LOGINShare
Chapter 6: The Eyes That Were Never Mine
Last Updated:
2025-03-01 11:35:42Olivia
I couldn’t sleep. Patricia’s words had lodged themselves in my mind, sharp and relentless. Elena was the girl who sold her eyes. I sat in the dim light from the bedside lamp, my fingers curling around the edge of my phone. The screen was warm against my palm, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. If I did, I would make it real. If I did, I would chase a truth I might not survive. But the doubt was suffocating. I needed the truth. I scrolled through my contacts, the steady thrum of my pulse in my ears as I landed on the number I hadn’t dialed in years. Dr. Samuel Greene. The surgeon who had given me my sight. Without thinking, I pressed the call. The phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Then… A click. “Dr. Greene speaking.” I swallowed, trying to steady my voice. “Dr. Greene, it’s Olivia. Olivia Crawford.” A pause. A breath. Then, wariness. “Olivia. It’s been a long time. What can I do for you?” “I need information.” There was a short silence then “About?” “I need to know who my donor was.” He hesitated a bit. “Olivia, that’s confidential.” I bit back a frustrated breath. “Please. I just need a name.” Another pause. I could almost hear him debating, searching for a way out. But I wasn’t backing down. “Dr. Greene,” I said, more forcefully now. “If you ever cared about me and if you want to help me please. I need to know who she was.” I heard a long sigh, heavy and resigned. The sound of papers rustling, the faint tapping of keys on a keyboard. I gripped the phone tighter, my heart thundering in my chest. “Elena Moreau.” The name hit me like a punch to the gut. I couldn’t breathe. My hand shook so hard I almost dropped the phone. It wasn’t a coincidence. It wasn’t a mistake. It was her. The same Elena. The same Elena who had given me my sight. A choked sound escaped me, something between a gasp and a sob. “Olivia?” Dr. Greene’s voice was soft now. “Are you okay?” I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. I hung up. ** I don’t remember the drive to the hospital. One moment, I was in my bedroom, everything spinning with the weight of Elena’s name, her eyes. The next, my hands were gripping the steering wheel, my knuckles white, the road slipping by in a blur of neon lights and shadows. My mind was a storm, questions whipping through the chaos. Why would Leonard visit her? Why would he lie to me? Why does he care about the woman who gave me her eyes? But I didn’t want to face the answers. I wasn’t ready for the truth to be real. I parked in front of Bintu Hospital, my legs weak as I stumbled inside. The sharp scent of antiseptic filled my nose, but I didn’t register it. I didn’t care. My body moved on its own, my feet carrying me forward. I had been here before, in another life. And maybe, just maybe, I had. Because somewhere in this building, a girl had lost her sight. And I had taken it. Room 217. I saw the number on the door before I realized I had reached it. The name on the plaque was clear, bold: Elena Moreau. I stopped. Proof. There it was. The name. The girl. I reached for the doorknob, but my hand froze inches away. My heart thudded painfully in my chest. Everything I thought I knew the lies, the silence was about to break loose. As I reached for the doorknob, but before I could touch it, I heard a voice. It was faint, fragile. Trembling. Thick with tears. “I… I’m scared, Leo.” I froze. Leo. In her there was no hesitation, no doubt. She said it like it was hers. Like he was hers. My heart stopped. A sick, sharp pain spread through my chest. A moment later, Leonard’s voice, low and soothing. “You’re not alone.” And then, “I’ve been keeping your eyes safe all these years.” My blood ran cold. No. I didn’t hear that right. I couldn’t have. “Do you promise?” Leonard’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Soon. You’ll have them back. And no one will ever take them from you again.” I clamped a hand over my mouth to stop the sound from escaping. My body went numb. My mind didn’t want to believe it, but my heart… my heart had already accepted it. Leonard. The man I loved. The man I married. He was never mine. Not really. The way he looked at me. The way he touched me. It had never been about me. It had always been about her. I wasn’t the one he wanted to protect. He had married me to protect what had always belonged to Elena. The eyes I thought were mine. The truth hit me like a blow to the stomach. I couldn’t breathe. My pulse thudded in my ears. I had to get out of here. I had to leave. I turned, stumbling down the hallway, my legs shaky, my breath ragged. Every step felt like a battle. “No. No. No.” The words tumbled out of me, breathless, but they didn’t change a damn thing. I had to leave. I couldn’t stay here. Not after everything I had just heard. My legs nearly gave out as I reached the stairs. I grabbed the railing, my knuckles white. My vision was spinning. It wasn’t my vision that was messed up.It was me. Leonard had never loved me. Every moment we shared, every kiss, every touch it wasn’t for me. It was for her. I wasn’t a wife. I was just a vessel. I was her substitute. A cage for her eyes. I couldn’t hold back the sob that tore through me. My chest felt like it was collapsing. “No.” I tried to push myself forward, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. I couldn’t stop shaking. The truth was too much. I took a step. My foot slipped as I screamed and I lost my balance. For a second, the world flipped. Then, darkness.
