Chapter 1

It had been three long years since the car crash that stole my sight and left me trapped in an endless night. The police had called it an accident, but today everything was about to change.

The bandages were finally off, and for the first time in years, I could see again—and the first person I wanted to lay my eyes on was my husband, Thomas.

It was our fifth wedding anniversary, and I’d spent the entire morning planning a surprise dinner for him. He didn’t know that I had been secretly talking to doctors and donors for the last years, and I can now imagine the happiness on his face.

For the first time in years, I felt like myself again.

As I waited for the food to finish, my phone buzzed.

1 new email.

From: Anonymous Sender

Subject: You deserve to know the truth.

At first, I ignored it. Probably spam. But the message preview caught my eye: “This is why you went blind.”

My heart began to thud. I opened it. The message contained a single line: You thought it was an accident, didn’t you? Listen to this.

Attached was an audio file. My finger hovered above the play button. Something deep inside me — instinct, maybe fear — told me not to. But I did anyway.

At first, there was silence. Then a familiar voice spoke — firm, controlled, and painfully recognizable.

Thomas.

“Remove her cornea and donate it to Carlo.”

My breath hitched. Carlo. Carrie’s younger brother. My best friend’s brother.

“Sir,” another voice — the doctor, I realized — said, uneasy. “But… Mrs. Smith’s eyes are in perfect condition. We can find another donor. She’ll lose her sight if we take—”

“Do it,” Thomas cut in, his tone sharp, cold. “Carrie’s crying her heart out. I can’t stand seeing her like that. Just do it. Shane will be fine. At least she’ll be dependent on me — she won’t dare leave.”

“Sir, this isn’t right—”

“Do it now! I’ll take care of the papers. Besides,” he said, his voice lowering into something cruel, “she won’t even know. She would just think that it was an accident when it was Carlo who did it. Well, he didn’t mean to, and I won’t let him go to jail because Carrie won’t be able to handle it. And with her blind, Carrie and I can do whatever we want.”

My knees buckled. The phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a dull thud.

For a moment, everything stopped. The room, the air, even my heartbeat. My world — the one I had fought so hard to rebuild — crumbled in seconds.

He did this to me. He made me blind. Just for his mistress… and my best friend? The woman I trusted with everything — my secrets, my company, my home.

I remembered the nights after I lost my sight—how Thomas would hold my hand, whispering that everything would be okay. He’d feed me, guide me around the house, kiss my forehead like I was fragile glass. “I’ll be your eyes, Shane,” he used to say softly, and I believed him. Every word. Every touch.

All those nights he stayed late at work, I thought he was sacrificing for us. Every gentle promise, every act of care… it was all a lie. He wasn’t comforting me out of love—he was soothing the guilt of what he’d done.

I stumbled toward the table, gripping the edge so tightly my knuckles turned white. My chest felt heavy, my lungs unable to pull air.

All these years, I’d thought it was fate. A tragic accident. I’d blamed no one — not the doctors, not myself. I’d believed Thomas when he said he’d never leave me. That he’d stay by my side no matter what.

But it was all a lie. Every promise. Every kiss. Every “I love you.”

Tears blurred my new vision as I pressed my palms to my face. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head. “No… this isn’t real.”

But it was.

A notification sound broke through my sobs — another file attached to the email. A photo this time. Thomas and Carrie, together, laughing in an office I recognized too well — my office. Her hand rested on his chest, and he was smiling.

I wanted to scream, but nothing came out.

Five years ago, when I married Thomas, I thought I was marrying the love of my life. We had been together for ten years — since high school. We’d grown together, dreamed together. Everyone said we were meant to be.

And I believed them.

But the truth was uglier than I could have ever imagined. He had betrayed me. They both had.

And worse — he’d taken my sight to keep me bound to him.

My vision swam through tears. I tried to steady myself, but my hands were shaking. The wine glass on the table tipped, red spilling across the white linen like blood.

I grabbed my phone again, scrolling through my contacts until I found the number I never thought I’d use — my lawyer.

When he answered, my voice came out rough and trembling. “This is Shane Smith,” I said. “I need to file for divorce. Immediately.”

There was a pause. The lawyer’s voice was cautious. “Divorce? Are you sure, ma’am?”

“I’ve never been more sure in my life,” I said coldly. “File it now. I want it done… and make sure that all my assets will not be touch by my husband.”

“Of course, Mrs. Smith,” he said quickly. “I’ll check the records and start the paperwork. Please hold for a minute.”

I waited, pacing the room, breathing hard. Each second dragged like an hour. The candle flames flickered, throwing shadows against the walls that felt like ghosts of my past mocking me.

Finally, the phone rang again.

“Mrs. Smith,” the lawyer said slowly, “I’m afraid there’s… an issue.”

I frowned. “What issue?”

He hesitated. “I just checked with the registry. There’s no record of your marriage to Mr. Thomas Smith. Legally,” he continued, voice steady but apologetic, “you and Mr. Smith were never registered as husband and wife.”