David was quiet for a moment before speaking. "The thing is… I know you've made up your mind about divorcing Ethan. But can I ask you for a favor?"Tessa quickly responded, "David, please don't say that. If there's anything you need from me, just say it. I'll do my best to help you."David sighed. "I'd like you to accompany Ethan to a birthday party. Would that be alright?" Outwardly, he'd tried to seem open-minded and told himself that if Tessa wanted a divorce, so be it. But deep down, he still hoped that she and Ethan could reconcile.Naturally, he now knew that hope was slim at best.Nevertheless, he wanted to give his disappointing grandson one last chance. He thought that it would be a blessing if Ethan and Tessa could mend things with this final opportunity. And if not, then he'd accept it and say nothing more.Tessa pondered for a while. She didn't want to be with Ethan but relented because it was David who was making this request."David, don't worry. I'll go with him.
Tessa's expression hardened, and her jaw clenched. Ethan was the one who had stolen her corneas and handed them to Charlotte. He would go to any lengths for her!"Oh, and do you know why your medical records disappeared from the hospital?" Charlotte asked, her voice thick with implication.Tessa whipped around to face her. "You did that?"She remembered opening up to Ethan about her eye condition, only for him to accuse her of lying.Charlotte smiled. "It wasn't me, of course. I don't have the kind of pull to wipe your medical records from the hospital. Only Ethan could manage something like that."Her voice dripped with feigned sympathy as she continued, "You gave him your whole heart, and this is how he repays you. How pathetic. He knew about your condition. But he just didn't care."And as for deleting your records? He didn't want Mr. Ziegler Senior digging into uncomfortable questions later. You're so smart. How did you miss it?""Are you serious?" Tessa's mouth filled with
Ethan scoffed. "Wonderful.""There's more," Charlotte said. "Ms. Langford is pushing you to sign the divorce papers. She says she's done waiting."She hesitated, then continued, "I think she's got the wrong idea about us, Ethan. You should've seen the way she looked at me. It was terrifying. She kept staring into my eyes, hung up on my corneas. She still thinks I took hers. And then she said…"Ethan's voice dropped. "Said what?""That she wants to rip my eyes out because the sight of them makes her furious," Charlotte murmured. She quickly added, "But Ethan, Ms. Langley couldn't have meant it. There's no way that she's really that cruel—"Ethan's voice was icy. "She still hasn't shown any remorse! Does she really think I can't manage without her? Ridiculous! You're coming with me to this birthday party."Charlotte hesitated. "Ethan, this might be risky. If Mr. Ziegler Senior asks, you won't have a good answer.""How would he find out unless we told him?" Ethan's anger hadn't sub
Tessa opened her eyes to see a blurry figure she couldn't quite make out. She started to say, "You…""Talk about bad luck. Of all people, I had to run into you here!" That icy voice left no doubt within her. She knew that it belonged to Derek.Memories of every insult he'd ever thrown at her sent a chill through her. With her vision still blurry, her first impulse was to bolt.But Derek clamped a firm hand on her shoulder and sneered. "Don't stop drinking because of me. Why run? It's not like I'll hurt you. What are you afraid of?"His hand clamped down on Tessa's shoulder with brutal force. The pain was sharp enough to make her wince, her slender frame on the verge of buckling."Compared to your father—that monster who got countless people killed—I'm practically a saint. Wouldn't you agree?"The words sent a surge of anger through her. She snatched the half-full glass from the table and hurled the remaining liquor at Derek.However, he didn't flinch as the alcohol hit him squar
A group of men closed in on Tessa. Unable to see, she couldn't tell what was happening; only the chaos around her registered. Fear twisted through her, and she folded in on herself.Just as they went to lift her, a figure cut between them and caught the nearest man's wrist.The man yelped in pain, then snarled, "Who the hell are you? Get off me!"Zachary sneered and slammed his foot into the man's chest, knocking him off his feet. The man crashed into a table, causing the bottles and glasses to explode on impact.The patrons in the booth recoiled, scrambling away as if afraid that the fight might reach them.Security at the bar hurried over as soon as they caught wind of it. But as soon as they recognized Derek and the group of wealthy young men, they held back, reluctant to intervene.Derek fixed Zachary with a glare. "Who the hell are you? This isn't your problem. Walk away now, or you'll regret it!"Zachary met his gaze with icy disdain but said nothing. Instead, he turned an
Tessa wasn't sure how much time had passed before the chaos finally died. Then, Zachary's voice cut through the quiet. He said, "It's over. Let's get out of here. I'll take you home.""Zac, what happened?" she asked, her voice uneasy.Zachary paused, then scooped her into his arms. Caught off guard, Tessa gasped and instinctively clung to his neck, her expression dazed. Without saying a single word, he carried her out.The bar manager, Ken Fielder, took in the scene around him. The group of wealthy young men was too badly hurt to get up, and the floor was littered with broken glass.A throbbing headache set in, and he immediately barked at his staff to clean up the mess.Derek was helped to his feet, his face bloodied as he spat out curses. "Damn it! Who the hell was that guy?"Ken hesitated. "We don't know. We've never seen him around before.""Why didn't you do a damn thing? You just stood there, watching it all happen, didn't you?" Derek snarled, grabbing Ken by the collar.
