I stood close to my mother's grave , my heart felt heavy with grief. I found it very difficult to breathe, and I felt suffocated by the air around me.
The priest's face was a blur, his voice echoed through the cemetery.
"May her soul rest in peace; she was one of us, and now she has gone to rest. Fear not, for she is home, a great place. God bless her soul."
I watched as the coffin was lowered into the ground, the rain started to pour heavily. I could see everyone rushing out of the site, trying to avoid being beaten by the rain.
I stood still and just watched. The thought of her being gone still felt like a dream, something I never wanted to wake up from. My mind was numb replaying memories of her. I stood for hours, and no one bothered to offer an umbrella .
I finally decided to leave the site. I was drenched and looked like a soaked cat; the animal was better looking than I was. I walked slowly as I staggered; everyone's gaze seemed to be on me, but at the same time, they all still minded their business. I was not their priority, neither were they mine.
"Taxi!" I yelled, and the taxi sped past me and stopped. It looked like the driver was careless as he almost collided with the car right in front of him. He drove his car back and lowered the windscreen.
His eyes were a bit red, but I had no idea why and never cared since I was no one's priority, neither was he mine.
"Bossykan city." I said as I entered into the back seat.
The driver's horrible driving made me queasy and I held unto the seat for my dear life. I had hit my cheek on the windscreen ten times in ten minutes. This right here is a karma-worthy lifestyle.
He began to overspeed and overtake unnecessarily, which seemed dangerous, and even though I wished for death, I was actually afraid of it at that moment, even if it wanted to come, at least not in a gruesome way. I wanted a scenario whereby I would just sleep and not wake up, not all the unnecessary drama or pain.
I saw him overtake a trailer just to collide with another truck coming forward. The accident was so fatal, and the car summersaulted multiple times. I was thrown forward, my face was smashed on the windscreen so badly.
*****
I could hear the doctors whispering while I was being wheeled into the ICU on a stretcher in the hospital.
"Her face is ruined."
"Can she afford surgery?"
I knew death was near; I couldn't feel my face; it felt so stiff, and I could hardly move it without groaning in excruciating pain, but still I just wanted to see Adrian for the last time and apologize to him, to say I was sorry, but I couldn't.
A tear dropped from my eyes; before I knew it, my body went numb, and everything turned dark.
********
I slowly opened my eyes; the hospital lights pierced through my brain like a thousand knives. My gaze drifted towards the window, and my reflection stared back at me. Or, rather, the reflection of a stranger stared back at me.
My face was covered in bandages, white gauze wrapping around my head like a macabre turban. I felt a lot of panic as I took in the sight of myself. The bandages seemed to swallow my features, leaving only narrow slits for my eyes. I tried to lift my hand to touch the gauze; I immediately winced in pain.
I felt a wave of nausea wash over me, and my breath caught in my throat. The beeping of machines and the faint smell of antiseptic filled the air, further disorienting me. My eyes remained fixed on the reflection, tears welling up in my eyes. I felt like I was staring at a stranger, someone different from me.
I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over me, forcing me back onto the pillow. I closed my eyes, taking slow, deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart.
I thought maybe it was a dream, so I decided to close them tightly.
When I opened them again, the reflection still stared back at me, a haunting reminder of my new reality. I felt a sense of disconnection from my own body, as if I was floating above, watching this bandaged stranger struggle to come to terms with her new face.
Fear engulfed me. I still decided to remove the bandage even through the pain. I refuse to believe something is wrong with my face. As I removed the last strand of the bandage, I saw a new face, different from mine.
Who is this?. This is not my face. I remember I had a long nose, which Adrian would always joke about; my lips were a bit plump and juicy, but now it's the opposite.
I started screaming like a madwoman.
"Where is my face ?"
I began throwing things around at the ICU, and the nurses tried their best to stop me, but the rage in me could not be suppressed.
"Please be patient, ma'am." A nurse begged.
"Where did you put my face ?" I screamed back at her.
I started to cry so badly and still destroyed things until an unfamiliar voice spoke softly to me.
"Stop misbehaving, Elena Rose Park."
Wait, did this woman just middled-name me? I was taken aback, how did she know my name? I paused to take a look and saw a young woman probably in her early 30s. She was beautiful, and her blonde hair even added more features to her beauty .
"Leave us!" she shouted at the nurses, and they all hurried out. I was displaying my madness, and they would be so pleased they got dismissed quickly to avoid more of it because I was ready to continue all day.
"I am Stacy Monroe, your mother's best friend, and you are coming with me." she said sharply .
Excuse me, do I know you? And how did she know my mother? She would always tell me she had no friends, not even in middle school, high school, college, or her workplace; she was like a lone wolf. I had a lot going on in my mind, but I just couldn't make any sense out of it. I stared at her in shock.
I had no one else to confide in or go home to; I had sold the house and only lived at the hospital with mother, but now that she was dead, I had nowhere to live.
"Elena, let me take care of you. I'll explain everything your mother had kept a secret." She assured me. A part of me wanted to hug her, cry my eyes out, and follow her.
"What happened to my face?" I demanded a sincere answer.
"You were involved in a fatal accident, and your face was badly injured. We had no choice but to get you a face transplant."
"Face transplant?" My head banged loudly again, and I fainted. It was a lot to bear.
Before I knew it, Mrs. Stacy started the legal procedure on adopting me as her child. She was nice and lovely to me; she would treat me like her own child and never made me feel like I had no mother. She was there for me as I journey to accept my new identity.
"Welcome home, daughter." she said as she handed the key to the mansion to me.
