I Married the Thief of My Eyes

The moment the doctor realized I was blind and had come to my follow-up appointment alone, he seemed to feel sorry for me.

"Even though it's just a follow-up, it's not easy for you to get around on your own. Where's your family? Do you want to call them and have them come over?"

I shook my head. "I don't have any family."

Ten years ago, Mom and Dad died in a car accident. It was the Vances who brought me home and raised me.

My parents and the Vances had been close family friends for years, so Clara Vance and I had grown up together. She had promised she would take care of me forever.

But everything changed when Desmond Underwood showed up. Clara found herself drawn to his outgoing personality. From then on, she followed him everywhere.

Even after Desmond got married, Clara was still in love with him.

Desmond and I had been in the same car when the accident took place. We were on our way to an international art competition.

I thought I had lost my eyesight in the car accident. I never imagined it was Desmond who lost his eyesight.

Clara wanted him to regain his eyesight, so she took my eyes and gave them to him. All these years, she treated me well because she felt guilty about what she had done and wanted to make it up to me.

But I had thought her kindness was love, believing she had saved me.

How ironic.

I looked down and signed the follow-up form. Half an hour later, the appointment was over.

I sat in the waiting area. Just then, my phone rang. It was Clara.

"Brandon, where are you? Why didn't you bring a housekeeper with you? I'll get someone to pick you up."

"You can't even see, and it's really dangerous for you to be alone outside. I'm worried about your safety." Her voice was filled with concern, but I no longer believed she meant it.

I pushed my feelings aside. "I was getting bored at home, so I went out for a walk. I'm on my way back now."

After ending the call, I got up to leave.

As I walked out of the hospital lobby, I accidentally ran into someone coming toward me. Just as I was about to fall, he caught me and steadied me.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you were blind." The man quickly apologized.

I shook my head at him, indicating that I was fine.

But the man didn't let me go. Instead, he gently pried my eyelids apart and muttered. "This should be easy to treat. All you need is a corneal transplant, and you'll be able to see again. Why have you waited so long?"

My breath caught, and I asked cautiously, "Are you saying there's a chance I can see again?"

"That's right. I'm a new ophthalmologist here. I'm sure we can get your sight back."

My mind went blank for a moment. I was suddenly transported back to two years ago.

In the six months after the car accident, Clara had taken me to hospitals across the country and overseas, hoping to restore my eyesight.

All the doctors said my eyes were too badly damaged for me to ever see again. But now someone had just told me that I could regain my sight.

A disturbing thought crossed my mind. Could Clara have been keeping me from regaining my eyesight all this time?

I acted as if nothing had happened and went home as usual.

The moment I walked in, Clara threw herself into my arms. Her voice was gentle yet full of concern.

"It's freezing outside, and it's hard for you to get around on your own. Don't go out alone anymore. Next time, have the driver and housekeeper go with you. I always worry when you're alone.

"You must be hungry. Let's have dinner. I asked the cook to prepare your favorite steamed fish."

With that, she took my arm and led me toward the dining room.

At the dining table, Clara carefully picked the bones out of my fish. She only started dinner once I was done with my meal.

But her kindness could no longer fool me.

After dinner, Clara hurried off, claiming she had a meeting at the office.

I took out my phone and searched for her company's name. Then I tapped on the latest news alert.

Since I couldn't see, I had to use my phone's screen reader to read the text aloud.

"Tonight, Vance Group has paid a fortune at auction for a new painting by artist Desmond Underwood."