Page 61 of Broken
“I get it, babe.” She slides the bracelets she always wears up her arm. There is a thin white scar on each of her wrists. My eyes widen at the thing she is sharing with me. “Told you that I had a hard time dealing. You can never get rid of your scars. They are always there and they’ll always remind you of a time when you were at your weakest. The difference is whether you choose to let them destroy you, or you use their pain to make you strong.” Her hand rests on my back. “You’re strong. I can see it in your eyes. I did that first night. Sometimes we all need help finding our strength and today I’m going to give you back some of yours. No one will pity you today. They will see someone who is a survivor.”
I hug her, needing her to know how much I appreciate having someone like her in my life.
“Go get dressed so I can work my magic.”
I walk into the bathroom, avoiding my reflection in the mirror. My shower is quick mainly because I still don’t feel 100 percent, and it’s hard to get washed when you can’t look at what you’re doing. I walk out in a towel and see clothes on the bed. Lucy is standing in front of the dresser with an arsenal of makeup and her curling iron.
“Go ahead and get dressed. I’ll stay turned this way and get the rest of this stuff ready.”
I pick up the clothes, thankful that she grabbed leggings and not jeans. Comfort is a definite must today. Once I’m dressed, I walk over to where Lucy is standing.
“Sit down, facing away from the mirror.” No problem there.
Lucy starts to apply makeup to not only my face but my neck. I flinch a few times but for the most part, the soft brush she uses doesn’t bother me at all. After that she starts to work her way around my head blow drying, curling, and fluffing my hair. When she stands back and looks at me she smiles.
“I’m a genius.” She laughs. “Turn around.”
I take a deep breath, trying to find the strength that she instilled in me earlier. When I do I’m speechless. The bruises on my face are barely there and my makeup looks incredible. The way my hair is falling, it covers most of my neck and the part it doesn’t is barely noticeable. I look like myself, not like a victim.
I turn to Lucy. “Thank you so much.”
“Anytime.” She places the brush back onto the dresser. “There are a ton of people waiting on your gorgeous ass, so let’s get out there.”
I stand up, bracing myself to see everyone again.
“Just keep telling yourself. ‘I am a woman, hear me roar’.”
I look at her, holding back a smile.
“Okay, I know, not as profound as my last pep talk. Honestly, I stole that one from Nikki.” She shrugs.
Max walks in and his eyes widen as he takes me in. “You look beautiful, baby.” He walks toward me, taking me in his arms. “Ready?”
I nod. Lucy walks out in front of us.
“Okay, let’s go make this official.”
