The evening before my wedding, an incredible thing happened: My eyesight returned, which I had lost while rescuing Lillian, Lucian’s sister.

I couldn't wait to tell Lucian the good news, but instead, I stumbled upon something that shattered my heart—Lucian holding Lillian in a way that left no doubt about their relationship. She was draped in a Victorian-style dress, her shoulders bare.

“Lucian, don’t go to the old lady tonight, okay? I’m feeling much better and can take care of you now.”

“What old lady? She’s your sister-in-law!” Lucian’s voice was a blend of frustration and something unfamiliar—perhaps a helpless yearning.

It was unthinkable. The man who vowed to always cherish me stood openly with his lover in the home we shared. My heart, which had loved him for over a decade, turned cold in an instant.

On our wedding day, rather than walking down the aisle, I boarded a flight to the Alps, choosing to let him go.

But there he was, abandoning his so-called soulmate, pleading on the icy plains for me to come back.

---

I bit my lip, watching the scene unfold in the office. Lucian nestled into Lillian’s arms, sighing before gently kissing her lips. Her cheeks flushed, and she playfully swatted his chest—a gesture both tender and painful to see.

Before I could react, noise erupted from the building, and I hurried to hide in the stairwell. What I witnessed next was even more piercing: The elders of the Matthews family, whom I once admired, looked at Lillian with adoring eyes.

“Lillian, when will you give our family a grandchild?” One sentence and my heart shattered. I stumbled, knocking over a water cooler as I retreated.

Feeling abandoned, I fled, curling up on the couch, haunted by images of Lucian’s passionate embrace with her. Only the pressure of my teeth on my fist kept my sobs at bay.

How could a man who claimed I was his world change so easily?

The phone rang, interrupting my bleak reverie. Professor Adler’s voice was as caring as ever.

“Amira, are you feeling better? We're heading to the Alps next month for a new project, but given your wedding, you might not be able to join.”

After a pause, I shared my most pressing thought.

“Professor, I want to be part of the project. My eyes have healed, and honestly...work is more important than love right now.”

He didn’t respond immediately, urging me to think carefully about the decade-long commitment ahead.

Perhaps the emotional turmoil was too much—I succumbed to a fever that night. In my delirium, faint murmurs and the sound of water dripping in the next room tormented me.

Amidst the haze, all I saw was a blank expanse of white. Voices, familiar yet haunting, reached me.

“Aren’t you afraid she’ll wake up?”

“Hmph, even if she does, she’s blind and can’t see anything. Besides, don’t you enjoy it?”

“She is your sister-in-law.”

Despite the lustful tone, I knew it was Lucian’s voice. This must be a nightmare, I thought, refusing to believe the man I cherished would betray me openly. Tears soaked my pillow, cold against my skin. I longed to demand answers, but my eyelids felt impossibly heavy.

In the midst of humiliation and whispered betrayal, I slipped back into unconsciousness.

“Amira, are you still in pain? Stay still, let me help,” Lucian’s voice was gentle, full of concern, as he softly massaged my aching head. It felt as if yesterday's events were just a bad dream, and he was the same loving Lucian I knew.

But then, the illusion broke.

“Amira, our wedding dress arrived, why don't you come and touch it? Is it how you imagined?”

I wanted to tell him my vision had returned, but I swallowed the words, forcing a smile as I nodded. The white satin with its ornate embroidery revealed Lucian’s effort, my fingers tracing the fabric.

But the dampness made me frown.

“Oh...I spilled some coffee when I brought it over, silly me,” Lucian stammered, worried about my reaction.

I remained silent.

His phone, resting nearby, continued to light up with messages one after another.

“Brother, you’re cheeky for letting the blind woman wear the dress I wore yesterday! It still carries our scent, you know.”

"She's blind, so it's pointless to give her anything new. Besides, your scent can mask her bad luck," he remarked.

Suddenly, the meaning of his words hit me, and my stomach twisted with revulsion. Lucian didn’t notice my discomfort; he was absorbed in his phone, texting furiously.

A slew of nasty messages flashed by my eyes. Unable to hold it in any longer, I bolted to the bathroom.

"Amira?" Lucian called from the doorway, his voice low and concerned. "You can see?"

His words made my heart skip a beat, scrambling for an explanation. Just then, Lucian’s phone buzzed with a new message. No time for words, just images. Years of blindness had honed my hearing, and though Lucian seemed composed, his breathing gave away his agitation.

"I’ve got to get back to the office. Something urgent came up. Be careful while I'm gone," he said abruptly, pulling me from the floor with unnecessary force and dropping me onto the sofa, like I was no more than baggage.

Clearly, there was something pressing because he was in a rush. As the door slammed shut, I looked down at my hand, red from his grip, a bitter taste rising in my throat.

Lucian and I had been close since childhood. After my parents perished in a plane crash, the Matthews family took me in. I was the lone survivor, and from then on, Nyla Ramirez treated me like a daughter, while Lucian treasured me like a rare jewel.

Everything changed three years ago when Lillian suddenly entered our lives, catching me off guard. When I confronted Lucian, he admitted with shame, "Lillian is my dad’s daughter from an affair in England."

Lucian went on to tell Lillian’s tale of misfortune. Her mother had tried to use her to trap a wealthy man—a plan that failed spectacularly. Having grown up without parents myself, I felt for her and accepted her as a sister. Never did I imagine I was being duped.

My phone chimed, snapping me out of my thoughts. A message from Lillian.

"That night, you saw everything, didn’t you?"

"Sis, you know, right? Every time my brother sees your face, he feels disgusted."

"How can you be so clueless at your age, not realizing he despises you?"

I bit my lip hard, trembling as I opened the video Lillian sent. In it, Lucian’s eyes were slightly red, his handsome face slick with sweat, making him dangerously alluring. But his words struck me like a knife.

"Amira Lynch, how could she ever measure up to you? Her scent makes me want to gag."

Yes, despite the years we spent together, Lucian never expressed such desire toward me. He was always reserved, which I once mistook for restraint, only to become more enamored with him. I forgot he was a man, and his desires, not meant for me, would inevitably find someone else.

I sent a confirmation message to Adler Hunt about joining the expedition team, tucked my phone away, and drove to the hospital.

"Everything looks promising so far. With some rest, you should be perfectly fine," Dr. Millie Bishop assured me.

Her words were like a weight lifted off my shoulders, and for the first time in a while, a small smile crept onto my face. As I left the consultation room, I unexpectedly bumped into Nyla and Lucian as they emerged from the maternity ward with Lillian.

Seeing me, Nyla and Lucian hastily let go of Lillian’s arm. Lucian looked flustered for a moment, then suddenly noticed I wasn’t using my cane. His eyes sparkled with joy.

"Amira, you can see again?!"