All Chapters of The Eyes I Gave Her: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Ping.The transfer notification came through. Vivian Hart had sent me the $200,000 after all.I managed a stiff little smile. Some things never changed. Beneath that sharp tongue, she still had the softest heart I knew.I was at the hospital cashier's window when a stir broke out behind me. Since losing my sight, I'd grown almost absurdly sensitive to sounds. Judging by the crowd gathering and the sudden flurry of footsteps, somebody important must have arrived.I unfolded my white cane and felt my way toward a quiet corner, where I settled down to wait for my specialist to call my name.A familiar pair of heels clicked twice across the floor. Then stopped directly in front of me.Thinking I was blocking someone's path, I lowered my head and started to fold up my cane."I just sent you two hundred grand," a woman said. Her voice was unmistakable, even wrapped in contempt. "If you're going to sell yourself to me, the least you can do is look up and smile for your sugar mama."A

I felt for my phone in my pocket. Before I could wake the screen, it began to ring."Hello, Mr. Sloane? This is your bank. There was a deposit of two hundred thousand dollars yesterday. The sender, Ms. Hart, has since requested that the transfer be reversed. She said it was made in error. We're calling to notify you."I let out a bitter little laugh at my own expense. It was all I could do.Tears, however, rolled onto the backs of my cold hands, one hot drop after another.I really wasn't going to make it.Back in the run-down neighborhood where I rented a room, I checked my account. There were only three digits left in the balance. I didn't give myself time to rest. I changed into a cheap suit and got ready for work.I'd owned an expensive one once. It was the suit I was supposed to wear when Vivian and I got married.The truth was, I'd always been a coward where she was concerned. I wasn't clever with words or brave enough to face her tears. Vivian loved me. If she had known I

After a long silence, I managed a shameless little smile."You don't need to keep me. I wouldn't want to damage the great Vivian Hart's reputation. Just give me fifty thousand dollars. Cash."For a moment, I heard nothing but her sharply drawn breath. When she finally answered, she sounded as though she had forced the word through clenched teeth."Fine."I put one hand on the wall and began feeling for the steps.Vivian might have meant to give me a chance, but the people around her had already decided I was a greedy fraud. Blake, in particular, wasn't going to let me climb in peace.I'd gone only a few steps when my foot landed on something slick.Chopped fruit. Someone had scattered pieces across the stairs.I lost my balance instantly. My knee struck the edge of a marble step with a dull crack. I couldn't hold back a small groan.Vivian moved toward me. I heard her shoes scrape the floor, quick and urgent.Blake caught her before she reached me."If he can't do it, he can

Vivian sounded almost unnaturally calm when Nora explained what had happened. I supposed a woman who lived under the spotlight was used to having every move magnified.What I hadn't expected was that this time, I was the one being hunted online."Someone tipped off the press about how he left you for money," Nora said. "Some of your more extreme fans have started digging into his life. They've found his old records, his Social Security number...even which hospital he's in. If we don't do something—""I'll leave," I interrupted. "I don't like hospitals anyway. I'm more comfortable at home."Vivian hesitated. Dr. Ellis must have told her nearly everything while I was unconscious. If she'd had her way, I would have stayed and received whatever treatment was still possible.Instead, she said, "Come stay with me."I went still. "Vivian, no.""If they found your hospital, they can find your apartment. My house is more private, and you need somewhere quiet to recover. I'll help you pac

Vivian rarely had visitors. It was usually Nora or a delivery driver, so I got up to answer the door without thinking.The moment I opened it, someone shoved me with enough force to send me sprawling across the floor.Blake Prescott's furious voice filled the entryway."Do you have any idea what kind of opportunity she's turning down? You're practically a dead man, Ryan. Can't you stop ruining Vivian's life?"Vivian came running when she heard the crash. She pulled Blake away from me."What's wrong with you? He can't see! What kind of man picks on someone who's blind? If you have something to say, come outside and say it to me."Blake wasn't listening. He wanted me to hear every word."Fine, Vivian. I'm the one who leaked his story to the press. If you want to come after me for that, go ahead. But I did it for you. Your career is taking off. You love acting. And now you're quitting the industry for a man who's dying. You're the one who's lost your mind."For a moment, I couldn'