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CHAPTER 25
~Rose's POV~
My face was ruined.
Blotchy red patches covered my skin, especially around my mouth. My lips looked like they'd been pumped full of bad filler—swollen, cracked, and raw.
My cheeks were inflamed, and my eyes? Puffy, streaming tears nonstop. I looked like a cross between a pufferfish and someone who'd just lost a boxing match.
It was the powder. That damn pepper-laced powder.
I screamed—loud and full-throated this time. "AAAAAAHHH!" The sound echoed off my walls, vibrating through the floorboards.
I wanted to claw at my skin, to rip it off just to make the burning stop, but I knew that would only make it worse. My hands hovered in midair, helpless.
"This is not happening," I cried, pacing in small frantic circles. "This is not happening!"
The stinging got worse with every breath. Throwing caution to the wind, I staggered to the door, fumbled with the handle, and flung it open.