"What are you wearing? And why did you shower?" Ethan demanded, grabbing Tessa by the collar and pulling her close.Startled, she stumbled, nearly losing her balance.Furious at the sight, Zachary pushed himself up from the ground. He roared, "Ethan!"Ethan stared at Tessa and realized that her eyes were unfocused. He froze. "What's wrong with your eyes?"Tessa replied calmly, "I can't see. Will you let me go?""You—"Zachary lunged forward, shoving Ethan away and pulling Tessa behind him. "Haven't you hurt her enough, Ethan? You took her corneas to fix another woman's eyes, and now she's blind! What else do you want from her?"Ethan stood frozen, his gaze locked on Tessa in disbelief. "She's blind? That can't be. She's pretending, isn't she? What's wrong with her eyes?"Zachary sneered. "Pretending? What a devoted husband you've been. Her vision's been failing for a long time, and you never even noticed! Worse, you stole the corneas she'd been waiting for."Who in this world
Ethan struggled for air as he stared into Tessa's unfocused, tear-filled eyes. A crushing weight pressed against his chest, leaving him breathless."Can't you see that you're only making things worse for her?" Zachary yelled.Ethan whipped around to face him, his voice quiet but steely. "We're still married. Touch her, and you'll regret it."Without saying another word, he turned and left.Zachary stepped closer and slipped an arm around Tessa's shoulders. "It's okay. He's gone. You're safe now."She wiped her tears away but said nothing.Ethan stormed out of the elevator and rushed across the hotel lobby, already dialing a number. "Find out what's going on with Tessa's eyes. The hospital claimed that they didn't have her records, didn't they? Look into it again!"After steadying herself, Tessa turned toward Zachary with concern. "You're hurt, aren't you? I'm sorry, Zac. This is my fault.""Don't say that. That makes it sound like we're strangers."Blood streaked his face, but
Tessa and Jaxon went to see the same doctor as before—Sean.The moment Tessa stepped into the room, a soft hand reached out and grabbed hers. She recognized the touch instantly. It was Rosalie."Rosie!" She quickly reached back and held on."Yeah. It's me," Rosalie replied and guided her to sit down. "It's a good thing you remembered. I thought you forgot and were about to leave.""Sorry. You know it's not exactly easy for me to get out these days," Tessa said apologetically.Rosalie scolded, "Ethan is such an ass! Restricting your freedom like this is illegal! My brother's a lawyer. Do you want me to ask him to take your case? You'd definitely win the divorce."But Tessa shook her head. "Let's wait a little longer."Ethan's threat to get Rosalie fired was still fresh in her mind. She couldn't afford to take that risk. Before she had concrete evidence, she didn't want to drag Rosalie or her brother into this."What about the pills? Did you find anything wrong with them?" Tessa a
Tessa's stoic face looked even more formidable than before her blindness.Ethan was a bit surprised, but seeing her stand up for herself like that felt like progress to him.David's face darkened. "Alright, alright. Take Shannon home and teach her a lesson properly! Bring her back only when you've taught her well. Until then, she doesn't need to come again!"His words were harsh.Cameron and Aliana immediately paled. They wanted to plead for Shannon, but the look on David's face was enough to silence them. They hurriedly took Shannon and left.David pulled Tessa to his side. Holding her hand, he said guiltily, "Tess, I'm sorry you had to go through that. Don't worry. I'm on your side."Tessa smiled faintly. "I know, David. I wasn't upset."David sighed and looked at Ethan. "Have the corneas been found yet?"Ethan hesitated. "Not yet, but I believe we'll find them soon."Corey watched Tessa thoughtfully."Alright. Get it done as soon as possible. It's getting late, and Tess is
"You think just because Ethan's got your back, you can do whatever you want?" Shannon snapped."Shannon!" Aliana's face was stern. "Watch your mouth! Tessa hasn't even said anything yet. Where are your manners?"Tessa used to bite her tongue to preserve the family's harmony. But not anymore. She was done tolerating this nonsense.Shannon had twisted the truth so far. Tessa inwardly applauded Cameron and Aliana for raising a truly "good" daughter."You called me blind, said my father was a murderer, and said I deserved to go blind—that it was karma." Tessa's voice was cold and steady. "And you think I shouldn't have hit you?"The room fell into stunned silence. Every face in the room shifted.Lana watched Aliana and Shannon with glee.Who would've thought that the daughter-in-law she'd always despised actually had some use in a moment like this?"You're lying!" Shannon burst out. "I never said any of that! Tessa, you're an adult. How can you make up such horrible lies about me?"
