Chapter 1

Two years after I went blind in a horrific accident, my husband Julian Hayes decided I’d spent enough time cooped up indoors. Out of "love," he brought home a registered guide dog for me.

"Nora, with Rusty by your side, you won't have to be trapped alone anymore. You can go wherever your heart desires!"

His gentle encouragement washed over me like a warm wave, filling me with hope.

The very next morning, I stepped outside holding Rusty’s leash. But instead of the peaceful stroll I imagined, terrified screams shattered the air. People were fleeing from me as if I were a plague.

"Is this crazy woman trying to commit mass murder?! Somebody lock her up before she gets someone killed!"

I froze, utterly lost. But before I could speak, Rusty let out a ferocious, bloodthirsty roar—and the street descended into absolute chaos.

Panicked bystanders tackled me roughly to the concrete. The beast, thrashing wildly against the tangled leash, sank its jagged teeth deep into my thigh.

Agony tore through my body. With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and dialed Julian’s number.

Fifty-two calls.

Not a single one was answered.

When I finally drifted back to consciousness in the hospital, sickening laughter echoed from just outside my door.

"I can't believe that blind idiot actually bought it! Walking a restricted attack breed down the street—she’s dumber than a sack of bricks!"

"Alright, Chloe, that's enough," Julian’s voice rumbled with affectionate exasperation. "Your little prank went a bit too far this time. The cops are already involved..."

His indulgent chuckle mingled with the other woman’s venomous giggle, ringing in my ears like a death knell. In that single, frozen instant, every ounce of love I had ever harbored for him died.

A man like this didn't deserve my love. Not anymore.

I closed my eyes. The sickening flirting outside showed no sign of stopping.

"Nora’s wound is so deep it’ll take at least two months to heal," the woman purred, her tone dripping with fake innocence. "Why don’t you just stay at my place until then?"

"You know I take way better care of you than she ever could..."

Her sultry voice turned Julian’s breath ragged. He chuckled low in his throat.

"When have I ever said no to you, baby?"

Their footsteps faded down the hall. Trapped in my pitch-black world, day and night had long lost all meaning.

I didn't even know what had happened to the vicious beast that mauled me.

A nurse pushed the door open to dress my wound, but a voice from the hallway cut her off.

"Let me do it. My wife has a very low pain tolerance."

What a tragic joke. He cared about my pain now? After handing me a leashed monster?

Julian set the tray down and gently peeled back my blanket. The moment he laid eyes on the mangled, bloody flesh, his hands froze. He clicked his tongue softly.

"Nora... it's all my fault. I should have vetted the dog properly. Who knew the crowd would trigger him like that?"

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

As he spoke, he pulled at the blood-soaked bandages. The dried gauze tore fresh skin, and I flinched, biting back a scream.

I pulled my leg away coldly, fighting through the searing throbbing, and said flatly, "Let the nurse do it. She’s a professional."

"Nora, are you still throwing a tantrum?!"

Julian snapped to his feet, frustration bleeding through his voice.

"I already handed that dog over to animal control. It's probably been put down by now!"

"It was an accident! Why do you always have to hold a grudge over everything?!"

Whether it was truly an accident, Julian knew better than anyone.

He was only daring to treat me like this because he thought I was blind and helpless.

Never in my wildest nightmares did I imagine that the man I had been married to for three years would risk my life just to amuse another woman.

Tears welled in my sightless eyes. Even though I couldn't see him, I deliberately turned my face toward the wall.

A silent war.

Minutes ticked by like hours. The gnawing ache in my thigh turned my face as pale as a ghost.

Seeing my back trembling against the mattress, Julian threw the cotton swabs onto the bedside table. His voice turned freezing cold.

"Fine. If you want to give me the silent treatment, I won't bother wasting my time!"

"When you finally pull your head out of your ass, maybe I'll come back!"

He stormed out without looking back. The nurse rushed in to redress my wound. Looking at the mangled tissue, she sighed with pity.

"This is going to leave a horrific scar. Probably for life."

I stared into the darkness, completely numb. A scar in exchange for seeing a man’s true colors? A fair trade.

Julian once told me my legs were gorgeous, that it was a crime I never became a dancer.

Back then, I had playfully pouted.

"So the only thing you like about me is my legs? Shallow."

He had cupped my cheeks, gazing deeply into my eyes with a soft laugh.

"Your eyes are breathtaking, too. Like a sky full of stars."

His sweet words had made me blush furiously. He had pulled my warm body against his, making passionate love to me over and over through the night.

He had whispered in my ear, his voice thick with desire:

"Nora, give me a baby, okay?"

Perhaps it was because of that very wish that my world shattered on the way to the clinic.

All I remembered was the screech of tearing metal, and the terrified face of the woman behind the wheel of the oncoming car that plowed into me going the wrong way.

After that, darkness swallowed me whole. And Julian never mentioned wanting a baby ever again.

He had held my weeping form, drowning in his own guilt and self-blame.

"I'm so sorry, Nora. I should have driven you myself. Let me be your eyes from now on, alright?"

He had apologized a thousand times, and I never once blamed him. All I ever asked was:

"What happened to the driver who was speeding on the wrong side of the road? Did the police convict her?"