Chapter 13
Ethan's eyes were fixed straight ahead, empty and unfocused.
Under the bright lights of the banquet hall, the grayish-white of his eyes seemed even murkier, almost lifeless.
He was wearing his worn-out coat, a cloth bag hanging from his shoulder. The scabs on his hands were still raw, not fully healed.
Over thirty people stared at him.
Derek stepped in front of Grace, shielding her.
"Who let him in?" he demanded.
The greeter followed behind, looking embarrassed. "Mr. Smith, I tried to stop him, but he refused to leave."
Mia said, "I let him in. If you've got the guts, call security and throw me out as well."
Derek didn't look at Mia. He stared straight at Ethan.
He snapped, "Ethan, didn't you hear me last time? I don't believe Luna's dead. You are both good at acting.
"So, what do you want? Name your price. Take the money and get lost. Don't ever show up in front of me again."
Ethan didn't respond.
He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out that piece of paper.
He held the crumpled paper up high, like a flag.
He couldn't see what was written on it. He couldn't see anything at all.
Ethan said, "I can't see what's on this paper."
His voice wasn't loud, but the music in the banquet hall had stopped, and the room was so quiet that they could hear every word he said.
"Luna put this in my hand right before she died. She told me that this was all she had left for me,'" Ethan continued.
Derek frowned as he stared at the paper.
"Bring it here," he said to Oliver.
Oliver walked over. He already knew what was on that paper. He'd found out everything from the hospital.
But he still took the paper from Ethan and unfolded it.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the paper.
Oliver handed the paper to Derek. And Derek looked down at it.
It was a cornea donation form. My name was written on the donor part.
On the intended recipient's part, Ethan's name was crossed out.
Above it, in blue ballpoint pen, was Grace's name.
Derek's fingers clenched the paper, his gaze shifting between the two names.
Ethan kept speaking, "Luna was always saving up for my operation. She said once she had enough, she'd give me her own corneas. She signed this form.
"But after she died, someone crossed out my name."
He turned his head toward the sound. He couldn't see anyone, but he could sense where the voices were coming from.
He turned his head in Grace's direction.
"Grace," Ethan continued.
Grace didn't say a word.
"Everything you see right now is through Luna's eyes," Ethan said.
Grace's lips parted, but no sound came out.
Ethan continued, "Luna's eyes were supposed to be mine."
No one moved, and no one spoke.
It was like some unseen force had frozen everyone where they stood.
Ethan reached into his canvas bag and pulled out something else, the twenty-dollar urn. He'd brought it with him today.
He set the urn down on the floor, kneeling in front of it.
"Derek," Ethan said.
Derek gripped the paper tightly, staring at him.
Ethan continued, "Luna is dead. For three days, nobody came to take care of her remains.
"I had to borrow money to pay for her cremation. Her urn was the cheapest one they had. It was twenty dollars."
He pulled the silver ring from his pocket and set it beside the urn.
"I returned her ring last time. Your people shoved it in a drawer," Ethan said.
He pulled out the copper lock and continued, "I gave her lock to Oliver yesterday."
Finally, he touched the crumpled paper.
"Her eyes," Ethan said.
He paused for a moment and continued, "I've returned everything of hers to you."
He knelt there, his grayish eyes turned toward Derek, not quite meeting his gaze.
"Can you give Luna back to me?" Ethan asked, his voice trembling.
Derek gripped the paper tightly.
His gaze shifted from the paper to Ethan's face, then down to the urn lying on the ground.
Then he turned to look at Grace behind him.
Grace's face turned ghostly pale, like all the color had been sucked out of her in an instant.
Derek spoke up with only one word, "Grace?"
Grace's lips moved, but no sound came out.
Vivian rushed over from the sofa, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor.
She shouted, "Bullshit! This blind idiot is spewing nonsense. That donor form is fake.
"Luna faked it before she died, just to mess things up between Derek and Grace. Guards, get him out of here!"
She bent down, reaching to grab the paper from Derek's hand.
Derek jerked his hand back and stared at Vivian.
Vivian's hand hung suspended in midair.
Derek said, "Mom, you were the one who signed the donor change at the hospital."
Vivian's face went stiff.
"Oliver checked it out," Derek continued, his voice flat, slower than usual. "The change was made the day after Luna died. And the signature is yours."
Vivian took a step back.
She snapped, "I did this for you. Luna's corneas were a perfect match for Grace.
"You want to let them go to waste? Give them to some blind guy? Grace is your future wife. Who is Ethan anyway?"
Derek didn't say a word and looked down at the paper.
Ethan's name had been crossed out with a harsh, heavy stroke.
The line was pressed so hard that it carved a groove right into the paper.
Whoever did it must've used all their strength, like they wanted to wipe that name from existence.
Derek slowly folded the paper and then looked at Grace.
Grace's lips were pale, but she was still trying to speak.
"Derek, I really didn't know those corneas were Luna's. Vivian told me it was an anonymous donor. I didn't know," she said.
Her voice shook, and her hand was clutching the side of her dress.
Derek stared into her eyes.
Those eyes right there. Next month, Luna's corneas would become part of those eyes.
He couldn't tear his gaze away from those eyes.
Then he turned around and headed for the door.
When he reached Ethan, he stopped for a second.
He didn't look down at Ethan.
He paused for a moment, then kept walking.
The door closed behind him.
Inside the banquet hall, Grace stood there, not moving, with Vivian right beside her.
The thirty-some guests were scattered around, drinks still in hand.
No one said a word.
Ethan knelt on the floor, the urn in front of him, with a silver ring and a copper lock lying beside it.
He didn't know Derek had already left.
He stayed there, still waiting for an answer.