Ever since I lost my sight, Laura and I had not had sex for half a year. She always used my blindness as an excuse not to be close to me. It turned out that she despised me for no longer being able to fulfill her idea of happiness.

Laura chased after me and wrapped her hand around me from behind. She looked panicky at me. "What's wrong with you? Jerome, are you okay?" she asked.

"When you pushed me early, I became panicked," she added.

Her two hands on my waist were shaking slightly, as if she was afraid I would disappear at any moment and she couldn't help but hold on tighter.

However, the more she acted like this, the more disgust in my heart became even stronger. After all, she had just had intercourse with Jock and the next second, she was being affectionate with me.

Laura is very good at acting, I pried open her hand, pulled away from her and kept a distance from her.

Then I said calmly, "Perhaps, I have a bad stomach. Lately, it become harder to keep anything down after I eat."

I did not know when I started to be so good at lying. This was so ironic, I used to hate that kind of people but, here I was, doing the very thing that I hated the most.

When she heard this, she felt she was facing her greatest enemy.

I’m so sorry,” she said guiltily. "I’ve been so caught up with work lately. I shouldn’t have left you eating alone and taking care of your needs by yourself so often.”

She cradled my face in her hands and furrowed her brow in sadness as she led me back to my room and took out new clothes for me to change into. When she tried to help me, I stopped her hand and put the clothes on myself.

My action left Laura frozen. This was the first time since our marriage that I did not want her help and this made her flustered.

She then lowered her head and tried to kiss my lips. "We haven't done the deed for a long time. Jerome, let's do it now," she whispered and in the next second, she pressed her body against mine.

Once again, I pushed her back. This woman was too dirty and I refused to be with her anymore.

Laura panicked. It was the second time, I pushed her away. She became worried I did not love her anymore.

I was already lying down on the bed, so Laura took the blanket and draped it gently over me.

“Are you mad at me?” she asked softly. "Are you blaming me for not having time to be with you?”

She continued, "How about this? I promise I’ll spend tomorrow with you. There is no work at all."

This woman, who was known as the ruthless queen and feared in the business world, could reduce herself to this pitiful state for me. I sneered because I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the absurdity.

Before I could reject her, her phone buzzed.

She hurriedly pressed mute because she did not dare to answer it. She then sat next to me and read the message that Jock sent her through WhatsApp.

[You little wildcat, you tore my underwear. Now, get me a new one immediately.]

Another message followed almost immediately. [Wait, it seems I don't have any more left here.]

Laura texted back. [Do you mind wearing Jerome's?]

Jock immediately replied. [Fuck, no! I can sleep with his woman but for the rest ….? Don't push it!]

[Fine. I’ll come by now.]

Laura glanced down toward me. She then stroked my face tenderly, got up and walked away.

I clutched the sheets and my tears broke through my defenses at this moment.

Back then, when Jock's company went bankrupt it was I who wanted Laura to help him. At that time, Laura hated him so much and told me to stay away from him.

In the end, Laura helped him for my sake. Yet now, here he was, repaying my kindness by stabbing me in the back when I was blind by screwing my wife. He was really an ungrateful person.

In an attempt to cheer myself up, I told myself that I would be alright because in seven days I would leave this place and never had anything to do with Laura anymore.

The next day, because Laura figured that I was still upset, she went out of her way to appease me. After breakfast, she forces me to go out.

She rented an entire bar and asked a lot of friends to come. Allegedly, she told them that she wanted to cheer me up.

Throughout the journey there, Laura never let go of my hand and gripped it tightly as if afraid I might stumble. She was recounting and on about the sweet memories we once shared.

I didn’t say a word. The bitterness and pain intertwined relentlessly within me.

I once believed I would grow old with her and never separate from her, only to discover it was all a cruel joke.

Laura believed that being a blind man there was no way I could satisfy her need. She craved excitement and a younger man so because I was over thirty years old, she moved her affection to Jock, who was four years younger than me.

The vow that she said on our wedding day had long forgotten.

However, the gaze that her friend threw at me was full of malice and disdain. I became even more heartbroken when I saw the banner that was hanging there.

It said "Happy Birthday, My Dear Jock!"

I pried her fingers off mine, one by one, with all the dignity I could muster. How ironic. Laura had promised the night was just for me, a gesture to cheer me up. However, it had all been a lie.