By law I was her daughter, and even though she was my mother's friend and I barely knew her, I felt safe and loved by her. She was a duplicate of my mother. This made me believe they were truly friends. She sponsored my schooling abroad and gave me everything I had ever wanted. A blessing in disguise. I never knew I could be this blessed after the evil I had done to someone else, Adrian.
*****
Six years already passed. And I had everything I had always wished for, a good degree, a great job, money, designer bags, and shoes. Name them all, I have everything.
My eyes looked through the plane window, staring at the beautiful clouds, until I was distracted by a voice.
"Enjoy the board, ma'am," the flight attendant said to me. I nodded with a genuine smile. I love this life. I never knew I would fly first class. Then, even if a seer foretold it to me, I would literally kill her. I was the definition of poverty; it surrounded me like a shield. But now the level's changed, baby.
I had returned to New York to attend Mrs. Stacy's Business Titan of the Year award; she was nominated, and the award show was themed "Masked Elites."
I arrived at the airport, and five men rushed towards me to take my luggage, directing me to the black Rolls Royce car parked outside.
*****
The night of the award show finally came, and I stole the whole show. As I stepped into the grand room, I felt like I commanded everyone's attention; every conversation was paused, and heads turned in unison, everyone's eyes were locked into me.
The chandeliers above shined so brightly that it cast a spotlight on my curvy figure. I felt a shiver run down my spine as the attention I was receiving was wild.
The mask, an intricate design of silver and feathers, glimmered in the light, drawing attention to my eyes. The deep blue dress hugged my body, accentuating every curve, and the silk fabric rustled softly as I moved. I felt like a goddess descending upon the mortal realm.
What's the name of that beautiful goddess in the greek mythology? Oh I remember, Aphrodite.
The music continued to play, but it seemed to fade into the background as all eyes remained fixed on me. I could sense the whispers, the gasps, and the admiring glances.
For a moment, I forgot about the scars beneath the mask, the secrets I had kept hidden. I was just a woman, beautiful and mysterious, commanding the attention of the room.
I smiled to myself, a small, enigmatic smile, as I walked through the crowd. The masks and finery of the other guests seemed dull in comparison to my own.
For one night, at least, I was the belle of the ball, and the world revolved around me.
I saw Mrs. Stacy, but right now I prefer to call her mother. She approached me with a huge, proud smile, and her red cocktail dress swept the floor.
"You are beautiful, come." She held my hands and introduced me to other wealthy and influential men in the ball.
The voice of the MC was super loud when he screamed attention, and he was busy cracking jokes; people laughed and had fun, but I found it boring.
It's been five years now, and I still haven't gotten over what happened to me; it was a scar that could never heal.
I was in a deep thought, but I finally came back to reality when the MC screamed again.
"The award goes to Stacy Monroe."
That's my stepmom,she walked gracefully to the stage and went to receive the award; she gave a very lovely speech that I had helped to write before the day. She left the stage and walked towards me with a huge smile.
"Your speech was wonderful, dear . Come, I want you to meet someone." She held my arms and dragged me to an old, elegant man.
"Chairman Liam." I heard her greet with a bow.
"Mrs. Stacy." The old man replied tapping his stick on the marbled floor.
They exchanged greetings.
"You stole the award from me tonight, but I won't take it easy on you next year." He said jokingly.
They laugh, which I was also forced to fake a smile; nothing was funny, but you know you have to act like it was when in front of wealthy and influential men. That's how my stepmom had brought me up in the past few years.
"And who is this beautiful damsel?" Chairman Liam asked with his gaze fixed on me.
"My apologies, this is my daughter Roseline Monroe." My step mom replied holding my hands.
I bowed a little. I no longer go by the name Elena, my stepmother forced me to change my name when she was making the necessary legal actions to adopt me. I no longer go by Elena Rose Park but Roseline Monroe.
"What a beautiful daughter you have. I know my grandson would love her." Chairman Liam assured with his gaze still fixed on me.
Excuse me, he had a grandson. I thought.
"Adrian," he called.
That name rang a bell, exactly the same name as my ex-boyfriend. Could he be the same Adrian I knew?
I saw a tall man walking towards us. As he walked into the room, I felt a shiver run down my spine. His suit was tailored to perfection, accentuating his broad shoulders and lean physique. The black mask he wore only added to his mystique, highlighting the sharp angles of his face. His dark hair was styled perfectly.
He was in a mask; I couldn't tell or identify his face as he came closer, my heart kept on beating faster than usual, and I kept on thinking of Adrian. It can't be him, he is in jail, he hasn't completed his serving and he has no family left. These thoughts dominated my mind .
"Adrian, meet Roseline" Chairman Liam said.
"I feel they'll make a great couple and even help the business grow," he added.
The man never said a word.
" We'll leave you two. Adrian, why don't you take her on a tour around the hotel?" Chairman Liam said.
Adrian nodded, he gave a go ahead gesture to me, which I bowed to my mother and left.
His steps were smooth, and his legs were long. He walked elegantly, carrying himself sharply like a model, and made the beautiful floors his own runway. The way he moved was almost hypnotic, drawing my gaze towards him.
He stopped suddenly, and I bumped into him, my breath was stuck in my throat as our bodies collided. I felt a jolt of surprise, and my hands instinctively reached out to steady myself against his back.
He turned, and his eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, we just stared at each other, and he looked familiar in some ways, but I quickly ignored those gut feelings.
"I am so sorry." I apologized immediately, and his words turned me off.
"Were you taught manners, but you decided to ditch them?" he asked coldly.
"Excuse me," I replied out in shock.
"Are you deaf?" He walked closer, and I got scared even though, through his mask, I could tell he was scary. I moved backward but had no idea I had one step into falling into the fountain. As I took one more step, I stumbled backward, and in an act of reflex , I pulled the man by his tie, and it went like poof.
We both landed in the water.