Opening My Eyes to Reality

In the dead of night, Natalie Spencer was rushed to the hospital after her husband's relentless carnal demands.

Later, the OB-GYN nurses wouldn't stop talking about how good Jason Pereira was in bed and how devoted he was.

The reason? Three years back, after Natalie went blind, the Steiner family announced they were calling off the engagement. But Jason was the one who stepped up, confessed his love, and married her.

From then on, he was the only thing keeping her going.

But now, Natalie stood trembling uncontrollably in her hospital room doorway, her fingers clenched around the white cane.

Right outside, Jason slumped against the wall, looking slightly drained. He reached for the cigarettes in his pocket but remembered where he was and slipped them back.

"Jason, Natalie's carrying your baby. If she stays blind and ends up tripping or hurting herself, risking the pregnancy, you'll spend the rest of your life regretting not doing something.

"My advice? Book her for bilateral cornea transplants," said Murray Swain, Jason's best friend.

Jason frowned, turning the idea over in his mind. He was quiet for a while, but finally, his answer came out firm. "No."

Murray sighed, finally saying what he'd held back for so long, "Sienna's eyesight started deteriorating three years ago, and she needed transplants in both corneas.

"After she hit Natalie with her car, you helped her take Natalie's corneas. And this whole time, you've been lying to Natalie, telling her the blindness was from a brain hemorrhage pressing on her optic nerves.

"Even when donor corneas became available, you made sure Natalie never got them. You kept her blind instead of letting her see again. In the end, you did all of it for Sienna, didn't you?"

That was exactly what Jason was thinking. As long as Natalie stayed blind, she'd never be a threat to Sienna Spencer.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his voice heavy with regret as he said, "Sienna didn't marry me, but I still swore I'd protect her for as long as I live. And Natalie… Yeah, she lost Xavier, but I've given her my whole life in exchange. That's got to count for something."

Murray's chest tightened. "Jason, Sienna doesn't love you. Is she really worth throwing everything away? You know your body's different. The fact that Natalie even got pregnant was a miracle. Are you seriously willing to risk your own kid's future just for Sienna?"

Jason's expression faltered for just a second, then it smoothed back into calm. "If she's blind for life, then I'm taking care of her for life. And I'm not letting anything happen to that child. So, Murray, you decide what you want to do next."

Tears welled up in Natalie's eyes, turning everything into a blur. Her fingers barely kept hold of the white cane as her body shook violently.

The sound of Jason's footsteps sent her scrambling back into the hospital bed. She yanked the blanket up, pretending nothing was wrong.

Soon, the door creaked open, and Jason stepped inside. His fingers brushed her cheek, gently pushing back the strands of hair that hid her eyes.

Natalie stiffened. That same tenderness she used to believe in now cut through her like frozen blades, each driving deeper into her heart. It hurt just to breathe.

She kept her eyes closed until she heard Jason leave the hospital room. Only then did she open them, tears rolling down her cheeks as she bit her lip hard to keep from making a sound.

The love she'd been so proud of was nothing but a lie.

Jason, her beloved husband, had planned everything to get rid of her for the woman he really loved. And he was the one who took her corneas and gave them to Sienna.

How could he be so cruel?

Their three-year marriage had come to this. The one thing Natalie thought was keeping her going had just been a cruel joke all along. Her chest burned like her heart was being ripped in half.

Half an hour later, Natalie stepped out of the hospital room, leaning one hand against the wall while the other clutched her white cane. As she reached an open area, her gaze drifted absently the other way.

She couldn't see anymore, but after three years, her other senses had sharpened enough to catch the faintest trace of a familiar scent.

Jason stood nearby, phone pressed to his ear. He saw Natalie and muttered something into the phone, finished the call with a couple more words, and then headed her way.

He was pure poise and sophistication.

When Natalie still had her sight, her first thought when she met him was how effortlessly graceful he was, like he belonged to a different, more refined world.

Jason smiled and instinctively reached for her hand. He was just as gentle and attentive as ever. "You shouldn't be out here without a coat. Your hands are freezing. Why didn't Mary bring you an extra layer?"

Natalie stared past him, her gaze blank and distant. She quickly drew her hand back.

Jason frowned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

He grew affectionate again, slipping his arms around Natalie's delicate frame from behind. His familiar scent enveloped her, and his voice dropped to a warm, tender murmur. "Who upset my wife? Just tell me, and I'll handle it."

A sharp ache twisted in Natalie's chest.

Wasn't he the one who hurt her?

She trembled a little in Jason's arms but quickly steadied herself and turned to him. "The nurse just told me I'm pregnant. This is your fault for keeping me up all night. If something happens to the baby—"

Jason cut her off before she could finish, his face serious, "Stop. Our baby's going to be healthy, safe, and have a long life ahead. I'll make sure of it."

He came across as refined and gentle, but he was surprisingly rough in bed. He didn't love Natalie, but he at least liked her body.

That was the ugly truth about men. They could sleep with a woman without loving her, as if their emotions and physical desires had nothing to do with each other.

Jason softened his voice. "I was wrong, babe, but I didn't have the full picture. Please don't be mad. I can't stand seeing you upset. It tears me up."

He was as tender and attentive as ever, but it was all an act, calculated to keep Natalie docile. The only way to stop her from wrecking the perfect life of the woman he truly cared about was to convince her he loved her completely.

Natalie's throat burned with bitterness, but she managed a laugh. "Jason, do you think we'll get divorced one day?"

Jason's expression hardened the moment she said it. The word "divorce" sent a sharp jolt of panic through him.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

Natalie kept her smile in place, tilting her chin up. "I'm asking if you think we'll turn into one of those couples who fall out of love and call it quits."

Suddenly, she felt his arms tighten around her waist.

Jason's voice was deadly serious. "I'm never letting you go, Natalie."

Why? Was he afraid she'd ruin Sienna's happiness? Did he really love Sienna that much?

Natalie pursed her lips and said nothing. Not that it mattered anymore. She was completely done with him. But first, she had unfinished business.

They couldn't just hurt her and walk away. That wasn't how this worked.