Chapter 1

"Did you hurt your eyes?" my husband, William Yore, asked Nancy Jennings as he helped her to her feet.

Blood flowed from my palms and stained the snow beneath me.

I braced my hands against the ground and tried to push myself up, but I fell again when my fingertips dug into the broken stones.

William didn't turn to look at me.

Nancy leaned against him and said, "I'm fine, William. Julia's bleeding."

Only then did he turn to look at me, his gaze sweeping across my palms.

"When did you regain your eyesight?" I asked, staring at him.

"Let's return to the manor first," William replied, looking away.

I laughed, coughing when a few snowflakes landed in my mouth. "Answer me, William."

Nancy shrank back into William's chest. She tugged on his sleeve and said, "It's all my fault. Julia wouldn't be acting like this if I didn't reveal that you can see."

William patted the back of her hand and said, "It's not your fault."

He then looked at me, frowning when he said, "The mountain path is dangerous. Don't make a fuss here."

My palms were still bleeding, but he was accusing me of making a fuss.

…

We returned to Yore Manor.

The gatekeeper lowered his head and averted his gaze when he noticed William stepping over the threshold without any issue.

The housekeeper, Olivia Patterson, approached us, reaching her hands out before retracting them.

I stopped at the doorway and clenched my fists.

It seemed that Nancy wasn't the only one who knew about William's restored eyesight. Many of the household staff members knew as well.

I was the only one who held his hand every day, warning him that there were stairs ahead and to be careful with his footing.

When we reached the main hall, I reached out to remove William's coat, but my hands froze in midair.

William's hands also froze in place. A few seconds later, he retracted them.

"Going to cause a fuss again?" he asked as he looked at me.

"I just remembered that you don't need my help anymore," I replied.

Nancy sat next to the fireplace, cradling a cup of hot tea in her palms. Her eyes were fixed on the floor.

Olivia stepped forward and said, "Ms. Jennings had quite a scare today, Mrs. Yore. You're hurt too. Why don't you let the doctor take a look at you? You can discuss the other matters tomorrow."

"When did you start hiding the truth from me in the last three years?" I asked.

Olivia opened her mouth but didn't answer my question.

"That's enough, Julia Camerson," William snapped with a frown.

"Just tell me how long you've been lying to me."

"The condition of my eyes changes from day to day," William answered, averting his gaze. "I wasn't lying to you."

The corners of my lips pulled down into a frown. "So, you were able to see everything for the last three years? You saw how I tested the roads, tested the medicines, and fell down?"

William didn't answer.

"Don't blame Will, Julia," Nancy said, looking at me. "He just didn't want to be treated like a patient all the time. He was such a proud man in the past. It makes sense that he would get upset if someone asks him if he's in pain every day."

"For the last three years, you bombarded me with questions with every step that I took," William said, looking at me. "You asked if I could see, if I was in pain, or if I was tired. I can still move around without you by my side. You're the one who treated me like an invalid."

Everyone in the manor remained silent.

I hid my injured hands in my sleeves, digging my nails into my palms.