[3]

That night, Nora could not sleep.

She lay alone on the bed, staring into the darkness that had become part of her life for the past six months. There was nothing she could see, not even a faint shadow. Yet tonight, her mind was far too restless.

It all stemmed from her brief conversation with Keith. Especially one sentence that kept echoing in her mind.

Your husband is having an affair with my fiancée, Nora.

Nora closed her eyes, even though it made no difference. She tried to drive the voice from her mind, but the harder she tried to forget it, the more clearly Keith’s words rang in her ears.

Then her thoughts returned to the accident that had robbed her of her sight.

If the accident had never happened, perhaps she would not be in this situation now. She could see for herself who came to her house. She could see Javier’s face when he spoke to her. She could see what her husband did when he was not by her side.

But the reality was that for the past six months, Nora could only trust what other people told her.

She let out a long sigh and pulled the blanket higher. Hoping she could fall asleep tonight, even though it was difficult.

The next morning, Javier was already in the dining room to have breakfast with her as usual.

Nora was already sitting at the dining table when the man approached. She recognized Javier by his footsteps before the man even had a chance to speak.

“Good morning, my darling.” Javier pulled out the chair beside her. He did not forget to give Nora a brief kiss.

“When did you come home?” Nora asked strangely. She had not expected Javier to already be home without her knowing when her husband had returned.

“As soon as I finished what I had to do, I came straight home,” Javier replied casually.

“That quickly?”

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

Nora nodded slowly, trying to push her bad thoughts aside. She picked up the cup of tea in front of her, but before she could drink it, an unfamiliar scent reached her nose.

She stopped. “Javier.”

“Hmm?”

“The perfume you’re wearing is different.”

Javier’s hand, which was holding his fork, stopped for a moment. “Different?”

“Yes.”

Nora frowned slightly. She had known her husband’s natural scent for far too long not to notice even the slightest change. “Did you ... change it?”

Javier clicked his tongue softly. “It’s just fabric softener. You don’t need to think too much about it.”

Nora fell silent. “Really?”

“Yes.” Javier went back to eating his breakfast as though the question were unimportant. “Just finish your breakfast, Darling.”

Nora did not ask again. She simply lowered her head and took a sip of tea. The scent still lingered in the air. And for some reason, for the first time, the scent coming from her husband made her feel uncomfortable. It made her chest feel even more restless.

They continued their breakfast as usual.

Javier still treated her gently. He made sure Nora got the food she liked and occasionally asked whether she needed anything.

Everything felt normal. Nothing had changed. Everything was fine. Until Nora remembered what Keith had said again.

I saw them, Nora.

After breakfast was over, she finally brought up the question she had been wanting to ask all this time. “Javier.”

“Yes?”

“When will you take me to the hospital?”

Javier fell silent for a moment. “For your eye examination?”

“Yes.” Nora nodded. “Who knows, maybe St. Carolous has already found a donor for me.”

Javier set down the coffee cup he had just taken a sip from. “I’ll go with you at the end of this week.”

Nora smiled faintly. “Thank you.”

Javier gently stroked her hair for a moment before standing. “I have to go to work. Don’t push yourself too hard today.”

Nora simply nodded. She let Javier kiss her forehead again. He said words of love before finally walking away. Once the sound of his footsteps disappeared, Nora sat silently for a few moments.

“Clara,” she called.

“Yes, Mrs. Nora.”

“Take me to my study.”

Clara promptly helped Nora to her study.

Although losing her sight had limited many of her activities, Nora had never truly abandoned her work. Virelle Maison continued to operate because Elena, her best friend and the manager of her company, could be relied upon.

Elena handled many of the administrative matters at the company, while Julian Sterling, a Junior Designer, helped her manage the latest design concepts and had many discussions with Nora regarding customer orders.

Nora was discussing one of the latest designs when her phone rang.

Clara answered it. “Mrs. Nora, it’s Mr. Javier.”

“Give it to me.”

Clara handed the phone to her.

“Hello?”

“Darling.” Javier’s voice sounded as usual. “I want to tell you something, but first, I’m sorry.”

Nora set down the fabric she was examining. “What is it?”

“I have to go abroad tomorrow. There’s some company business that I can’t postpone.”

Nora fell silent. “Tomorrow?”

“Yes. I may not be back for a few days.”

Nora gripped her phone. “Then what about our hospital appointment?”

“I think we’ll have to postpone it for now.”

“If you’re too busy, I think I can go by myself.”

“Don’t.” Javier’s answer came too quickly.

Nora frowned. “Why?”

“I’ll make an appointment with the doctor treating you. Let him come and examine you.”

“But—”

“I don’t want to take any risks, Darling.” Javier’s voice sounded firm. “You can’t see. What if something happens to you on the way?”

Nora fell silent.

“Listen to me, Nora. Don’t leave the house while I’m away. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. After I return from abroad, I’ll take you somewhere, and I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Nora did not answer immediately. Six months ago, she might have felt touched by hearing that concern.

Now, for some reason, those words only made her feel even more uncomfortable.

Don’t leave the house.

She remembered the warning that had come from her husband’s mouth clearly. Javier might simply be worried about her. Perhaps the man really was afraid that something might happen to her.

But after what Keith had said yesterday, Nora began to realize one thing.

All this time, she had been too accustomed to trusting Javier. And now, for the first time, she began to wonder...

Was all that concern really because Javier wanted to protect her, or because there was something he did not want Nora to know?