Bleeding Through the Veil of Scars

𝙰𝙲𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚆𝙻𝙴𝙳𝙶𝙴𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚂

There are stories that write themselves in blood and bone, and then there are stories born from the soft ache of longing, love, and loss.

This one? It was all of the above.

To begin, I owe everything to the version of me who dared to write this book—on nights I should have slept, on days I doubted every word. Thank you for not giving up.

Even though I messed up my entrance, God gave me a better route to walk on, a better place to be, where Iris will not be just my shadow. 

So back to the book—

I still remember the day I wrote this book's first chapter in school. 

It was my first day at school, during 9th grade, after the lockdown was lifted. I was sitting with one of my friend. And suddenly, this line came into my mind: "The love of her life, loved someone else".

And that's exactly when, on the last pages of my English notebook, I wrote the first chapter.

During that time, I used to write fanfictions, so writing was a little easy for me and also, being Bi, the eldest in the entire family and severely traumatised has its own perks.

To the readers who held these characters with trembling hands and open hearts—thank you. You didn't just read them. You lived them. You bled with them. You believed in their love when the world around them demanded ruin. That means more than I'll ever be able to say.

To my dearest friends—thank you for every message, every voice note, every reminder that I could do this. Thank you for standing beside me when I couldn't even find solid ground. Your love carried me.

To my writing family and critique partners—thank you for your brutal honesty, unwavering belief, and for never letting me settle for 'just okay'. You pushed me to dig deeper, bleed more beautifully, and trust my voice.

To my favorite ghosts—the stories that haven't been written yet but still visit me at night—thank you for haunting me with purpose.

And to you, the one scrolling through the last page—thank you for choosing this story, for trusting me with your time, your emotions, your tears. I hope this journey left a mark, even if it's a quiet one.

Lastly, to the lovers who lost, to the broken who burned, to the girl who shattered and still walked through fire—
This was never the end. Only the beginning.
There is still ash to walk through,
and war yet to survive.

See you on the other side.

With love always,
IRIS THORN.