Chapter 2

After I replied to the message, a sudden knock on the door broke my thoughts. I felt my way across the room, and when I opened the door, I caught Shawn’s scent.

“Why are you sitting in the dark?” he blurted out.

I froze, and he, too, paused for a moment before he realized his mistake.

“Right… I forgot you’re blind.”

The air between us grew quiet.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. “Put your hand out.”

I held out my hand, bracing for pain. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time over the last few years he had hit me for Ava’s sake.

Yet, the pain never came. Instead, a hot mug of chamomile tea and a box of medicine were placed in my hands. My fingers curled slightly, and an overwhelming sense of injustice and sadness washed over me. So, he actually cared whether I was freezing or not.

Shawn sighed, then turned on the lights and guided me over to the bed.

“Sit down,” he said. “You’re a grown girl, El. You need to start taking care of yourself. If you catch a cold, you’re the one who’s going to suffer.”

He grabbed a dry towel and began gently drying my soaking-wet hair, just like he used to.

Was he feeling guilty? Did he still care about me as his sister?

The tiny spark of warmth had just begun to spread through my chest when he spoke again, his voice filled with helplessness.

“El, can you please stop targeting Ava? She’s not like you. You grew up with me by your side, loving you and protecting you. Ava has always been alone in this huge house. It’s sad.”

My grip on the mug tightened, and my body went rigid. Slowly, I forced my fingers to loosen, and a bitter, self-deprecating smile crept onto my face.

Targeting her? From the moment I stepped into the Mercer estate, Ava had used every opportunity to humiliate and degrade me. In fact, when I told Shawn about it at the start, he would stand up for me. However, somewhere along the way, his loyalty shifted to Ava, and he started spending more time with her.

More often than not, I would only get to see him once a week, and when I did, it was nothing but cold, empty pleasantries. Gradually, I stopped telling him anything because I realized that I no longer had support.

“Okay,” I whispered, taking a deep breath and giving him the answer he wanted.

Shawn let out a sigh of relief and bent down in front of me. “You’re the best, El. You’re such a good girl.”

I couldn’t see his face, but his words sent a shiver down my spine.

Not long after he left, my door was pushed open again. This time, there was no knock, and only Ava would do that.

“Well, you blind little girl, how did today feel?”

I lifted my cold, blank eyes and asked, “Why did you frame me? You’re the one who pushed me into the river, and you know damn well how to swim.”

As she walked over to me, I could feel the condescending stare she was throwing my way—a look I had become all too familiar with over the years.

“Because I need Shawn to become completely disillusioned with you of his own accord. Only when he kicks you out himself will you finally stop trying to compete with me for his affection.” She sneered, “If I were blind like you, I’d kill myself far, far away from here.”

With that, she grabbed the mug of chamomile tea from my hands and dumped the entire contents straight into the trash can.

“You don’t deserve to drink this.”

Then, she walked out.

I clenched my fists so hard that my body shook. Overcome by rage, I bolted out, but my footsteps ground to a halt right at the door. I felt all the strength drain out of me.

Even if I went to Shawn right now, he wouldn’t believe me. In his mind, I was a manipulative, deceitful liar, while Ava was pure, innocent, and flawless. I could never compete with her.

I stood there for a long time before feeling my way to Shawn’s room anyway. I wasn’t going to complain. I just wanted to tell him that I was leaving and that I had been offered a chance to treat my eyes. With me gone for up to five years, he would have his peace back.

Yet, as I reached his door, I froze at the sound of voices coming from inside.

“Shawn, you’re the head of the Mercer family now,” Mr. Mercer said in a lowered voice. “Just write that blind girl a check and send her packing. How long do you plan on being responsible for her? You need to know who your real family is.”

Shawn remained silent for a long moment.

“I’m sick of it too,” Shawn replied. “Everywhere I go, people know that I have a blind sister. But if I abandon her, the media will tear me apart. Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t let anyone threaten Ava’s position in this family.”

I couldn’t hear whatever they said after that. I stumbled back to my room in a daze, shut the door behind me, and slid down the wall until I hit the floor. I lay awake all night, replaying his words in my mind.