CHAPTER TWO

The hot summer breeze hit me as I stepped out of the hospital, and I wondered why I had chosen to wear thick clothing.

Landon had told me it would only get hotter, but I'd insisted on ‘’covering up' properly.

“Careful, now.” The driver, a Somalian man with an accent, said, as he guided me towards the car.

This was another privilege I enjoyed from being loved by a wealthy man like Landon. I had my own personal driver.

“You should've waited for me inside.” he chided gently as he helped me inside the car.

I smiled at him, hoping that he would not notice how scared I was inside.

Dr. Knox's words still rang in my head. It was hard to forget. I had a real chance of seeing again.

“The Dr. had offered to walk me, besides you were late.” I replied, turning my face to the window as he drove out of the hospital.

I could see the blurry outline of the buildings and trees as we sped past.

My thoughts went back to the Dr's words. A surgery that could restore my sight, felt unreal. I didn't want to hope again.

How many times in the past have I hoped? Only for it to be cruelly dashed. But the Dr had seemed so sure, so confident…

I imagined telling Landon, seeing his face for the first time, seeing him smile, his eyes. I wanted so badly to know what color they were.

It was because of him that I hoped this could work. Landon was perfect and he deserved a perfect woman. Not an impaired one.

When we got to the house, the driver opened the car door, his strong hands steadying me as I stepped out into the driveway. 

He led me to the door, and then stopped. He never came inside the house with me.

I never needed help indoors because I had a cane, which was always propped by the door for easy access. 

Landon never made me feel like an inconvenience because of my blindness, but I knew he didn't want people knowing I was blind, which was why he always made me wear designer sunglasses, and preferred to guide me himself when he could in public, and when he couldn't, the driver would.

I heard the driver's footsteps shuffle away, and I reached for the cane by the door. But then I noticed that the door was slightly open. 

That was odd. Landon had locked the doors on our way out, I was sure of that. Or had he come home early?

Maybe he'd forgotten something?

My fingers hovered over the handle for a moment, then stepped inside quietly, while tapping my cane softly against the floor.

The familiar muted colors of the living room never failed to make me comfortable.

Then I heard it. Laughter, light and feminine.

My heart stopped and I arched my ear as I climbed the stairs. Were we being robbed? 

The grip on my cane tightened, the smooth wood pressing into my palm. But as I got closer, I realized that the sound was not violent, but playful and intimate.

It wasn’t until her next words that my stomach truly churned.

“Landon you're terrible,” the woman's voice purred, like she was sharing a private joke.

I could not breathe. There was a pause, then Landon's deep unmistakable chuckle followed. It was a sound I knew like the beat of my own heart.

“You make it easy to get distracted.” He murmured, his voice so gentle, so easy. 

Drowning. That was the only word that could describe how I truly felt. He wasn't saying those words to me.

He was saying them to someone else.

I stood there, willing my legs to move, but they didn't. What the hell was going on?

My Landon? It couldn't be…

“Do you think she'll find out?” The woman asked.

“She's too trusting, and she loves me. Even if she finds out, she has nowhere to go. She's blind. I own her.” Landon's voice was sure, almost amused like he was telling a joke.

I was the joke. The words hit me like a slap. 

Blind…..

He said it so casually as if the fact that I could not see made me an object. Something to own and control.

“Don't forget the house you promised to get me. I've spoken with the realtor.” The woman said.

Landon chuckled. “Anything for you. I promise, I'll make you happy once all this is over.”

“You're so evil, and I can't wait to be with you.” The woman replied, giggling. 

“Besides, it's not like she'd ever suspect anything. She can't even see what's right in front of her. I can't wait to leave her.”

“Then what's stopping you?”

Landon didn't reply, but then I heard more giggling and sounds.

I held my cane tightly, refusing to breathe. Maybe I'd fallen asleep on the ride here. 

To make sure, I pinched myself, and winced at the sharp pain. This was not a dream.

Landon was cheating on me. 

The betrayal felt like glass slicing through my skin. My vision was a blur of colors but I felt every inch of the betrayal like I was staring right at it.

I wanted to leave, to turn and run away, but I still couldn't move. It was like my feet were glued to the floor and they had minds of their own.

“I should go.” The woman said after a while. She was no longer giggling now. “But I'll see you soon?” her voice was soft and affectionate, and something coiled inside my heart.

“Of course, my precious.” He replied, his voice was low, seductive, the kind of tone he used to save just for me.

He never called me any nicknames, and somehow that hurt more. It was the final blow.

"Landon?" I whispered, almost unable to form words. Yet I didn't even wait for an answer. Somehow, I knew that he had already made a decision. He had left me behind.

My fingers went numb around the cane as I struggled to keep my breathing steady. My heart pounded so loudly in my chest, that I was afraid they might hear it.

I felt like I was spiraling, and losing my balance. Like I was falling from a tall height. I have been living a lie.

My life had been a mirage.

I should have burst into the room, demanded an explanation, made a scene, but all I could do was let out a strangled breath.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came toward the door. 

I took a shaky step back, barely managing to slip out of view before I heard her heels click down the hall and the faint sound of the front door closing.

Silence settled over the apartment, thick and suffocating. My ears rang from it.

My legs felt like jelly, but I forced myself to straighten, to breathe. 

Then I heard Landon sigh, like he was relieved she was gone, and the sound clawed at my heart.

A moment later, his footsteps moved back toward the bedroom, his voice drifting softly as if talking to himself. 

“She’ll never know…she trusts me too much….”

I swallowed hard, blinking away the hot tears that stung my eyes.

I didn’t need to see to know the truth.