Some Scars Never Fade

Some Scars Never Fade

madairifa

4.8
Comment(s)
14.3K
View
35
Chapters

"August, 1865 The War is over and as America is trying to recover, Nicholas Gregson is trying to get used to his civilian life. But the deep scar on the side of his face will always remind him of the most violent war in America. One windy day, Nicholas gets a visit from his former General with a rare proposition: He wants him to marry one of his daughters. Although Mary is beautiful and well brought up, he hesitates. He doesn't know if he can love her and he is certain she won't ever be able to surpass his war scar. Olivia Clark is happy for her twin sister, marrying a man their father respected dearly was bound to be a good marriage. But she worries. Scars of her own remind her that men can not be trusted. Will Olivia let her guard down and allow love to enter her life? Will Nicholas give himself a chance to be happy with a woman that won't even look at his face?"

Some Scars Never Fade Chapter 1 An Unexpected Visit

August

None of it was supposed to happen like this. As Nicholas looked out his bedroom window, he dreaded the arrival of the carriage that would take him and his family to an unknown town, to a stranger's house. Even though she was not really a stranger, now was she? They were now engaged, he couldn't possibly still think of her as someone he did not know.

Her name was Mary Clark. A woman of three and twenty. She lived in a small town in Boston. Her mother deceased, her father, a farmer. He was a general in the Civil War, Nicholas served under his command when he joined the California 100. When Mr. Clark returned to his town in Boston, he was greatly respected man for he was one of the few that made it back from the Battle of Gettysburg. He came back from the war to his daughters, with an amputated leg, but he got himself around just fine, as far as Nicholas could see.

General Clark came to visit Nicholas one windy day to see a loyal friend. They kept in contact after the war through long letters, each expressing their struggles to adjust to their daily life routine after the long violent war. They discussed their nightmares, and thus finding support in each other regardless of the three thousand miles between them. General Clark arrived with one of his daughters, Mary.

Mary was tall, fair skinned, and a very dashing woman. How was she still unmarried, he did not know. General Clark adored his daughters, he spoke so well of them in his letters that Nicholas looked forward on meeting them. They arrived to his childhood home, as he was in the yard helping his mother with her rose garden. Their arrival brought back some terrible memories, but some great ones as well.

Mary pushed her father in his wheelchair and Nicholas felt sorry for him. A strong, brave man, trapped in a wheelchair, if that wasn't unfair, he did not know what was. Though the visit was unexpected, it was very well welcomed. Nicholas mother, Mrs. Gregson, knew exactly who General Clark was and she treated him with courtesy and respect. They stayed over for dinner and they discussed everything and anything. Nicholas's sisters, Jane of twelve years old and Josie of fifteen, admired Miss Clark's beauty. She let them braid her long dark hair, which made his sisters smile all day.

After dinner, the conversation between General Clark and Nicholas took an unexpected turn. He wanted Nicholas to marry his daughter.

Nicholas stood there unable to process his proposal. Nicholas was twenty seven years of age, unmarried, and at one point, he was very handsome. But the war did not leave him unscarred. During the Battle of Cedar Creek, a confederate soldier swung his sword towards Nicholas and it got him on the right side of his face. It slashed his lips and it took a piece of his cheek right off. Now a dark, scar reminded him of that horrible war.

"Please, " General Clark said. "I don't mean to meddle but I do believe you make a beautiful couple. Mary is so very fond of you already."

Nicholas turned to him not believing a single word. Mary was unable to look at him in the face ever since she arrived. "I don't understand why you want me to marry into your family, " he admitted quietly.

"I just want my daughters in good hands. What better hands than yours."

As Nicholas discussed the matter to his mother later that night, his mother shook her head sadly. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

He knelt before her and held her hands tenderly. "I won't leave you."

"Oh but you must, " she replied rapidly. "Since your father's death, you haven't been able to enjoy your own life."

"Of course I have. I enjoy being here with you and my sisters."

"You need to make a living for yourself, " she replied gently. "You need to find a girl and get married, make me a grandmother before I get too old."

"What about father's business?" he asked referring to the sale of farming equipment that his father had left behind.

"We can handle it. Just because we're women, it doesn't mean we don't know how business is done."

Nicholas chuckled knowing very well what a great business woman his mother was. "You think I should try then?"

"Of course! You won't lose anything by trying and who knows, maybe Miss Clark will be a great wife to you."

Nicholas nodded. With his face looking the way it did, he doubted he would get any more offers.

Continue Reading

Other books by madairifa

More

You'll also like

The Placeholder Bride's Secret Billionaire Revenge

The Placeholder Bride's Secret Billionaire Revenge

Luo Ye
5.0

For two years, I was the invisible force behind tech billionaire Kieran Douglas, convinced that our "private" romance was his way of protecting us from the tabloid spotlight. I managed his mergers, warmed his bed, and waited for a future that didn't exist. The illusion shattered at 6:00 AM when a Page Six alert debuted Kieran’s "real" romance with socialite Aspen Schneider. Before I could even process the betrayal, Kieran sent me a cold, professional text: "Order flowers for Aspen. Pink peonies. Her favorite." When I tried to walk away, my own mother called me a disgrace and threatened to lock my inheritance forever unless I married a sixty-year-old businessman to save her failing estate. At a high-society gala that same night, Aspen intentionally crushed my burned hand in front of the cameras, while Kieran stood by and dismissed me as a "mediocre assistant" who had overstayed her welcome. I stood in the cold New York rain, drenched in champagne and humiliation, realizing that every sacrifice I made for Kieran was a joke. I was a ghost in a penthouse that was never mine, discarded the moment his "soulmate" returned. To the world, I was just a placeholder whose time had run out. But Kieran forgot one thing: my father’s multi-million dollar trust fund unlocks the moment I legally marry. I didn't need love; I needed a signature and a shield. I walked into a discreet law firm and signed a marriage contract with a man I believed was the city’s most notorious, scandal-ridden playboy. I thought I was marrying a degenerate "beard" to buy my freedom and secure my revenge. I didn't realize the man who signed that paper wasn't a playboy at all, but Gaston Collins—the most powerful and dangerous man on Wall Street—and he had no intention of letting our fake marriage stay fake.

