Chapter 1
A month before my engagement, a minor car accident gave me back the eyesight I'd lost for seven years.
Excited beyond words, I took a cab home, ready to surprise Neil.
However, when I walked through the door, I saw him holding our maid, Brianna, their bodies pressed together.
When Neil saw me, he hesitated, trying to pull away, but Brianna waved a hand right in front of my eyes, smirking, daring me to react.
Then she turned to him with a raised brow, her eyes full of smug triumph.
I stared blankly at the hidden camera behind the curtain, its faint glow catching my eye. And in that instant, I knew what I had to do.
*****
All these years with Neil Jenkins, I truly believed he loved me.
However, that all changed the day my sight came back, and I caught him getting way too close to Brianna.
Right then, I decided to keep pretending I was blind.
After a follow-up at the hospital, I finally got the confirmation. My eyesight was really back.
I let out a sigh of relief. As I pulled out my keys, I heard some rustling sounds coming from inside before I even opened the door.
I pushed the door open and saw clothes thrown everywhere.
There were women's stockings, a pink dress, and that tie I'd put on Neil myself this morning.
They were all tangled together, leading straight to Neil's study.
My cane slipped from my grip and crashed to the floor. Step by step, I moved toward the door that stood ajar.
On the oversized armchair, they were hugging and kissing.
Even though I'd tried to prepare myself, the shock of seeing it for real was overwhelming. I couldn't handle it and blacked out.
When I woke up, I was lying on a soft bed, and Neil was sitting right there beside me.
As soon as he saw I was awake, he gently helped me sit up and handed me a glass of water.
"Does your head still hurt?" he asked. His voice was as soft as ever.
This was my seventh year with Neil, and also my seventh year of blindness.
He'd always been so considerate.
If not for that minor car accident a few days ago that miraculously restored my sight, I probably would have stayed clueless forever.
I looked at Neil as he wiped the dirt off my face with a tissue.
Then, with a look of disgust, he grabbed another one and kept cleaning his hands again and again, as if I were something disgusting.
My gaze wavered as I lowered my head.
That was when I noticed his phone lying right beside him.
The screen was still on. Neil probably thought I couldn't see, so he never bothered to lock it.
The chat screen was lit up with the messages he'd sent.
Neil: [Relax, there's no way I'm marrying Audrey. She's just a blind girl. Just a bit of fun, nothing more. Who could spend a lifetime with someone like that?]
My nose tingled, and I couldn't hold back the tears any longer.
Back then, Neil was just one of the many guys chasing after me.
However, after I went blind in that accident, all those other guys ran for the hills. Only Neil stuck around.
I didn't want to burden him back then, so even though he kept telling me he didn't care, I still turned him down.
Then, one day, I had a minor accident while I was out.
Back then, I still wasn't used to being blind. Even with my cane, I kept stumbling and falling.
A bunch of punks saw me all messed up and struggling.
They blocked my way, laughing as if it were a game.
They were just teenagers, but their meanness showed plain as day.
They tossed pebbles at my feet, just to watch me trip and struggle.
Their mocking laughter echoed all around me, but I just stood there, biting my lips, refusing to move.
I told myself they would leave once they got bored.
However, right then, Neil's voice burst through the darkness, tearing apart the heaviness that had swallowed me whole.
"Back off. Leave her alone," he yelled.
They started tussling, and all I could do was stand there, lost and powerless, listening to the commotion.
It wasn't until Neil pulled me into his arms that I reached up to touch his cheek, feeling warm blood slipping through my fingers.
Neil said, his voice edged with anger, "Why didn't you call me?"
I gave a wry smile. "Don't worry, once they've had their fun, they'll move on.
"Honestly, they're not wrong. I am blind after all."
Neil's arms tightened around me, his voice choked up and on the verge of tears.
"No, you're not blind. I'll be your eyes for as long as you need," he said, his voice cracking.
At that moment, a sharp ache spread quietly through my heart, and all the resentment I had buried so deeply exploded inside me.
I thought I could handle it on my own, but when he said he'd be my eyes.
I finally let my guard down and let him in.
Back then, I really thought we'd be together forever.
However, now, he just laughed at me for being blind.
My heart just froze a little more.