I'm already half-blind in my left eye, but Cedric Thompson forces me to donate my right cornea to his childhood sweetheart.

Her parents berate me. "She's blind now! It's not like you'll die without one eye's cornea!"

Cedric consoles me. "We're only taking the cornea for one eye. It won't affect anything."

I'm forcibly placed under anesthesia. I lose all hope in life before my eyes slide shut.

I would never have married him if I'd know he would treat me like this. He has no idea I can barely see with my left eye now.

I got a walking stick from the doctor and left the hospital.

As soon as I reached the hallway, I heard Celine Quinton's cheerful voice. "Finally, I can see again! Cedric, you're amazing! Thank you for staying with me all this time!"

When Cedric Thompson saw me, he seemed taken aback, as though he had just remembered I existed.

"What happened to your eyes?" he asked.

"It's nothing, just got some sand in my eye," I replied.

I had said a thousand times that my left eye was nearly blind, and I didn't want to repeat myself again.

Cedric grabbed my arm, refusing to let go. "I'll blow it off for you."

Celine's mother, Rowena Jackman, pouted as she cracked some walnuts. "What else could happen? I guess she just knows how to play the pity card."

Then, she turned to the nurse and asked, "Miss, it won't cause any problems taking one of her corneas, right?"

Meanwhile, Celine blinked and looked at the doctor standing nearby.

"If the other eye is fine, there shouldn't be much impact aside from the initial discomfort," the doctor replied.

Upon hearing this, Cedric's expression changed, and he let go of my hand. "What's the big deal? It's just one cornea."

My vision blurred, and I felt a hollow ache inside me, as if a sharp knife had pierced my heart.

Cedric helped Celine walk away.

Just as I was about to follow them, Rowena stuck her foot out, tripping me.

"What's there to pretend?" Rowena spat.

I fell hard, and stars swirled in my vision as I lay on the floor, unable to get up for a while.

"Stop pretending, Nicole Harris," Cedric said, shooting me a disdainful glance.

Then, he simply walked away with Celine.

Tears fell from my eyes and onto the floor.

Half a month ago, when Celine and her parents said they were coming to treat her eyes, I agreed.

What I didn't expect was that after Celine arrived at my house, I became her maid.

I did all the chores for her, from washing clothes to cooking.

Cedric's reason for it was simple—"She's a guest."

However, I felt like I was the guest instead.

My left eye was nearly blind, and now I had to give up my right cornea for his childhood friend.

How could I expect such a man to soothe my pain?

By the time I left the hospital, they had already returned home.

All I could make out was the image blurring and flickering from time to time.

An electric car whooshed by.

My arm was scratched by it, and blood began to pour.

The driver fled, so I had no choice but to return to the hospital for treatment.

When I was just discharged, Cedric showed up.

He didn't ask about the cut on my arm but instead reprimanded me, "It's just one cornea. Do you really have to be this dramatic and not go home?"

I had barely arrived home when Rowena sharply remarked, "I see now why you're walking so slowly. You simply don't want to do the chores."

I had been in the hospital for a few days. The leftover dishes from the last meal were still on the table.

I felt like a maid, constantly being ordered around.

"Rowena is the elder. Go clean up and bring the takeout from downstairs," Cedric ordered.

I realized he had come to see me just to have me clean up the dishes.

I didn't bother arguing. After all, there was always power in numbers.

Unfortunately, Cedric never stood by my side.

I cleared the table and got the takeout, only to find that they had ordered shrimp.

Cedric peeled shrimp for Celine without caring that his hands were covered in oil. Yet, he completely forgot that I was allergic to shrimp. If the allergy was severe enough, it could cause an anaphylactic shock.

My heart sank, and the air around me became heavy, making it hard to breathe.

I silently ate my spaghetti, trying to ignore the overwhelming pain.

"Nicole, why are you only eating spaghetti? Are you upset?" Celine asked, poking at her food with little interest.

Rowena scoffed. "What else could be the problem? She thinks you owe her for taking one of her corneas."

Then, she turned to me and added, "If you're upset, take my cornea instead. Should the whole family cater to you? If you don't want to eat, go hang the clothes so we can all be happy."

