Chapter 004

I was already lying in bed, when Elijah came home, I was just staring at the wall in silence. The room was dim, quiet… but my thoughts were loud.Then I turned my back to the door, unsure if I wanted to face him or pretend to be asleep.

The door creaked open, followed by slow, careful footsteps. He climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around me from behind, pressing a warm kiss on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I know I got home late.” “I didn’t forget,” he added, reaching into his pocket. He placed a small velvet box beside me on the bed.

I turned slowly and opened it. Inside was a thin, elegant diamond bracelet. It sparkled even in the low light.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

He smiled and kissed the top of my head. “Happy anniversary, Nina.”

I forced a small smile and let him pull me into his chest.Maybe I was overthinking. Maybe the nurse had it wrong. Maybe Vanessa was just a patient he knew... maybe even someone from his work. Not everything had to be a secret.

He held me tighter. Maybe he really did love

And maybe, just maybe... I was only imagining things. I turned to face him this time. I wanted to kiss him, to feel close again.

But as I leaned in, he gently covered my eyes with his hand.

“Elijah?” I murmured.

He didn’t answer right away. Then he took off his tie and looped it softly over my eyes.

“Let’s try something different,” he said with a small laugh. “It’ll be fun.”

I smiled faintly, trying to relax. I let him. I let myself smile, too. Maybe this was his way of making up. Of reconnecting.

He kissed me soft, slow, deep. He kissed me Like he was memorizing the shape of my lips. And in that moment, I let myself melt into it. Into him.

The tie around my eyes pressed lightly, blocking the world. It was just us. But still, somewhere deep inside, I couldn’t help but wonder...

Why did it always come back to my eyes? But even in that closeness, something about the way he touched me... it wasn’t playful.

It was careful. And his hands kept returning to my eyes. Like he was trying to protect them or hide them.

***

The next morning, I was in the sitting room of the penthouse when the doorbell intercom rang. I wasn’t expecting anyone. I walked over and pressed the button to speak.

“Hello?”

A voice answered, but I already knew who it was. I tapped the screen and pressed the button to let her in. A few minutes later, the maid opened the door.

My stepmother stood there, her purse tucked tightly under her arm and a tight smile on her face. “Nina,” she said, stepping in like she was looking for something she had forgotten. “You look pale. Are you eating well?”

I gave a small nod, not really in the mood for small talk. She sat down and got right to the point. “I need your help. Your father... he’s in trouble again. Debts. More than we can handle this time.”

I looked away, my heart sinking.

“I was hoping,” she continued, “that maybe you could talk to Elijah. He’s wealthy. He might be able to help.”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to keep putting Elijah in the middle of my family’s problems. But my father...

“I’ll think about it,” I murmured.

Her eyes landed on my wrist. “That’s new.”

I looked down. The diamond bracelet. “It was an anniversary gift,” I said softly.

She let out a dry laugh. “How sweet. A thank-you would’ve been nice to your father too. After all, it was his money that bought you those pretty eyes.”

Her words stung. “I never asked him to...”

“No,” she cut in. “But you never stopped him either. And now look at us. He spent a fortune to fix your eyes, and still... you’re no better than that... That Vanessa girl. What a waste.”

“Vanessa?” I asked quietly. “Who’s that?” I stared at my stepmother, her words ringing louder than the ticking clock behind her.

“Vanessa? I asked again, my voice barely more than a whisper. who ... who is she?

She gave a sigh like I was foolish for not knowing. “The girl your father got the eyes from. The one in the hospital.”

My throat went dry.

“She was in an accident. Left in a coma. Her parents sold her corneas for the money.

That’s how you got your transplant,” she said plainly, as if she were talking about groceries.

I couldn’t breathe. My chest rose and fell like I’d just run a long distance. “She’s still alive?” I asked slowly, my voice shaking.

“Vegetative state, they said. Lying there for years like a ghost. What else could her family do? Sell what they could. That girl, Vanessa… pitiful. A waste.”

My hands trembled. My thoughts spun. Could it be the same Vanessa from the message on Elijah’s phone?

Miss Vanessa has finally woken up… No. It couldn’t be. Could it? Was this a coincidence?

Or had I… been living all this time, seeing the world… through the eyes of a girl who was now waking up? And if she was waking up… what would happen to me?

I looked down at the diamond bracelet on my wrist… then at the mirror across the room. Was it her?

The eyes I used every day… were they really hers? Were the two Vanessas the same person? Or was it just a coincidence?