Her best friend openly showed her contempt and said, "What is your problem, Jerome? You’re just a blind man! Is there anything you can brag about? How dare you take your hand away from her."

Laura shot her a warning look to silence her. She picked up a glass of fruit tea from the coffee table and held it out to me.

“Come on, darling, smile for me,” she cooed. “It’s such a shame you can’t see. If you do, you'll recognize it as the place I proposed to you. Back then, I was madly in love with you.”

Her words dripped with nostalgia as she placed my hand against her cheek as her eyes turned red.

I knew she loved me in the past but now she shared that love with Jock.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Jock walked in. Seeing him, Laura, who just showed her love to me, looked at him with stars in her eyes.

He was wearing my tailored made suit. The same one that I wore on my and Laura's wedding day. He had stolen it himself, just as he had stolen everything else from me.

Seeing him come, Laura's friends rushed over, surrounded him and greeted him. They acted as if he was Laura's real husband. As for me? They treated me as an outsider. Luckily, I knew that and I also did not care.

Laura released my hand without a second thought and walked toward Jock. She had forgotten about my existence.

They both sat down. Laura perched herself on his lap while talking and laughing together.

Laura's friend teased her because she was afraid that I would understand their banter, she spoke in German with them.

"Please, don't say it in English. Otherwise, Jerome will know."

“Don’t worry! We all get it,” one of them replied.

Jock silenced her with a kiss, drawing gasps and cheers from the group. When they glanced at me, their eyes were filled with mock pity.

"This blind man, Jerome, is so pathetic. His wife and best friend are flaunting their love right in front of him and he’s clueless about it."

“Laura, aren’t you afraid he’ll catch on?” another friend asked. “You even brought Jock home! It’s such a thrill thing to do, but what if he finds out?”

Laura's lips were swollen from Jock’s kiss. “He won’t. I spend my days with him, my nights with Jock. I’ve got it all worked out.”

Her smug words immediately sent the group into fits of laughter.

"Laura is really brilliant."

At that very moment, the cup in my hand slipped and shattered on the floor. The sound attracted their attention. This made Laura so scared that she jumped down from Jock's arms and rushed toward me.

She asked in alarm, "Hubby, what's wrong? You don't look good. Are you having a cold?"

I stared at her coldly. She had no idea I had learned multiple languages just to integrate myself into her world, so I comprehended all the words they said.

Feeling discomfort, I excused myself from the bar.

Laura, reluctant to leave Jock’s side, called the nanny to come and escort me home.

When I stepped out of the bar, I dismissed the nanny, took a taxi and rushed to the Civil Administration Office to erase my identity.

The administrator kept urging me to think about this matter more carefully. After all, once my identity was erased, from that moment, Jerome Atkins was gone from the world.

I insisted firmly, "I'm sure."

An hour later, I left after my ID number was erased. Immediately, the stone that had been weighing me down for a long time was taken away and was immensely comfortable.

If I directly asked Laura for a divorce, she wouldn’t agree. The only way to break free was to erase my identity.

I went home. There were five days left before I would be gone.

Every single day I waited after Laura and Jock left before erasing every little trace of Laura in my life.

I gathered our wedding photos, wedding rings and the gift that she gave me …. I gathered them all and took them to the garden, dug a deep hole, threw all of them in and lit the fire.

The flame burned away all the memories of our past and erased every trace of affection I had for her.

"Laura, there is no future between us anymore," I said.

On the seventh day, I printed all the incriminating photos of Laura and Jock together. Then I pasted them on every wall in the living room.

Before I left, I decided to bid farewell to the doctor who had restored my eyesight.

As I exited the clinic, to my surprise, I spotted Laura and Jock in the corridor.

Laura did not dare to greet me because she always told me she was working overtime.

Both of us pretended not to see each other. I even used my cane to the front, pretending I was still blind. As we brushed past each other, I felt nothing. There was no anger nor hurt anymore. I had finally let her go.

Once I was gone, Laura panicked. She shoved Jock aside and barged into the doctor's office, then asked, "Doctor, is there something wrong with Jerome? Are his eyes hurting again?"

Laura looked so worried when she asked but what the doctor said immediately made her panic.

The doctor explained, "There is nothing wrong with Jerome. His eyesight had fully recovered seven days ago. Don't you know that General Manager Gibbons?

Then he continued, "He came here today to bid me goodbye. He told me he was going to leave this city."

"No! This is impossible! Why didn't Jerome tell me he had regained his eyesight?"