Rowena kept ranting, even though I said nothing.

Cedric noticed my sour expression and placed the shrimp he was holding into my bowl, gently saying, "Don't be upset, okay?"

I stared at Cedric and said coldly, "I don't eat shrimp."

I've told him countless times that I was allergic to shrimp. I didn't want to repeat myself.

Cedric lost his patience and snapped, "You don't need to cause a scene for everyone to see. If you don't have anything to do, go hang the clothes."

Before I could respond, he poured my food out of the bowl. I stood there, staring at him for a long moment.

I bit my lip, holding back my tears with all my might. Then, I walked back to my room to avoid interrupting their cheerful meal.

Suddenly, Celine said, "I'll go check on Nicole, or I won't be able to eat."

Cedric dismissed her, saying, "Don't worry about her. Her temper is getting worse."

However, Celine ignored his words and walked into my room, finally dropping her act. She leaned in close and whispered, "Your other eye is going to be blind too, isn't it? Well, guess what? I was never blind. I just needed an excuse to stay here, but can you believe Cedric actually said he'd give me your cornea?"

Suddenly, Celine shoved me, and I fell hard onto the floor.

"No!" I cried out.

The wound that had just begun to scab over instantly bled through the bandages.

Before I could speak, Celine pretended to be scared and stepped back, saying, "Nicole, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take your cornea. Cedric cares about me. I really didn't push you."

Hearing my cries, the three of them dropped their forks and rushed into the room.

Blood seeped from my arm once again.

Rowena glared at me, jabbing a finger at my face. "How long are you going to keep up this act? Do you want to drive Celine to her grave before you're satisfied?"

Looking at the three of them conspiring together, I couldn't bring myself to argue back.

Then, as if on cue, Celine's ever-innocent father, Gilbert Quinton, let out a few well-timed tears. "I know our family comes from humble roots, but do you really have to bully Celine like this? If it bothers you so much, we'll just leave."

Cedric frowned, looking at me with great disappointment. "Seriously, Nicole, how can you be so selfish? I get that you're upset about donating your cornea, but this is too much. Apologize to Celine."

My heart plummeted when I heard him ask me to apologize.

I had lost my sight, and I couldn't understand why I was supposed to apologize to her.

I turned to leave, but Cedric grabbed my wrist. "Apologize to Celine."

He wasn't going to let me go unless I gave in.

A deep, all-consuming despair washed over me.

Though I felt wronged, I turned to Celine and said, "Celine, I'm sorry."

Then, I met Cedric's gaze. "Can I leave now?" I asked.

With that, I shook off his grip and walked away.

It felt as if my heart was being pierced by a jagged knife. The more I tried to pull away, the more it hurt. Finally, the knife was driven deeper, and my heart was torn wide open.

I slammed the door behind me and walked out of that house.

Cedric unexpectedly chased after me and helped rebandage the wound on my arm.

"Nicole, your eyes are fine, right? Can you stop being so upset now?" he said gently. "As long as your eyes are still okay, it's not a big deal, right? The doctor said it wouldn't have much of an impact. I just can't bear to see you become blind. Celine had constantly told me how painful a blind person's world was, and I was really starting to lose patience with it."

Realizing he might have been too harsh earlier, Cedric softened, trying to soothe me.

"I thought you were purposely trying to make me blind," I replied sarcastically, ignoring Cedric's attempts to appease me.

I walked with Cedric toward the hill behind the house where we often went for walks.

As my vision faded from blurry shapes to complete darkness, I realized the sky had already turned dark.

I had no choice but to grab the corner of Cedric's shirt.

A while later, I felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Rowena's frantic voice came through. "Cedric, Celine's right eye has worsened, and now she can't see at all. She's at the hospital and threatening to die. You need to come stop her!"

Cedric quickly pulled his hand away from mine and rushed back.

The path we had taken back seemed endless, and by the time we were halfway, the sky had fully darkened. The valley around me was pitch-black, and I could see nothing. My phone was dead too.

I grabbed Cedric again. "Cedric, can you take me back first? I can't see, and my phone's out of battery."

He ignored my pleas, brushing me off as he hurried away.

