Chapter 3

The year I went blind, I was incredibly unstable. I was violently angry, smashing things and destroying the house on a daily basis.

My family is very wealthy, and I'm not the only son.

So, to let their mentally broken son "recover," my parents bought me a private condo in the city and hired a private nurse to take care of me.

Back then, the only people with me were the nurse and Lily.

She loved me so much. No matter how much I screamed at her, she never left me.

But I couldn't accept the fact that I would never see again. During one of my tantrums, I accidentally threw a glass vase that cut her.

She begged me to stop destroying myself and try to look on the bright side.

What a joke. She wasn't the one who was blind. Of course she could say that. So I screamed at her, telling her to get the hell out of my life.

That day, I said some horrible things. Things that make me cringe even now.

Lily was heartbroken, and she walked out of my apartment without looking back.

I went on another destructive rampage.

At first, the nurse tried to stop me. Eventually, she gave up, standing far away and watching me smash everything, only cleaning up after I was done.

Maybe the things I said to Lily were too harsh this time, because I actually started to feel terrified. I was terrified she would never come back, terrified the only person who loved me would abandon me.

That was when Chloe Evans showed up.

I forgot to mention, besides Lily, there was someone else who visited me every single day—Chloe.

But because she barely spoke and just sat quietly by my side, she had almost no presence.

That was the first time Chloe had ever seen me so pathetic. She must have felt pity. She walked past the broken shards on the floor, came to my side, and spoke her first words in a long time.

I don't remember what she said, but I mistook her voice. I thought Lily had come back.

I threw away all my pride and bitterness, holding her tightly.

I apologized, showed my vulnerability, and begged her to forgive my harsh words.

She didn't say a word. Instead, she cupped my face and kissed me.

I was ecstatic, thinking she had forgiven me, so I kissed her back wildly.

I was so irrational. If I had just taken a second to think, I wouldn't have made such a mistake. Lily never wore perfume, but the girl in my arms smelled heavily of gardenias.

The endless darkness had not only taken my eyes, it had taken my brain.

Right then, Lily came back.

Her sharp gasp interrupted us. Hearing them together, I finally realized the difference between their voices.

I let go of Chloe instantly, standing up from the couch in a panic.

I started apologizing frantically, trying to grab Lily's hand, trying to hold her.

But she seemed determined to ignore me. No matter how much I begged, she didn't make a sound, refusing to let me know where she was standing.

Later, I tripped over some broken glass I had thrown. All she left me was the sharp slam of the front door.

I started screaming at Chloe, calling her shameless for trying to seduce me.

I don't know when Chloe left. She was always like a ghost.

When I grew tired of screaming, I started smashing things again. But there was barely anything left to break.

I felt like my life was completely pointless. I picked up a piece of broken glass and slashed my wrist.

The nurse, wanting to keep her job, quickly called an ambulance.

None of my family members showed up. They were already used to my daily suicide threats.

The only one with me was the nurse.

Just when I thought Lily would never forgive me, she showed up again the next evening.

She had changed a lot. She talked less, and she became much quieter.

I understood—it was because I hated her lecturing me. So she stopped saying all those useless things about getting better.

So, I changed my attitude too, because I had nothing left to lose.

I never screamed at her again. I went from being a monster to being completely obedient. Gradually, she opened up to me again, returning to her cheerful self.

We tacitly never brought up Chloe again, as if she had never existed. At first, I avoided the name, but over time, I actually forgot about her.

I forgot that she used to visit me every day, and I forgot that she had never shown up again since that day.

Just like that, seven years flew by.

3.

To be honest, after losing my sight, I lost all concept of time.

If Lily hadn't mentioned the date, I wouldn't have realized we had been living like this for seven years.

During this time, I kept going for regular eye checkups and took the pills the doctor prescribed.

I only did it for that tiny, hopeless shred of light, hoping that one day I would see again.

But after seven years of waiting for a miracle that never came, my hope died. So, I stopped taking the pills.

When Lily found out, she flew into a rage for the first time.

Terrified she would think I was giving up on life again, I swallowed the bitter pills right in front of her, promising I would never do something so stupid again.

Only then did she calm down, repeatedly warning me to listen to the doctor.

I groaned inwardly but promised her anyway.

She had given up seven years of her youth for me. I didn't want her to feel like she had loved the wrong man. Besides, there was so little I could do for her.

But once the seed of doubt was planted, it was hard to pull out. I still stubbornly threw away the pills every day.

I kept it a secret and hid it perfectly.

But then, the unthinkable happened.

About three months later, as the weather turned cold and we traded short sleeves for heavy coats, a miracle happened. I saw a flicker of light!

I was ecstatic. My first instinct was to call Lily.

But as I speed-dialed her number and listened to the long rings, hearing her voice on the other end suddenly calmed me down.

What if it was just temporary? What if I woke up tomorrow in darkness again?

Maybe I was just hallucinating. Years ago, my eyes had played a trick on me like this.

I had been so happy back then, sharing the news with Lily on the first day, only to plunge back into total darkness the next.

She asked me what was wrong.

My excitement crushed by my own fear, I just said I missed her, chatted for a bit, and hung up.

That night, I lost myself in her, making passionate love to her until dawn.

I woke up the next morning with a racing heart. But when I opened my eyes, the light was still there. I was overjoyed.

But I still didn't tell Lily. I changed my mind. I would wait until my vision was fully restored to give her the surprise of her life.

After all, I was still a young, healthy man. Within just one week, my vision was fully restored!

That was the first time I walked out of my apartment without a cane in seven years. I was too proud to use one anyway.

After going blind, I had cut off all contact with the outside world. I was terrified of the pity from friends and family. Every "How are you?" felt like a blade stabbing into my chest.

I didn't walk far. Time had flown by so fast, and I wasn't confident I could find my way home after seven years.

When you're blind, time drags. When you can see, it flies.

I took a nap on the couch, only waking up when I heard the front door open. My beloved was home.

But the moment I opened my eyes, I froze.

Was the woman taking off her shoes at the entryway really my beloved Lily?

Even after seven years, someone's face doesn't change *this* much. The woman standing before me was not the Lily in my memory.

Then who was she?