The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride (Evelyn and Alexander) novel Chapter 156

**Steps Along Forgotten Roads**
**By Sophia Reed**
**Chapter 156: Broken Glass**

[Evelyn’s POV]

Oh…My…God…

The moment I dared to lift my gaze and confront my reflection, a jolt of terror surged through me, sending my heart plummeting into the pit of my stomach. It felt as if every drop of blood in my body had retreated to my feet, leaving my legs tingling with an unsettling numbness.

At first, disbelief clouded my mind. I couldn’t accept that this grotesque visage belonged to me. Surely, there was something terribly wrong with the mirror, some trick of light or shadow that distorted reality. How could this face, marred and unrecognizable, be mine?

This wasn’t me. This was not the face I had known for all my life. It had been sliced, disfigured, and crudely stitched back together, resembling a once-beloved stuffed animal that had endured far too much wear and tear.

My lungs began to burn, desperately craving the oxygen I was unknowingly depriving them of. I stood there, frozen in a state of shock. Mortification washed over me, mingling with a deep-seated fear that gripped my chest like a vice.

With hesitant steps, I edged closer to the mirror, clinging to the hope that somehow, miraculously, my appearance might transform back into something familiar. But reality remained unyielding. The ache in my heart deepened, a sorrowful reminder of what I had lost.

Tentatively, I raised my trembling hand to explore the jagged, raised scars that marred my skin. My fingers traced the most prominent one, a deep gash that ran from the center of my right brow down to the hollow of my cheek. How Fiona had managed to avoid blinding me was a miracle I could hardly comprehend.

But that horrific scar was not alone; another long, cruel mark snaked along my jawline, a testament to a violence I could never escape. Time would not heal these wounds; they were permanent reminders of a battle I had not chosen.

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over me, forcing me to inhale sharply, though the breath was shaky and stifled. The pain in my chest twisted into a relentless ache in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing with all my might to awaken from this nightmare.

But no matter how fervently I wished, nothing shifted.

Who was this stranger staring back at me? How was I supposed to navigate a world where this was the face everyone would recognize and remember?

Torture.

That was Fiona’s true intent. She didn’t seek my death; she desired to dismantle me piece by piece, to ensure I could never face my reflection without reliving the agony she had inflicted.

This was a torment without end, a trauma that would be laid bare for the world to see. I couldn’t bury it in the recesses of my mind as I had done with Michael or the years of neglect and abuse at the hands of Isabella and Samantha.

Every moment leading up to the clash of her blade against my skin replayed vividly in my mind. Each cruel word, every insult she had hurled at me, was etched into my memory.

“You’re going to kill me, is that it?”

Fiona’s smile had been a chilling specter. “Maybe,” she had mused, her tone dripping with malice. “I think at the very least, I ought to level out the playing field.”

Level out the playing field… She had taken a blade to my face, convinced that Alexander had been disfigured in that horrific accident. The thought of him being wed to someone deemed ‘attractive’ was simply intolerable to her.

I kept trying to reassure myself that I would be okay. I didn’t want them to see that they had succeeded in their goal to shatter me. Yet, deep down, I knew she had. She had torn me apart, leaving little hope for a clean recovery.

Nina, Wendy, Oliver, and Alexander had been my unwavering support, but no one could have prepared me for this reality. I thought I could find a way to live with the scars, but that was before I truly grasped their severity.

It shattered my heart.

Since marrying Alexander, I had become a target for the venomous hatred and vile ambitions of others. My own family had revealed their true colors, stooping so low as to conspire to end my life.

My sadness began to dissipate, but only to make way for a new, more tumultuous emotion.

Something within me was fracturing. My heart. My mind. My self-control. My ability to move forward.

I was not ready to let go so easily. I was not prepared to accept that this disfigurement was now my reality.

Anger surged within me, a fierce wave of rage that contorted my features and set my blood boiling. I struggled to maintain my breath as feelings of loathing and hatred cascaded through me like thunderous waves.

I despised the reflection staring back at me and refused to be the sole sufferer in this twisted game. The unbearable weight of my emotions became too heavy to carry. Before I could think twice, a blood-curdling scream erupted from my throat, echoing off the walls and reverberating back at me.

I clenched my fist tightly and hurled it at the mirror, shattering the glass into a thousand sparkling shards.

For a moment, I felt no pain in my hand, numbed by the overwhelming tide of my emotions. Almost immediately, I heard frantic banging on the bathroom door.

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