Chapter 3

But looking back now, how could there have been that many coincidences?

No wonder Victoria was always picking on me.

As a new employee, I was working overtime almost every day. On top of that, I had to clean her office, make her coffee, and handle all sorts of errands for her.

I used to think that was just what junior staff were expected to do. But now, what was there left not to understand?

I did not believe for a second that Patrick had no idea what she was doing to me. He knew. He just chose to look the other way.

Now that my sight had returned and the truth was laid bare, I finally understood something else. Maybe he had never been able to stand the way I once stood above everyone else.

I pulled myself out of those memories and looked down at my hands.

The skin that had once been smooth and delicate was now rough, thick with calluses from gripping a cane every day.

Still, at least I had not lost my hands.

I could still play the piano.

My gaze shifted to the wooden table on the balcony, crowded with potted plants. That was where my piano used to be.

Patrick, you had better pray that nothing happened to it.

My hands trembled as I opened the monitoring app I had installed on my phone a year ago.

I had always been forgetful, so I had placed a few hidden cameras around the house.

Even though I was no longer working, I was lucky enough that the recordings from six months ago were still there.

Slowly, I dragged the timeline forward.

Then I saw it. My heart felt like it had been plunged into icy water.

That day was when Victoria moved into my home. She had appeared in this house far earlier than I ever imagined.

She seemed dissatisfied with where my piano was placed. She went to the toolbox and took out a hammer.

I watched as she brought it down again and again. She kept striking my piano.

The keys flew off instantly, clattering across the floor.

The sound was sharp and unbearable.

In just moments, my piano was smashed to pieces right before my eyes.

When Patrick came in, he only muttered a few half-hearted complaints at Victoria before letting it go.

Before I came home, he even helped her clean up the mess.

And from start to finish, he lied to me about it.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails nearly dug into my palms.

Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Victoria.

I ignored the call, but she immediately sent a voice message instead.

Because I had been blind, Patrick had gotten me a phone with accessibility features. Even without tapping anything, voice messages would play automatically.

Her arrogance was unmistakable, even through the phone.

She snapped, "Charlotte, you skipped work today. Don't expect to get paid this month. If you can't do the job, then quit. No one's forcing you to stay."

I stared at the message on my phone and suddenly laughed.

Victoria, who did you think you were?

Did you really think I was still the same fool as before?

I contacted a lawyer right away to draft a divorce agreement. At the same time, I hired a private investigator to gather more evidence of Patrick's affair.

But more importantly, I needed to find out what Patrick was really after.

Why had he been pushing me into the company all this time?

I wanted to see exactly what he was hiding.

The lawyer called back quickly to confirm the terms of the divorce. I did not hold back at all. I listed the company's management rights and every asset my parents had left me, clearly and explicitly.

Patrick dared to treat me this way. I was not about to let him take a single advantage from me.

Just to be safe, I saved all the surveillance footage.

Once that was done, I started packing. I truly could not stay in this house for another minute.

I had barely finished packing when Patrick and Victoria came back.

Patrick's expression was already sour, and the moment he saw me, it darkened even more.

He went straight at me without warning. "Why didn't you go to work today? Do you have any idea how much effort I put into finding you a job that actually suits you?

"Your manager criticized you a little, and you immediately threw a tantrum like a spoiled princess?

"There aren't many jobs a blind person can even do. Make some time and go apologize to that manager."

His tone was the same as always, casual and commanding, as if ordering me around came naturally to him.

Victoria, on the other hand, looked delighted. She practically had her nose in the air as she shot me an exaggerated eye roll.