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.

As I was preparing to leave, it seemed Cedric finally remembered me.

He called and said, "Nicole, I bought some fish for you. Thought you could use something nourishing."

"Okay," I replied flatly.

He continued, "I'll bring the fish home. Can you cook it? And please make sure to prepare some for Celine too. She could use some nourishment too."

I let out a bitter chuckle. How was I supposed to cook the fish when I couldn't see?

A wave of nausea swept over me.

I couldn't help but wonder if he was still the Cedric I once knew, or if he had changed a long time ago, and I had just been too blind to see it.

"I went to the hospital where you had your surgery. I picked up your eye exam report," he said. "The doctor mentioned that as long as your left eye is fine, it shouldn't affect your daily life. You might just take some time getting used to it."

I heard the sound of a door opening on his end.

If I was right, he should've seen the divorce papers.

"How can you divorce me over something so small?" Cedric questioned.

I could hear the anger in his voice, mixed with a hint of panic.

"I told you, your eyes are fine. Do you want me to send you the report?" he asked.

Just then, it seemed like he had seen my eye exam report, and suddenly, there was a tense silence on his end.

"Your eye—"

I could hear his breath quicken.

Without saying another word, I hung up the phone.