Chapter 72
Keith almost forgot, but he used to have a crush on Amara when they were kids.
Back then, Amara was as pure as a doll, a particularly beautiful and adorable little girl. From the moment Keith met her, he loved chasing after her, always trying to keep up.
But kids‘ crushes were never meant to last. Over time, Keith forgot about it, and his memories only picked up again after he turned ten.
It was when Amara was ten that the accident happened. Keith was heartbroken, staying by her side, offering comfort and encouragement, even convincing his dad to use their connections to get her the medical care.
When Amara started getting bullied for her scars, Keith stepped up, fighting off the bullies from elementary school, middle school until high school. He couldn’t count how many times he stood up for her.
Later, they went off to different colleges, but their bond remained as strong as ever. They met up often for meals, their friendship unchanged from childhood.
But after college, Amara was determined to marry Finnian, and that was when things between them changed.
Keith gazed down at the drawing in his hands, memories of their childhood flooding back, and he let out a sigh. The next morning, Amara arrived on set. After observing the key scene, she retreated to the break room to work on the script.
She expected another quiet morning as usual, but around nine, everything took a turn. Her photo, taken during her recovery without a mask, was leaked online!
In the photo, Amara wore a simple gray sweatshirt, the loose fabric hiding her figure. She stood on the steps, gazing into the distance as if waiting for someone. The photo captured her profile, with one side of her face showing her flawless eye, but the cheek marred by a jagged scar, like a cruel brand on her fair skin, utterly hideous.
The photo first appeared on a popular online forum, quickly gaining traction and hitting tens of thousands of views. Soon after, it spread to Twitter, where major influencers shared it, skyrocketing it to the trending topics. When Amara opened her Twitter homepage, the hashtag #AmaraScarred Face was glaring back at her, sitting prominently at number three on the trending list.
Amara’s usual popularity wouldn’t have landed her there, but her recent spat with Liliana had drawn the attention of a great many Liliana’s fans.
As her photo was exposed online, Liliana’s lead fans eagerly shared the photo; with various influencers‘ forwarding, as well as the taunts and insults prevailing, she was pulled to the top of the trending list with dispatch.
When the online firestorm erupted, Amara was sitting at her desk, eyes glued onto the computer screen. Elysia sent her the link. Clicking it open, she saw the trending hashtag.
Amara’s eyes widened as she stared at the enlarged photo on her screen. It took her a moment to process what she was seeing.
Suddenly, she shot up from her chair, accidentally clicking into the comments. The top comments were brutally harsh, calling her “ugly beyond belief” and “disgusting just looking at her“. Her hands shook with anger, and her phone clattered to the floor.
Bending down to retrieve it, Amara quickly exited the comments section. The vitriol was too much to bear.
Pacing the room, she tried to figure out how the photo had leaked. Then, she remembered something crucial–before, no one could find any pictures of her despite their efforts.
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Chapter 73
