Chapter 1

There was a long scar on my face.

Frankie Carr, my childhood sweetheart, looked at me with disgust. He told me I was gross.

He didn't know—this scar? It was the price I paid to keep him alive.

It wasn't until he shoved me aside in public, arm in arm with the prettiest girl in school, that regret finally hit me.

At the freshman orientation, Frankie was up on stage, totally in his element, soaking up all the attention.

I stood in the crowd, clapping and shouting out his name, hoping he'd notice just how much I supported him.

But then, snide whispers started to reach my ears from nearby.

"Who's that? Look at the huge scar on her face—creepy."

"Does she have some kind of disease or something? Seriously, someone help."

"Looks like she's got a thing for the guy up there. What a joke—like she could ever have a shot with him."

I'd heard that sort of trash talk a hundred times before.

I pressed my lips together and tucked a strand of hair in front of my face, trying to hide.

Last night, Frankie suddenly messaged me, asking me to help him write his speech. I stayed up all night to finish it and handed it to him this morning.

I didn't expect him to deliver it so smoothly. I was genuinely happy for him.

Soon enough, he wrapped up his speech and stepped off the stage, every eye in the room following him.

"Oh my god, he's so hot!" Girls on both sides looked ready to faint.

I spotted Frankie heading my direction, my water bottle in hand for him—he must've been parched after all that, and honestly, his health's never been great.

But then, out of nowhere, he stopped right beside the girl next to me. I knew her—another freshman, already getting hyped all over as the new campus goddess. Dayana Spears.

With everyone around us screaming "ship!" at the top of their lungs, Frankie casually offered his hand to Dayana Spears, as if it was the most normal thing ever. "Come on, let's grab lunch together."

I stood there, holding out the water bottle awkwardly, but he didn't even look my way.

As they walked past me, hand in hand, I overheard Dayana ask, "Do you know that girl? She looks kind of creepy, and kept cheering for you the whole time."

Frankie replied coolly,

Frankie replied coolly, "Just some girl from high school. She's been chasing after me forever. Honestly, just seeing her face makes me feel sick to my stomach."

His words echoed in my mind.

Laughter swirled around me, and I just stood there like a clown on display, chewing over those few words again and again in my head.

He'd always barely tolerated me, but this was the first time I'd ever heard it straight from his lips—just how much he was disgusted by me.

It wasn't until everyone had left and I was alone on the field that it finally hit me, and my heart ached like hell.

I honestly had no clue when Frankie and Dayana started dating.

I checked his Instagram, only to find out he'd blocked me ages ago.

And at some point, his status read: [Finally got the girl who stunned me the moment I laid eyes on her.]

But he forgot that back when we were five, Frankie gently held my face and offered me a tiny daisy.

"You're so pretty—the prettiest I've ever seen. Will you be my best friend?" he said.

I still remember the tone of his voice.

After that, he was always tagging along behind me, skipping breakfast just so he could buy me cute hairclips, and every time someone bullied me, he'd jump in and stand up for me without hesitation.

Even after we went to different high schools, Frankie would still bike clear across town every Friday night just to hang out with me.

Every time I walked out the gates, he'd be there under the camphor tree, grinning at me like I was his whole world.

Young love was always intense—so obvious and straightforward you could see it from a mile away.

But just like he once made his feelings totally clear, now he was just as open about how much he despised me.

But he had no idea that this scar? I got it for him—it's the price I paid just so he could keep living.

Back in senior year, Frankie got hit with something brutal—bone cancer.

Doctors told everyone he wouldn't make it to the end of the year, and even his own parents gave up hope.

Except me. I just couldn't let go.

See, my family had this secret ritual—passed down for generations. It let a girl trade her face, her beauty, to steal extra time for someone she loves.

So I went through with it. Used the family ritual, and overnight, Frankie was back from the brink—like it was nothing short of a miracle.

But the price for me? A long scar carved across my cheek, and all the glow in my face faded away. Just like that, I went from campus queen to total social outcast.

I gave up my dream of soaring through the skies as a flight attendant—all for him, just wanting to hold onto what we had as next-door best friends.

But from the day my looks changed, he started treating me like I was a stranger. And the worst part? He acted like everything I'd done for him was no big deal, never once thinking about the price I paid.

All this time, I kept holding onto our memories—like they were the only thing keeping me going.

But now... I wished I'd just let them go.

Suddenly, I saw the "Typing…" indicator pop up in our WhatsApp chat window.