‘Will You Still Love Me?’ Army Woman Tearfully Asks Fiancé as She Returns with Severe Burns — Story of the Day

When Laura gets discharged from the military hospital after surviving a fateful fire accident, she goes to see her fiancé. She exposes the burn marks on her face and asks him if he still loves her, and her heart races for his answer.

It was March 5. Spring seemed to come to life, and as early flowers pushed through the earth, a new painful awakening awaited Laura. She was admitted to the military hospital after surviving forty percent of burn scars all over her body. Her face was the most affected.

The 27-year-old soldier sighed as the nurse undrew the curtains in her ward. The morning's intense rays irritated her eyes. She had already woken up but had not still opened her eyes. She was hesitant and scared to see her bandaged face in the mirror...

Laura gently touched her face for the first time in three weeks. It felt as though her facial skin was replaced by meshed cloth.

"Nurse, can you please take me to the washroom?" Laura asked. "I want to freshen up."

Before taking her, the nurse undressed the bandages. It would be the first time since the fire that Laura would see herself in the mirror, and it was going to be painfully different.

When she finally saw her face in the mirror, Laura screamed, "Jesus, take that mirror away! Take that mirror away!"

She cried and dropped to the floor, and the nurse tried to help her out.

Beauty is not about having a pretty face but a kind heart and a beautiful soul.

Laura was terrified. She kept thinking about her scarred reflection and what Evan, her fiancé, would think when he saw her. They were getting married the next month.

"Oh, Laura, darling! We're glad you're fine!" Laura's mother greeted her later that morning.

Laura was not happy to see her parents. She looked past Mr. and Mrs. Clark to see if Evan had come. But he hadn't.

"Evan didn't come to visit me?" she asked, disheartened.

"We're afraid he won't, ever," Mrs. Clark said. "And even if he does, it'll be for your money, nothing else. He's already poor, and why would he marry you in this condition if not for your inheritance?"

Laura's parents were certain Evan would call off the wedding. "Forget about your marriage, darling. He never loved you."

But Laura argued. "Evan would never do that. Quit talking badly about him, mom."

"Evan will never marry you. That's the ugly truth you have to accept. And if he does marry you, it'll be for your money and not for your love," Mrs. Clark asserted.

Laura stood her ground and yelled at her parents. "Evan loves me, and I know that! I needn't prove it to you! Get out of here!" she fumed.

Her parents stormed out, threatening to cut her off from their will if she pursued her wedding to Evan.

That evening, the nurse approached Laura.

"Yes, he said he's your fiancé and wishes to see you. He's waiting at the reception."

Tears of joy flooded Laura's eyes. She was right. Evan would come for her. But her heart warned her of his possible reaction to her scarred face. Would he accept her in that condition? Would he still want her? The thought terrified her, and more than the sight of her face, she couldn't bear to see his rejection.

With a heavy heart, Laura looked up at the nurse and said, "Tell him I don't wish to see him."

Evan was disappointed and walked away. But he wouldn't give up. He returned to the hospital the next day, determined to see Laura.

"Come on, darling. Just allow me to see you once. Everything will be alright," he thought as he anxiously marched with flowers to the ward where Laura was admitted.

Evan knew she would refuse to see him again, so he proceeded to her ward to surprise her.

As soon as Laura saw a silhouette of Evan at the doorway, she sprung up and ran into the washroom.

"Go away, Evan! I don't want to see you!" she cried from inside.

"Darling, please. Please let me see you. I love you, and you know that," Evan pleaded.

But Laura refused to reveal herself, so Evan walked away. He started leaving messages on Laura's phone every day, but she never replied. Then he sent her bouquets with notes expressing his love for her.

"I love you, not your beauty. I'm proud of you. You saved the lives of those kids by risking your life. You braved the burning building and came out as a true hero. I want you back but take your time. Yours Forever, Evan."

Laura never responded to any of Evan's messages, though it pained her not to. She was discharged shortly after that.

"Where will I go now?" Laura wondered. She had no intentions of returning to her parents after the hurtful words they said to her. Then she thought about Evan. She decided she needed to find out if her parents were right.

"I must find out if he really loves me or if everything he told me was a lie."

Nervous and scared of how he would react, Laura pressed Evan's doorbell hard and quickly retreated to the patio. Minutes later, Evan answered the door. He was stunned to see Laura on his doorstep, her burns masked.

"I wonder, will you still love me?" she tearfully asked, slowly taking the mask off.

Evan winced, and a strange fear crawled up Laura's gut. She wanted to run and scream that it wasn't her fault...that she was only trying to save innocent lives trapped in that burning building that day.

"My parents threatened to cut me off their lives and their will if I married you. So I'm no longer rich or beautiful. This is me now, and nothing can change it. I'm asking you again—Will you still love me? I'm ugly and homeless. These burn scars will stay with me till I die. Will you still see me the same way again?"

Laura looked away, afraid of what Evan would say, certain he would walk away. Instead, Evan came closer and touched her face, tears in his eyes. He hugged her and said, "Come in, darling. This is your house. And I love you, not your money or your beauty."

Laura slept peacefully in Evan's guest room that night and was awakened by the honking of a vehicle the next morning. She looked out the window and saw a limo outside. She rushed downstairs to see who was inside.

"Oh my God, Evan!" Laura burst into tears as she held her mouth in awe. Evan had stepped out of the limo in a charcoal grey suit. "Get in, darling. It's our wedding today!" he said, inviting her into the car.

It was too good to be true. Laura's tears wouldn't stop, her heart screaming with joy.

Evan took her to a bridal boutique where they shopped for the most pristine wedding gown. Then he took her to a salon.

"You look so beautiful!" Evan said as she came out of the salon later. He could not take his eyes off her.

They married in church shortly after, and since Evan had no parents, only his friends attended the ceremony.

Two years had passed since that beautiful day. Laura had not been in contact with her parents. She had moved on. But one day, she bumped into them at the supermarket.

"Mom...dad! I'm so glad to see you here," she greeted them.

Mr. and Mrs. Clark frowned, acting indifferently.

"Fine. If that's the way you want it. Shop all you want. Oh, I forgot to tell you. Evan owns this supermarket now. He'll be glad to give you a discount!"

Laura's parents were dumbfounded. They had thought Evan was a gold digger who would dump their daughter eventually. But he turned out to have a heart of gold.

"Told ya! My husband's a gem!" boasted Laura. She watched as her parents exited the store, regret all over their faces. "Do come back...our store is always open for you!" she called out.

What can we learn from this story?

• Beauty is not about having a pretty face but a kind heart and a beautiful soul. Laura doubted if Evan would still love her after seeing her scarred face. But he proved that he loved her for who she was and not for her appearance or money.
• True love has no excuses or boundaries. While Laura's parents believed Evan would dump their daughter over her shattered face and lack of money, he proved to them that not of that mattered because he truly loved her.

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A veteran who flees his fiancée, not wanting to be a burden, has a tear-jerking moment when she shows up on his porch with a priest the next day. Click here to read the full story.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.