Blood ran down the little girl's body as she limped her way out of the woods. She knew that she was fading fast, and in any moment she could fall dead into the snow. A wolf howled; hopefully, the animals wouldn't get to her first.

Through her blurry vision, she could see the lights of the neighborhood. Her hope rising, she began to walk faster. Suddenly her legs lost feeling and she collapsed onto the frost-covered forest floor. Realizing no one could help her, she screamed.

…

19-year-old Cosette Fauchelevant shot up quickly, covered in sweat and not knowing where she was. Slowly, she realized that she was in her apartment. No cold, no forest, no neighborhood in front of her, but instead in her bed.

I must have forgotten to take my meds, she thought. She looked over at Marius Pontmercy, who was fast asleep next to her. They had first met when she was just beginning at university, and they had been inseparable since then. She smiled as she heard him mumbling her name in his sleep. She then looked down at the ring on her finger as she remembered what had happened months prior. 21-year-old Marius, being his adorably dopey self, had horribly messed up his speech for her that night before asking her the question to be his forever. She was laughing but crying at the same time during that moment. Even though they had been dating for two years, and were now going to be married in just five months, she had never told him what had happened to her in fear of losing him.

She got up to go to the bathroom and made sure to close the door before turning on the light. As she looked in the mirror, she immediately placed her fingers on her neck and began to rub off the concealer, revealing a long scar that ran all the way across her throat. When she saw it for the very first time, she immediately wanted to hide it, and she had been doing so for the past nine years, even hiding it from her fiancé.

Cosette reached into the cabinet and pulled out the nightmare medication that she had hid so carefully all the time. Opening the bottle and taking two pills, she reached for the cup that she kept in there for when she brushed her teeth, filled it with water, dropped the pills into her mouth and washed them down. She had been so focused on taking her medicine that she didn't even notice Marius walk in, so when he wrapped his arms around her waist she jumped a bit.

"Babe, what are you doing up?" he whispered, kissing her temple. "It's two in the morning." His warm smile spread across his freckled face.

"Nothing, Marius," she lied, "I just forgot to take my medicine."

His content expression turned into a look of confusion. "That's strange. I remember you took your sleeping pills before we went to sleep." Then he noticed the bottle of pills. "What are these doing here? And what's that on your neck?"

Cosette felt tears start to fill her eyes. For so long she had been able to keep this a secret, and now it was no more.

"Cosette, what's the matter?" Through her watery eyes, she could see his concerned face as he turned out the light and began to walk her back to bed.

"Oh, Marius, I'm so sorry!" She lost it and fell into his arms. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"What are you sorry for?" He grabbed her face as they sat down. "Cosette, baby, you can tell me anything."

She held his hand to her face, not wanting him to let go. Her tears slowly began to stop, and she started to calm down. "I guess now that it's out, I should say everything."

Then she told him the worst story he had ever heard...

Nine years earlier...

10-year-old Cosette had the perfect life. Her mother, Fantine, was the sweetest person and was loved by many. Her father had left them when Cosette was only an infant, leaving her with no memories of him. Her mother, although now a single parent, kept her positivity and that trait eventually passed to Cosette, who would always become everyone's best friend.

One night, it all changed.

Cosette had woken up to her mother screaming. As she sat up, the light turned on to reveal a rather ugly redheaded man and a mean-looking blonde woman running in to her room with her mother being dragged in behind them. The man grabbed Cosette and flung her onto the ground, tying her hands and feet up.

They must have done this before, Cosette thought, but she didn't scream as she was in shock.

"Please don't, Monsieur Thenardier!" she cried. "Take whatever you want. Take my car! My purse! Anything! Just don't hurt my daughter!"

"Shut up, bitch!" the man yelled. He suddenly pulled out a knife and started to cut off her hair. She screamed in pain as the knife tugged on her roots.

The woman ran over to Cosette and swung a hammer into her jaw. The last thing Cosette heard was a cracking noise before blacking out.

…

The next thing she remembered was being dragged across the ground on her stomach while at the same time hearing the man and woman talking.

"...you never said that this was going to happen!" the woman scolded. "You just told me to knock her out so she wouldn't see what was about to happen, but you never said we were going to kill her!"

"Oh, shut up! We already did it to that whore whom she calls a mother back there, and she might remember us! Would you rather be put to death or get away with murder?!"

There was silence.

"I'll take the second choice."

When she felt her foot being dropped, Cosette made sure to stay still, but she never expected what would happen next.

As she feigned unconsciousness, the man lifted her head back and began to saw her throat open with a knife.

…

When Cosette woke up, she found herself laid up against a tree. The night around her was quiet. She listened for footsteps nearby to no avail. When she tried to call out for help, she realized that she couldn't speak.

That was when she started walking.

…

When police entered the house, they found Fantine's body still in Cosette's bedroom. She, just like her daughter, had her throat cut open. The Thenardiers were both found still at the inn they owned just outside of the neighborhood. The idiotic couple had been stupid enough to steal Fantine's car, which was parked right outside their business.

Monsieur Thenardier was executed three years later while his wife received life without parole.

Present

"When they told me about my mother, I had no reaction, like I wasn't surprised that she was dead. Eventually I was adopted by the man who I call a father." She waited, for him to tell her to remove the ring from her finger and pack her bags.

"Those fucking bastards." He pulled her closer to him and suddenly kissed her throat. She was shocked at this, but knew what he was doing.

When he pulled away, he said, "Cosette, why didn't you tell me? And why did you hide your scar?"

"I thought you would be disgusted by me if I ever did either of those things." she murmured guiltily.

"Oh, love," Marius said lifted her face, "I could never be disgusted of you. I love you, so much." He pulled her in for a soft kiss.

She smiled for the first time that night as they broke apart. "I love you too."

He smiled back before lifting her up. "Come on, it's late. We should go to sleep." She didn't complain.

As he pulled up the blankets and threw his arm around her to bring her closer, Marius had one more question. "Hey, babe?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you please not cover up your scar?"

She chuckled. "Sure, love."

They bid each other good night. Before falling asleep, Cosette reached up to feel the mark across her neck.

She now felt proud of it.

And as she felt herself falling into a dreamless sleep, she was sure that it was not the pills.