Chapter 2 - The Exposed Scar
Nova didn't wait to be dismissed. She turned away from the mocking laughter and approached Table Fourteen to refill water glasses.
Sitting at the table were three highly respected guests: Judge Malcolm Reed (retired), Ambassador Elias Morel, and Ruth Mercer, the seventy-six-year-old founder of a massive international relief foundation.
Nova picked up the heavy crystal water pitcher. As she reached across the table to pour, the plum sleeve of her uniform slid back exactly half an inch.
A narrow, jagged white scar appeared along the inside of her wrist, accompanied by a small, faded tattoo of a broken circle.
Ruth Mercer completely stopped breathing. The water glass remained suspended in her trembling hand.
Across the table, Ambassador Morel went entirely pale, physically staggering backward in his chair. Judge Reed leaned forward, his sharp eyes locking onto the scar with absolute, paralyzing recognition.
Nova felt the shift instantly. Her old threat-assessment instincts flared. Three people, all suddenly hyper-attentive.
She lowered the pitcher. "Is something wrong?"
Ruth stared at Nova’s face. Not staring—searching. There were sudden, desperate tears forming in the elderly woman's eyes.
"No," Ruth whispered, her voice cracking. Then, almost too quietly to hear: "I'm sorry."
Nova’s spine tightened. "For what?"
Ruth shook her head, unable to speak.
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Nova walked away, but the realization hit her like a physical blow. The three most powerful people in the room hadn't just seen a scar. They had recognized a ghost.
👉 Brooke saw the interaction and decided to launch an attack that would force Nova into a corner.
