to struggle. "What are you doing! Who gave you permission to take pictures like that?"