Chapter 2

Hazel hesitated for a moment, the conflict in her eyes plain to see. "I'll—"

She hadn't even finished speaking when her phone suddenly rang again, as though someone were urging her on the other end. She brushed my hand away without any hesitation as her inner conflict vanished completely.

She then said, "I'm sorry, Brandon, but I really have something urgent to attend to."

She grabbed her coat and walked out without hesitation after saying that.

I stared at her retreating figure as tears streamed down my face. I suddenly felt as if someone had flipped a light switch, leaving my entire world completely dark. I collapsed heavily to the floor, incapable of discerning anything further.

…

I found myself in an entirely white environment after finally regaining consciousness. I could tell that the surroundings were bright, but I was only able to discern faint silhouettes. It felt as though a blindfold had been placed over my eyes, obscuring my view of the world.

I felt someone approaching me, followed by a weary sigh. "I told you before that you couldn't keep crying like this with your condition, Mr. Hunter. How could you let this happen? Your eyes are badly damaged now, and I'm afraid your eyesight will never go back to the way it was.

"If you keep this up, you're going to go totally blind, Mr. Hunter. That said, I can arrange an immediate retinal transplant for you, as a donor retina has just become available."

I clutched the blanket tightly and nodded my head.

That doctor continued, "You need to get a family member to sign off on it, though. Do you have any family—"

I froze as it finally hit me that I didn't have any family left. Mom and Dad had died in a car crash back when I was with Hazel. I completely fell apart and spiraled into depression during that period.

Hazel had been the one who cared for me with unwavering patience, pulling me out of that dark chapter of my life. She was the one who proposed and promised to take care of me forever once I got better. She wasn't just my wife—she was my only family.

That explained why I had feared her death so much and wept to the point of blindness over her illness.

It was all a deception, though. It shattered me completely, far worse than any physical pain, leaving me feeling like everyone in the world had abandoned me.

"I have no family anymore," I muttered absentmindedly, tears spilling out and hitting the blanket.

That doctor froze for a second, then quickly stepped in to stop me. "You really can't cry anymore, Mr. Hunter."

It was then that the phone rang, and the doctor said, "Your wife is calling. She's allowed to sign for you, so there's no need to be so down, Mr. Hunter."

I remained silent as the doctor answered the phone. "Is this Brandon's family speaking? He's close to total blindness, but he qualifies for retinal surgery to bring back his sight. Please come over to sign the consent form, Mrs. Hunter."

It was a moment later that the doctor's tone shifted. "What do you mean by that? Why would I lie to you? You can believe whatever you want—I'll let Brandon speak to you."

I took the phone as soon as the doctor passed it to me, only to hear an impatient tone coming from the other side. "What are you doing, Brandon? You can't just come up with a ridiculous excuse just because I stepped out for a while. You ought to stop acting out, Brandon."

I heard teasing laughter coming from the other side at that moment. My hearing had actually become exceptionally sharp since I couldn't see well anymore. I even caught Hazel whispering in a helpless but fond tone, "Oh, stop messing around, Nathan."

Hazel's tone shifted entirely when directed at me.

"I always thought you were a good husband, running around and finding doctors for me ever since I got sick, Brandon. What are you doing now, though? Why can't you be a bit more understanding? I'm the one who's sick here, so stop trying to play me with these ridiculous lies, Brandon!"

She hung up on me without hesitation after saying that.