Chapter 2
Kevin's voice left nothing to the imagination.
Bella felt the air vanish from her lungs. 'How could he flirt with another woman right in front of me?' Bella thought, her heart aching.
Alina lit up, practically melting against him. "Then I'll stay. How about I cook dinner for you both tonight?"
"Perfect," Bella said. "I haven't eaten since that ten-hour flight. I'm starving."
Bella made her way toward the clean couch, the one untouched by their affair, and sat down. Her steps were steady.
Kevin noticed. "Bella, wait. Can you see?"
"No," she said evenly. "I just remember the layout. Why? Kevin, you sound like you don't want me to see."
He sat beside her. "Don't say that. I'm just worried about you. These months must've been rough, babe."
Rough didn't begin to cover it. She'd endured everything because she believed in him, believed that every bit of pain was worth it if she could one day look at his face again.
But thinking of herself lying on that cold operating table while he was home with Alina having sex, she felt her chest throbbed.
She couldn't understand it. 'How did the boy who once loved me so fiercely turn into this man?'
They had grown up together. Childhood friends. First loves.
He used to shield her from stray dogs on the way to school.
He would hand her a candy afterward and whisper, "Don't worry, Bella. I got you."
When a classmate bullied her, Kevin fought him after school, leaving the boy nearly limping home.
Kevin was punished by his strict family, forced to hold a painful wall-sit for almost a month, until his legs shook so badly he could barely walk.
She cried and blamed herself. He said, "Bella, for you, I'd do it for a whole year."
After college, his family pushed him to study abroad. He refused. He wanted to marry her instead.
They tried everything to force him overseas, until the day he almost got hit by a car and Bella shoved him out of the way.
The crash stole her sight.
Only then did his family finally give in and let them marry.
Afterward, Kevin treated her like she was still his whole world. He traveled everywhere, searching for the best doctors.
Even when every doctor said there was no hope, Bella still felt blessed.
Because Kevin would always whisper, "I'll be your eyes. Protecting you makes me happier than anything."
She truly thought she would spend her life loved like that.
Only now did she realize that Kevin, the man who used to look at her with such tenderness, had already given his heart to someone else.
Now her vision was back. And so was the truth.
Bella could barely swallow a bite at dinner.
After a few mouthfuls, her fork slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor.
She bent down instinctively to pick them up, and through her blurred vision caught a glimpse she wished she never had: Alina's stocking-covered foot sliding into the leg of Kevin's pants.
Kevin's hand reached back and caught her calf, his fingers stroking her in a way that made Bella's chest seize like someone had slammed a hammer into it.
A real, slicing pain spread through her ribs. The fork could stay where they fell; she couldn't eat another bite.
"I'm done. You two go ahead," Bella said, her voice flat.
"You barely touched your food. Bella, what's up? Was the surgery a bust? Are you upset?" Kevin paused and walked over to her. "Don't give up. I'll keep looking for a doctor. I promise, I'll get your sight back, alright?"
"No need, Kevin. I've decided to give up."
'Not my eyes. You,' she added silently.
"Well… alright. If you stop trying, you still have me," Kevin said.
The fake affection in his voice made Bella's stomach twist.
She stared at his handsome face. It was still the same shape she once memorized.
She felt a quiet grief pool in her chest. 'Kevin, how did you become someone like this?'
He stiffened under her gaze. Something about her expression unsettled him, as if he suspected she might actually be able to see.
"Mr. Richardson, Bella's not eating. Come sit down before your food gets cold," Alina chimed in, too sweet for her own good.
Bella pulled her stare away. "I'm going upstairs."
"I'll take you," Kevin offered, moving closer.
He reached out to steady her, but Bella stepped back, keeping her distance.
"No. I can go on my own. Finish your dinner," she said, her voice icy.
She had taken only a few steps when she heard Alina's syrupy voice drift after her. "Baby, when are you gonna tell Bella about the divorce? I'm already three months pregnant.
"If my family finds out I'm having a kid out of wedlock, they'll kill me."