Chapter 3

Five years ago, I went with Austin to a business meeting in the valley. A massive earthquake struck, and Austin was buried deep under a collapsed concrete building.

The golden window for rescue had long passed. Everyone told me Austin was dead.

But I refused to believe them. I dug with my bare hands.

When the shovel broke, I used wooden sticks. When the sticks snapped, I used my bare fingers. In the end, my hands were a bloody mess, and all my fingernails had torn off.

They all thought I had gone mad. But under the deep rubble, I finally dug Austin out.

However, his eyes were ruined. He was blind.

Lying on the hospital bed, he lost all his former ambition. He could only sit in silence, passively receiving visitors.

Seeing him like that broke my heart.

We had just gotten married, and his business was just taking off. Everything was supposed to get better.

Losing his sight was a devastating blow to Austin. It was as if his spine had been removed; his once-proud back was now permanently slumped.

So, I voluntarily gave my eyes to him.

The System smoothed over all the medical anomalies, making Austin believe my blindness was just a tragic complication from saving him during the earthquake.

After that, he treated me like royalty. He cared for me with endless patience and stayed by my side.

With tears in his eyes, he promised he would love me forever. I believed him.

Yet, this very man who swore to cherish me forever had secretly conspired with another woman to divorcing me without my knowledge.

I huddled in that dark corner for hours. I didn't drink a drop of water. My throat was parched, and my lips were cracked like dry earth.

By the time they returned, I was still crouching in the same spot, looking like a hollow shell. Brooke frowned in annoyance and had the servants pack my things into a cheap suitcase, throwing it at my feet.

"Chloe! Get the hell out of here. This is my house, and you're not welcome!"

I scrambled to my feet, instinctively looking toward Austin, though I couldn't see the disgust in his eyes.

He frowned. "Throw out everything that belongs to her."

The divorce papers were slapped onto my chest.

My hands trembled as I felt the cover. Once I felt the raised letters of the divorce decree, a hollow, tragic laugh escaped my lips.

This was the man I loved for seven years...

He used my eyes to see the world, yet he personally pushed me into the dark.

The rain poured heavily outside as I knelt on the wet pavement outside the villa.

My suitcase had been maliciously left open. My clothes were scattered all over the muddy ground, soaked by the rain.

The divorce papers lay right by my feet. In the heavy downpour, they looked like a blooming black dahlia, radiating a fatal, beautiful light in my moment of absolute despair.

Austin and Brooke stood under the dry porch, looking down at me.

Brooke chuckled. "Babe, look at her. She looks like a drowned rat. How pathetic!"

Austin curled his lips, his voice dripping with arrogance.

"Chloe, you look just like a stray dog I threw a bone to. When a dog stops listening, the master has to throw it out to teach it a lesson."

"You only saved me once, five years ago. You've used that favor to leech off me for five years. That's enough."

"Looking at those empty, lifeless eyes of yours makes me sick."

The rain was roaring, and their voices were quiet.

But every single poisonous, malicious word they uttered cut through the storm and registered perfectly in my ears.

My mind was dead silent. The System didn't speak.

But this time, I saw Austin's true colors with absolute clarity.

I placed my hand over my chest. The heart underneath felt as if it were being shredded by a thousand knives.

I opened my sightless eyes wide.

Feeling the agonizing pain in my chest, I parted my lips and whispered, "System, didn't you say you could help me take my eyes back?"

"I've made up my mind now. I want to say..."

"Yes. I regret everything!"

The next second, the System’s voice boomed in my head like thunder.

*“Understood. Terminating the contract... Retracting the eyes now.”*

The rain kept pouring, washing over my face and into my eyes.

But this time, a brilliant spark of light ignited deep within my pupils.

At the exact same moment, Austin, who was standing on the porch looking down at me, suddenly stiffened. He stumbled forward and crashed onto the floor.