The sound of rustling leaves echoed in the empty valley, shattering the last bit of my rationality.

I screamed into the darkness. "Cedric, come back! I can't see! My phone's dead! I don't know how to get back!"

In the endless darkness, I clung to Cedric like he was my lifeline, but all that answered me was the echo of my own voice bouncing off the walls of the valley.

He was gone, and my world had become nothing but darkness.

He knew how terrified I was of the dark, yet he still left me alone on the hill.

Tears blurred my vision, and despair seeped into my bones.

I grabbed a branch to use as a makeshift walking stick, but in my panic, I lost my footing and tumbled down the slope.

The pain clouded my thoughts, and I suddenly remembered something from long ago.

Cedric and I used to take walks on the back hill. He would always wrap me in his arms and say, "What if there's a wild beast on the hill that eats my Nicole?"

Sometimes, when we stayed out too late and night fell, he would gently reassure me, "Nicole, don't be afraid. I'm here."

A kind soul had taken me to the hospital.

I could feel the dawn breaking, but all I saw was a blur of white.

"What's wrong with my eyes?" I asked as I woke up.

At that moment, I realized just how helpless the world of the blind truly was.

Just then, I heard a familiar voice. "Didn't I tell you? Your left eye was already in bad shape. Why did you let them take the cornea from your right eye?"

It was the doctor who had examined me before.

I was taken aback by the concern of a stranger. Even someone who didn't even know me had brought me to the hospital.

However, my mind drifted back to how Cedric had turned his back and walked away, despite my desperate pleas.

At that moment, I had only one thought—if I had known Cedric would treat me this way one day, I never would have been with him.

I didn't know who helped me charge my phone, but suddenly, my phone rang. It was Cedric's exclusive ringtone. I figured he might be calling to explain himself or apologize.

A mocking smile tugged at my lips as I answered, but instead of an apology, Cedric's voice came through harshly.

"Why didn't you tell me your right eye was blind? Now, Celine is blind too. Are you happy now? Is it fun to mess with blind people? Come here and give her your left cornea."

I couldn't help but laugh at his words.

If someone didn't know better, they might think Cedric was Celine's husband.

All of this suddenly made sense.

A wave of disgust washed over me, and I realized how much I had foolishly loved a man who had become so despicable.

My heart sank, and I felt so foolish.

I asked the doctor to dial a number from behind my phone case.

After I explained the situation to the person on the other end, he replied, "Is that true? Have you decided to take the design manager position at Maker Corp? You don't know how regretful our head was when you didn't join us earlier."

Maker Corp. in Lanceton had been my dream company since graduation. Three years ago, I received their job offer.

From then on, I began to draw design drafts for them.

A month ago, the person in charge had told me that if I was willing to relocate to Lanceton, they would promote me to design manager.

I had given up that opportunity for Cedric, but in return, he had turned me into a blind woman for his childhood sweetheart.

I had sacrificed my career for him, and now I realized how stupid that was.

"Does the hospital over there have any available corneas?" I asked.

"I can help you contact them. It's not as scarce as it is back home. You'll be able to get one soon," the person in charge replied.

After thanking him, I hung up the phone.

In the past few days, my eyesight had completely gone. Cedric's calls only consisted of reprimands.

If it weren't for the doctor's help, I would have had trouble even eating.

I received a video from Celine.

I could hear that Cedric was feeding her.

It sounded incredibly warm and intimate, as if they were the real couple, and I was the outsider.

After Celine moved in, she complained she couldn't sleep, so Cedric let her take our bed, staying by her side every night.

Meanwhile, I was left alone, sleeping on the couch in the living room.

She would say how much she liked the necklace and bag that Cedric had bought for me, and Cedric would ask me to give them to her.

All the things I cherished were now taken from me by her.

Later, she said she envied my ability to see, so Cedric asked me to give her my cornea.

Now, I was completely blind.

If she wanted Cedric, then I would let her have him.

I was tired of lying to myself, trying to prove that Cedric still loved me.

I wouldn't fool myself anymore.

Since I could no longer see, I asked a moving company to pack my things and left the divorce papers on the coffee table.

Then, I booked a flight to Lanceton for tomorrow.