Chapter 9: The Phoenix Project
163words
Jack nodded. "I've already found the surgeon."
The night before her surgery, Rachel caught an interview with Michael and Mia on television.
"Losing my wife is my greatest sorrow," Michael dabbed at dry eyes with practiced grief, "but life must go on."
The camera panned to Mia clinging to his arm, Rachel's diamond necklace glittering at her throat. "I'll take good care of Michael, and honor Rachel's memory."
Rachel's nails dug crescents into her palms as she clenched her fists.
The surgery lasted twelve grueling hours. As the anesthesia faded, pain knifed through her like white-hot needles. She bit through her lip rather than accept painkillers.
"Why refuse the pain meds?" Jack asked, puzzled.
"Pain keeps my hatred sharp," she rasped.
Three months later, the bandages came off to reveal a stunning stranger in the mirror.
"From today, you are Zoe Taylor, my fiancée," Jack declared. "Rachel Williams is dead and buried."