"Tessa hit you? That's impossible," David said, frowning. "I know what kind of person she is. She's very kind. She wouldn't hit anyone without a reason. Did you say something that upset her?"Shannon sobbed. "I swear I didn't, Grandpa! It was just the two of us there. Who else could've hit me other than her? Why would I make this up?"Aliana quickly wrapped her arms around Shannon and looked at Ethan. "I believe Tessa isn't that kind of person either, but Shannon's telling us what happened. So what's going on here?"Ethan looked at Shannon calmly. "You left her there alone and came back by yourself?"Shannon froze. "What?"Ethan didn't say another word. He stood up and walked out of the living room.Out in the hallway, he spotted Tessa standing near the edge, facing the garden.The soft light wrapped around her like a veil. Her expression was unreadable, but Ethan could feel her turmoil. He knew that she was hurting.Suddenly, he realized that maybe forcing her to this family di
Once they reached the empty hallway, Shannon immediately let go of Tessa's hand."Ugh, how disgusting! Who knows if I'll catch some virus from you and end up blind too?" Shannon snapped as she wiped her hands and clothes as if they were tainted.Tessa's expression darkened, and she spoke coldly. "You really have no common sense, do you? Do more reading. What kind of virus can be transmitted through contact to make someone blind? You can say whatever you want to me, but don't go talking nonsense outside, or people will laugh at you."Shannon fumed. "Stop mocking me like you're so smart. You think I don't understand? You deserve this, you know? It's karmic retribution."Do you know how many people got hurt by your father's drugs? Derek's sister died because of your father's medicine! You're nothing but a criminal!"Shannon had a thing for Derek, and since he despised Tessa, she followed suit and hated her too."My father is innocent. But I know you won't believe me. Say whatever you
This was exactly why Tessa hadn't wanted to come to the family dinner.Cameron's family had long believed that David favored Corey's side, fueling constant tension between the two branches. They were always throwing subtle jabs.Tessa was utterly sick of it.Before long, Corey and Lana arrived. Everyone chatted for a bit, then it was time to eat.Halfway through dinner, Cameron suddenly brought up that Isaac was about to graduate from college and wanted to intern at Ziegler Group. He casually asked for both David's and Ethan's thoughts.The company belonged to David, but years ago, he had split his assets equally between his two sons. Cameron, however, mismanaged his share, and it saw little growth.Corey, on the other hand, had a sharp business mind and grew Ziegler Group to more than twice its original size.Corey himself largely built Ziegler Group's success. And after Ethan took over, he expanded it even further.By now, David had no real say in Ziegler Group's operations. C
Tessa let out a cold laugh but said nothing as she pulled her hand free from Ethan's grip. "I'll walk by myself," she said.She tapped her cane on the ground and took slow, deliberate steps forward.Ethan's words meant nothing to her. Not a single one was worth believing.Frowning, Ethan lifted her in his arms, placed her in the car, and told the driver to head off. Neither of them spoke during the drive.When they arrived at the Ziegler residence, Ethan helped Tessa out of the car.David was already waiting. When he saw them, he grinned widely. "Ethan, Tess, you're here!"David took Tessa's hand and asked, "Tess, how have you been? Has Sophie's cooking been to your liking?"Tessa smiled. "I'm fine, David. Sophie's cooking is delicious. I think I've put on a little weight lately.""Really?" David chuckled. "A little extra weight is good. You're too thin now. Come. Let's go inside."The evening wind was picking up. David was concerned Tessa might catch a cold from being outside.
"I don't feel like going," Tessa said coolly.David truly had been kind to her, but the idea of facing so many unpleasant people at the family dinner made Tessa hesitate.Especially Cameron Ziegler and his family—Ethan's uncle.They had never gotten along with Ethan's family. To make matters worse, his cousin, Shannon Ziegler, couldn't stand Tessa. Whenever they met, Shannon would inevitably give her a hard time.Back then, Tessa believed that being Ethan's wife meant giving her all in every way. She even tried to win over Cameron's family, but all she got in return were cold shoulders.Now, with her mind set on divorcing Ethan, she had no desire to attend any family dinner."I'll visit David some other time," she said."Some other time?" Ethan continued slowly, "After this, you'll leave only if I allow it. If I don't, do you think you'll get to leave too?"Tessa smiled. "So, you won't let me leave even if I want to see David? Is that what you're saying?""I'm taking you to the
Tessa was stunned. She asked, "What?"Charlotte sneered. "I drugged the wine for myself, but you ended up drinking it. And somehow, it brought you and Ethan together." Her face twisted with resentment. "Tell me. How do you get so damn lucky?""It was you!" Tessa hissed through clenched teeth. "It was actually you!"Because of that wine, Ethan and the entire Ziegler family had misunderstood her. She'd carried the blame for years, and no one ever believed that she was innocent.Not even she knew what had happened that night. It turned out that it had been Charlotte all along."But so what if you married Ethan? He still despises you. He doesn't love you. To him, you're invisible. He even leaves to sleep alone every night." Charlotte continued casually, "And now you're blind. Honestly, I almost feel bad for you. I guess that's your karma for stealing what was supposed to be mine.""Karma?" Tessa laughed coldly. "You schemed first, failed, and then blamed me for the fallout. Don't you