The Billionaire's Blind Bride: No Mercy

The Billionaire's Blind Bride: No Mercy

Emma
5.0

I married Clive Harrington, the coldest billionaire in Manhattan, under a strict contract that forbade any emotional burdens. When I needed a high-risk surgery to save my sight, I checked into the clinic alone, hiding the procedure from a husband who saw me as nothing more than a legal asset. I thought I could handle the darkness in silence. But while I was blind and bandaged in my hospital bed, my biological mother called, screaming that if I didn't produce a Harrington heir by the end of the fiscal year, she would cut off the life-saving treatments for my disabled sister. I was crawling on the cold hospital floor, desperately feeling for a cane I had dropped, when I touched a pair of expensive leather shoes. It was Clive. He was supposed to be in London closing a multi-million dollar deal, but there he was, watching his "contract wife" groveling in the dark like a beggar. He didn't walk away in disgust. He carried me to a five-thousand-dollar-a-night VIP suite and sat by my bed, listening in chilling silence as another voicemail from my mother filled the room, calling me a "useless broodmare" who was only worth the trust fund disbursements my marriage secured. I expected him to remind me of Clause 34B or hand me divorce papers now that I was "damaged goods." Instead, I felt his thumb brush a stray tear from my cheek, his presence shifting from a statue of ice into a predatory shield. "I thought I was just currency to you," I whispered, my voice trembling behind the gauze. "Just an investment." Clive didn't answer with words. He picked up his phone and called his head of legal with a single, terrifying command: "Kill the Douglas family’s credit lines. Every debt, every lien—trigger them all. If they want a war, I’ll give them a massacre." As he leaned down to kiss my bandaged forehead, I realized the contract was dead. My husband wasn't protecting an asset anymore; he was hunting the people who had dared to touch what belonged to him.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
Some Scars Never Fade Some Scars Never Fade madairifa Short stories
“"August, 1865 The War is over and as America is trying to recover, Nicholas Gregson is trying to get used to his civilian life. But the deep scar on the side of his face will always remind him of the most violent war in America. One windy day, Nicholas gets a visit from his former General with a rare proposition: He wants him to marry one of his daughters. Although Mary is beautiful and well brought up, he hesitates. He doesn't know if he can love her and he is certain she won't ever be able to surpass his war scar. Olivia Clark is happy for her twin sister, marrying a man their father respected dearly was bound to be a good marriage. But she worries. Scars of her own remind her that men can not be trusted. Will Olivia let her guard down and allow love to enter her life? Will Nicholas give himself a chance to be happy with a woman that won't even look at his face?"”
1

Chapter 1 An Unexpected Visit

15/01/2018

2

Chapter 2 From California to Boston

15/01/2018

3

Chapter 3 Dinner with the Clarks

15/01/2018

4

Chapter 4 Olivia Has Doubts

15/01/2018

5

Chapter 5 Night Terrors

15/01/2018

6

Chapter 6 Apologies

15/01/2018

7

Chapter 7 God's Mercy

15/01/2018

8

Chapter 8 Etiqutte

15/01/2018

9

Chapter 9 Miracles

15/01/2018

10

Chapter 10 Beautiful Boston

15/01/2018

11

Chapter 11 Gifts and Lessons

15/01/2018

12

Chapter 12 Dinner Interrupted

15/01/2018

13

Chapter 13 A Father's Pride

15/01/2018

14

Chapter 14 Pain and Destruction

15/01/2018

15

Chapter 15 The Hen House

15/01/2018

16

Chapter 16 Uncle Bradford O'Brian

15/01/2018

17

Chapter 17 Olivia's Terrors

15/01/2018

18

Chapter 18 Her Scars

15/01/2018

19

Chapter 19 The Painful Truth

15/01/2018

20

Chapter 20 Decisions

15/01/2018

21

Chapter 21 Exile

15/01/2018

22

Chapter 22 Sacramento

15/01/2018

23

Chapter 23 Regrets and Memories

15/01/2018

24

Chapter 24 Married Life

15/01/2018

25

Chapter 25 Olivia Comes Home

15/01/2018

26

Chapter 26 His Rescue Mission

15/01/2018

27

Chapter 27 Epiphany

15/01/2018

28

Chapter 28 Time

15/01/2018

29

Chapter 29 The Everlasting Wait

15/01/2018

30

Chapter 30 Nicholas Comes Home

15/01/2018

31

Chapter 31 Together At Last

15/01/2018

32

Chapter 32 The Proposal

15/01/2018

33

Chapter 33 The Ceremony

15/01/2018

34

Chapter 34 The Wedding Night

15/01/2018

35

Chapter 35 Author's Note

15/01/2018