Chapter 1

Zander's POV

Only a few dim lights illuminated the banquet hall. Tattered banners from a previous party still hung on the walls, and the faint scent of flowers drifted from a dusty diffuser in the corner.

A few staff members dressed as partygoers clinked champagne glasses with my wife, Mya Murray, offering forced pleasantries.

"Happy birthday, Mr. Byrne!"

"You and Ms. Murray make such a breathtaking couple."

I stood frozen. I couldn't even fake a smile.

Noticing my distress, Mya waved the actors away and helped me sit down. "What's wrong, honey? Are you tired? Just relax here and enjoy the live music."

Upbeat tunes blared from the surround-sound speakers. This was the "live band" she had promised.

Mya sat with me for a moment before making an excuse to step away with her phone in hand.

I clenched my fists and silently followed her down to the banquet hall on the first floor.

There, I saw the exact scene she had described earlier.

An elegant crowd gathered beneath a lavish crystal chandelier. A floral backdrop adorned the room, while a live band played and waiters wove through the crowd of guests.

It was a baby's first birthday party.

Mya, wearing a mask, strode to the center of the room. She stood beside a man holding a baby, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulder as they laughed and doted on the child together.

They looked just like a happy family.

Then the man turned around. The moment I caught a glimpse of his face, my mind went blank. How could it be him?

My knees buckled. As I pressed my back against a massive pillar, a storm of suspicion flooded my mind, though I desperately tried to convince myself it wasn't true.

Then Mya walked over to a quiet corner to chat with a few of her close friends.

"Oh, come on, Ms. Murray. Doesn't it feel suffocating having to wear a mask to your own kid's birthday party?"

"Yeah, Mya. Zander's been blind for three years, and your child with Alfred is already a year old. How much longer are you going to hide this?"

"You guys don't get it. Back then, Mya was desperate to marry Zander because of the Byrne family power. She threw that massive fairy-tale wedding, making sure all of Hartwell knew they were tied together. Now she has to sneak around just to attend her own child's party."

The group sighed softly.

"Fair point. If Mya goes public with the kid, she'll have to cut ties with the Byrne family, and her company's image will take a massive hit. Guess you really can't have both love and success."

"Hey, I actually have an idea…"

One of them lowered her voice, a cold glint in her eyes. "Zander is blind anyway. If he suffered a little… accident, Mya could remarry without any backlash."

The others perked up and chimed in with excitement, "Right! The Byrnes moved abroad anyway. As long as it's done quietly, if something happens to Zander—"

"Shut your mouths!"

Mya clenched her fists, her icy gaze sweeping over her friends. The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.

"I married Zander because I truly love him. As long as I'm around, I won't let anything bad happen to him."

She looked off into the distance, a touch of melancholy settling over her face.

"When Zander had his accident, my heart broke for him. But I genuinely couldn't bring myself to let him touch me anymore. I even secretly aborted our baby.

"Alfred was the one who stayed by my side during my dark days, making me feel alive again. Now, our child is a year old, and I have to protect this family. So I want my career, I want Alfred, and I want Zander too."

Her friends exchanged glances, looking utterly bewildered.

I stood rooted to the spot. All the blood in my body seemed to rush from my head to my feet.

So Mya really had another man behind my back and even had his child.

Tears blurred my vision as my hands shook uncontrollably.

The funniest part? She claimed she still loved me.

Maybe she did once.

Mya and I grew up together. For as long as I could remember, she had been by my side like a protective older sister.

She explored rock caves with me when we were kids and chased off unwanted suitors when we were teens.

When I competed in an international chess tournament, she traveled 10,887 miles through a snowstorm just to cheer me on.

Our only rift happened three years ago.

She sent her new assistant, Alfred Potter, to have a driver take me home late at night. I had no idea the driver was actually Alfred's sister, nor did I realize what she had planned for me.

She tampered with the car's air freshener. By the time I realized what was happening, a group of women had pinned me to a bed, trying to force pills down my throat.

In a panic, I ran to the window and jumped.

I survived, but I suffered two broken ribs and lost my sight due to optic nerve damage.

Everyone said the once-great heir to the Byrne family was now a useless cripple, but Mya stayed by my side through it all.

Ignoring Alfred's tearful pleas, she sent Alfred's sister to prison. Then she threw a grand wedding to show all of Hartwell where her loyalty lay.

Yet now, here she was, whispering to her friends, "Even though Zander never actually slept with those women, just thinking about them tearing his clothes off and touching him makes me sick…

"Honestly, it's better that he's blind. At least I can keep him in the dark and build a beautiful illusion for him."

It felt as though a hole had been torn open in my chest, letting the freezing wind howl through my soul.

As I looked at that familiar face in the distance, a wave of disgust washed over me. She was the one who was truly sickening.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I slipped away into the restroom and answered it.

My sister Alena Byrne's voice came through, filled with excitement. "Zander, I talked to Dr. Hooper! Since you don't want to come abroad, we're bringing her to you. She's a world-renowned eye specialist, so there's a great chance she can fix your eyes!"

"There's no need, Alena," I replied with a bitter smile. "Thanks for spending the last three years looking for doctors for me. I've made up my mind. Once I wrap things up here, I'm moving to Arleston to be with you and Mom and Dad."