---- better. Just make sure that she's still alive." My assistant left politely after my instructions. At that moment, I was no longer afraid. I could openly face everything. Standing by the window of my office, I looked in the distance and felt a sense of peace I had never felt before. Ted came looking for me, all dressed up. He looked dashing. "My dear Madeline, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner tonight?" I could see the eagerness in his eyes. "Ted, do you like me?" His ears turned red once more. It was adorable. "The scar on my back..." The scar was so deep. I was afraid that it would be there for the rest of my life. Even if I no longer cared, the scars on my body constantly reminded me of my hellish past. ---- His confession caught me off guard. "Madeline, I love you. No matter what happened to you in the past, no matter your scars, I still love you." He pointed at the full moon and said, "You'll forever be my moon-bright and pure. I love you no matter how you look." His eyes burned into mine. "Will you be mine?" I returned his gaze with equal fervor and nodded. One man's trash was another man's treasure. I was treated like trash in the past, but someone was willing to love me. "Ted, I most certainly will. Thank you." I found my father, and I found love too. For the first time in my life, I felt alive.