Chapter 2

I froze when I heard the door open. My heart leaped into my throat. Footsteps echoed in the hallway—familiar ones. I turned just slightly and almost gasped.

Thomas. And beside him… Carrie.

My stomach twisted. I hadn’t even recovered from what I’d just learned—that Thomas and I were never truly married. That the last five years had been a lie—and now, here they were. Together. Laughing as if my entire world hadn’t already fallen apart.

“Are you sure I should be here right now?” Carrie asked softly, her voice laced with false hesitation. “Today’s your anniversary.”

Thomas chuckled, the sound dark and arrogant. “Oh, come on. You know we were never really married. That’s exactly why I’m marrying you soon. I just needed her—for the company. Once everything’s under my name, I’ll make it official. And I pity her when her parents died when you know I should have broken up with her even before… for you.”

Carrie laughed lightly. “Thomas, she’s still your wife—well, at least she thinks she is.”

He smirked. “She’s blind, Carrie. She’ll never know you’re even here. It’ll be our little secret.”

Carrie giggled. “That’s a good idea.”

Thomas lowered his voice, teasing. “Even if we make love right in front of her, she wouldn’t know.”

Something inside me shattered. The world that I thought had been cruel before had just found a new way to destroy me.

But I didn’t move. I didn’t cry. Not yet.

I forced myself to stay calm—to pretend. I straightened, wiped my tears, and slowly walked toward the living room, my voice soft.

“Thomas? Is that you?”

I heard Carrie gasp quietly, but Thomas’s tone immediately shifted to gentle affection. “Yes, love. Happy anniversary.”

I smiled faintly, pretending not to notice the perfume in the air that wasn’t mine. “Happy anniversary,” I whispered.

Thomas moved toward me quickly, his voice soft, careful — the perfect husband again. “Here,” he said, taking my hand. I felt the cool touch of a bouquet pressed against my palm. “I got you flowers. Your favorite.”

I smiled weakly, feeling the trembling of my own fingers as I touched the petals. “They’re beautiful,” I murmured. “Thank you.”

He leaned in and brushed a kiss against my cheek. “You deserve it,” he said smoothly, his tone dripping with guilt disguised as charm.

Carrie’s voice came from behind him, too sweet to be real. “Hi, Shane,” she said softly. “Thomas asked me to help prepare the dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”

I turned slightly toward the sound, pretending to struggle to locate her voice. “Carrie? Oh, I didn’t know you were here,” I said gently, forcing a smile. “Of course, I don’t mind.”

Thomas chuckled, wrapping an arm around my waist. “She’s just helping out, love. You know how bad I am with the kitchen.”

I let out a small laugh, even though my heart was breaking. “Right… I remember.”

For a moment, silence filled the room — heavy and awkward for them, deafening for me. Then I heard a faint whisper behind me, a sound that should’ve been too soft to notice. The sound of lips meeting. A quiet kiss.

My pulse froze.

They really thought I couldn’t see.

Carrie giggled softly, and Thomas whispered something I couldn’t catch, his hand brushing against her arm — right behind me.

I smiled again, my voice trembling but steady. “Dinner smells wonderful,” I said, still pretending, still blind.

Thomas’s hand brushed mine again. “Anything for you, love,” he said smoothly.

For the next few days, I played my part. The blind, obedient wife. I let them believe they were safe. Carrie followed me around, offering fake sweetness while whispering cruel words when Thomas wasn’t around.

“Oh, poor Shane,” she’d say in a pitying tone. “You must hate being this… helpless.”

Once, she even tried to trip me while I was walking down the stairs. I stumbled, pretending to panic, even though I’d seen her stretch out her leg.

I caught the railing in time. That day, something inside me hardened.

The next afternoon, I decided it was my turn. As we descended the same staircase, I “accidentally” brushed her arm. Carrie lost her balance—and tumbled. The crack of her ankle filled the air, followed by her scream.

“Thomas!” she cried. “She pushed me! Shane pushed me!”

Thomas rushed in, his expression twisting in anger.

“Carrie?” I feigned confusion, blinking. “I didn’t even know you were here. How could I push you?”

“Stop lying!” she shouted, clutching her leg.

Thomas turned to me, his face twisted with anger. “We had somewhere important to go today, and you did this? You’re really useless, aren’t you?”

Before I could even speak, he shoved me—hard.

My foot slipped against the polished floor, and I fell backward, hitting the edge of the table before collapsing onto the cold marble. Pain shot through my abdomen, sharp and blinding. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

“Thomas!” I gasped, clutching my stomach. “Something’s wrong—”

But he didn’t look back. He bent down, scooping Carrie into his arms instead.

And just like that, they left.

The door slammed shut, leaving me alone on the floor—bleeding, trembling, and unable to even scream anymore. I forced myself up, hand pressed against my stomach, the pain pulsing deeper with every step. Somehow, I made it out of the house, hailed a cab, and dragged myself to the hospital.

The sterile lights burned my eyes as the doctor’s voice broke through the haze.

“Mrs. Smith,” he said softly, “you were pregnant… but the fall caused internal bleeding. I’m sorry—you’ve lost the baby.”

Pregnant. Lost. The words didn’t make sense. I didn’t even know!

By the time I stumbled out of the room, my legs were shaking, my heart hollow. Then I froze.

“Thomas, she’s getting suspicious,” Carrie whispered.

Thomas scoffed. “Let her. She’ll never prove anything. I’ll make sure she never sees again. I’m paying every doctor who ever treated her,” he continued coldly. “She doesn’t need her sight back. As long as she’s blind, she’s under my control.”