Not Like The Others: But Hiding It Well
About
“I don’t want to be admired from a distance.
I want to be loved up close—and that scares me more than anything.”
— Elena
Elena has the career, the style, the control.
And the secret pain she never talks about.
At thirty-four, Elena is a rising star in the corporate world. She's mastered the art of looking composed, confident—even cold, if it keeps people from getting too close. Underneath the sleek blazers and perfect hair, she hides the truth: she lives with severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa, a chronic skin condition that leaves her in constant pain and even deeper shame.
No one knows. That’s how she likes it. Until a new coworker begins to notice the cracks in her armor. And for the first time, Elena is faced with a terrifying possibility—what if hiding is hurting her more than the disease itself?
But Hiding It Well is a powerful exploration of what happens when perfection becomes a prison. In this third installment of the "Not Like The Others" series, Kim Palmer delivers a story about fear, intimacy, and the emotional cost of silence, crafted for anyone who’s ever felt like their body was their biggest secret.