The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella) novel Chapter 1822

"Hey Doc, what the heck happened to her forehead? Why are there so many gashes?" Martin asked, pain etching his voice.

"There's a bunch of glass shards in Serena's forehead. doesn't look like they just splashed on her, seems like she was banging her head against something."

Martin was in disbelief, "You're telling me she did this to herself?"

"If she had just fallen face-first, the cuts wouldn't be so deep, cover such a large area. It looks like she repeatedly hit her head to embed the glass deeper into her skin. Some of these wounds look like she tried to dig out the glass herself, which only made the infection worse. Mr. Cooper, brace yourself, if she pulls through, these scars might be permanent."

And such scars couldn't be removed by laser treatment.

At those words, Martin's heart clenched with agony, unable to fathom the helplessness and pain she must have felt.

Serena always cared so much about her looks, whether in life or death, he couldn't bear the thought of her being scarred.

"Plus, if there's glass in her knee that's been there for a while, even surgery might not spare her from walking problems."

The doctor hadn't finished when Martin's shocked gaze stopped him.

"What did you just say?" Martin's heart took another hit. Did he mean that his Serena, even if she survived, might be left limping? Or worse, confined to a wheelchair for life?

"Is it really that bad?" Martin asked, struggling to believe it.

"We'll need a comprehensive exam at the hospital to be sure."

The doctor couldn't offer a definitive diagnosis.

While the RV was equipped with medical gear, it was no match for a hospital. All they could do was tend to her wounds and try to keep her alive.

Martin longed to hold Serena's hand, but only then did he notice, her palms and the backs of her hands were a bloody mess, with glass shards embedded in the flesh, catching the light.

How on earth did her hands get so badly injured?

All the staff knew that the lady of the house wanted to erase every last trace of Serena, like rubbing out a misspelled word, completely, utterly.

"Dig up all her favorite flowers in the garden."

At Louisa's command, the staff uprooted the precious plants, once imported at great expense and rushed over by plane because Serena had taken a fancy to them.

But now things had changed.

Louisa returned to her bedroom and glanced at the crystal chandelier. She and Serena had picked it out together years ago at a lighting store. Serena had adored it, said it would suit her room perfectly, even wanted to buy it with her own money as a gift.

Although Louisa didn't let her pay in the end, the chandelier always reminded her of the times they'd spent together, shopping for lights, home decor, all sorts.

"Take down that chandelier," she ordered.