Related chapters
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 7: Her Eyes, My Womb
My eyes fluttered open, squinting hard against the harsh glare of the overhead lights. The brightness stabbed through my vision, forcing me to blink several times before the room slowly came into focus. I was still in the hospital. The memory of the fall slammed into me the moment I shifted, a dull ache blooming across my lower back as I pushed myself up against the headboard. The sheets crinkled under my palms just as the door swung open. A man in a white coat stepped in, the stethoscope around his neck catching the light. His expression shifted into relief the second he saw me awake. “Oh, thank goodness, madam. You’re finally conscious.” He crossed the room briskly, placing a firm hand on my forehead, his fingers cool against my skin. Without a word, he flicked a penlight across my eyes, watching closely as my pupils adjusted. Then, he turned to check the monitors beside my bed, making quick notes on the chart clipped to the foot of it. “How are you feeling?” His voic
Last Updated : 2025-03-05The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 8: Behind Closed Doors
The second I stepped into the house, I barely had time to take off my shoes before one of the maids came rushing toward me, her slippers slapping against the marble floor. Her hands were wrapped tightly around a small glass bottle, covered in silk cloth like it was some ancient treasure.“Madam!” she called, her voice breathless from hurrying.I turned around, already exhausted, but her nervous face made me pause. “What is it?”She held the bottle out, eyes darting around like someone might be watching. “Madam-in-law brought this for you some hours ago. She said you must take five shots of it.”I froze, staring at her like she’d grown a second head. “Five shots?” My voice shot up, loud enough to make her flinch. “What does she think I am, a barrel that needs filling? Does she want to kill me?”The maid’s eyes widened, but I wasn’t done. I snatched the bottle from her hands, holding it up to the light. The liquid inside was thick, dark, almost muddy. Just looking at it made my stomac
Last Updated : 2025-03-06The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 9: Silence Between Them
LeonardI sat there, staring at Olivia’s half-empty plate, my appetite gone. She barely spoke to me all through dinner. Every answer was short, like she couldn’t be bothered. And that smil: that fake, too-sweet smile when she called me my dear husband, it wasn’t love. It was a warning.Something was wrong.I wasn’t blind. Olivia had been distant for days, but this felt different. Colder. Like she had already made up her mind about something and I wasn’t even part of the conversation. I waved a hand, calling over one of the housemaids. “Come here.”She hurried over, hands folded in front of her.“Did anything happen today while I was gone?”“No, sir,” she said quickly.“Did my mother come by?”“Yes, sir. She only sent a tonic for Madam.”Of course. My mother and her damn tonics.“And she didn’t say anything to Olivia?”“No, sir. She just gave the tonic and left.”“Anyone else visit?”“No one, sir.”I let out a slow breath, dismissing her with a nod. But the uneasy knot in my chest d
Last Updated : 2025-03-07The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 10: He Might Actually Care
The sun was already up, but I was still in bed, face buried in the pillow, trying to block out the daylight. My stomach flipped again, and I swallowed down the nausea for the third time that morning. Pregnancy regurgitation, some fancy words for a miserable start to the day.The door creaked open. I didn’t turn around. I didn’t need to. Leonard’s footsteps were too familiar after all these years.“You’re still in bed?” His voice was somewhere between confused and irritated. “Are you okay?”“Just tired.”That was the truth but only the smallest piece of it. The deeper truth was that I didn’t want to get up because getting up meant facing him, facing this life we were barely holding together. I didn’t want to look at him and wonder which version of Leonard I’d get today, the distant stranger or the man who still tried, just barely, to care.His shadow fell over me as he stood at the edge of the bed. His hand brushed my forehead, testing for a fever like I was a child. I wanted to pull
Last Updated : 2025-03-09The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 11: Dinner For Two
The house felt warmer than usual, filled with the soft scents of garlic, rosemary, and caramelizing onions. I stood at the counter, chopping vegetables with more focus than I’d had in weeks. Tonight mattered.I had spent the entire day preparing. Grocery shopping in the morning, recipe hunting in the afternoon, and now after three failed attempts at a sauce I could never get right I was finally ready.Tonight wasn’t just dinner. Tonight was my moment.I was going to tell Leonard about the baby.For a few fleeting hours, I let myself believe that this night could fix everything. That a perfect meal, some soft music, and the right words could turn us back into the couple we used to be. I could see it in my mind, the way his face would light up when I told him. The way he’d pull me into his arms, his hands cradling my stomach, whispering promises about the future we’d share.Hope was dangerous, but tonight, I let it live.The table was already set, candles lit, wine chilling, and soft
Last Updated : 2025-03-10The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 12: The Night That Changed Everything
OliviaThe moment I opened the door, I felt it. That warmth. That flicker of something familiar, something whole, something I had spent days convincing myself was still real.Leonard stood there, his tie loosened, his hair slightly disheveled like he’d run his hands through it one too many times. His sharp gaze swept over me, taking in the dress I had carefully chosen, the soft candlelight flickering behind me, the faint scent of rosemary and butter drifting from the kitchen.For a second, I thought I saw something in his expression. Something tender. Something real.His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the words.And then, he smiled.A real, genuine smile.It was small, barely there, but it made my breath hitch.“You look beautiful.”My heart clenched. He hadn’t said that in a long time.I swallowed past the lump in my throat, forcing myself to keep breathing. “Dinner’s ready.” My voice wavered, but I smiled. If I acted normal, maybe ton
Last Updated : 2025-03-11The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 13: A Call From Her
(Leonard’s POV)The office felt wrong the second I stepped inside. Maybe it was me. Or maybe it was the sharp look Lincoln gave me the moment I walked into the executive lounge like he’d been waiting all day just to rip into me.“Well, look who finally dragged his ass back to work.” Lincoln was sprawled across the couch, tie loose, coffee in one hand, phone in the other. “What’s the excuse this time? Let me guess: holding Elena’s hand again?”“Shut up,” I muttered, dropping my briefcase onto the table. “I was with Olivia.”Lincoln’s brows shot up. “No shit?”“She wasn’t feeling well.”Lincoln snorted. “So the queen needed her loyal servant for once.”I ignored him. I was too tired for his shit, but of course, that never stopped him.“Elena’s fine now,” I added quickly, needing to say it out loud. “She’s moving into the lakeside villa soon. I set it all up for her.”Lincoln whistled low. “Jesus Christ, Leonard. You really set yourself up for a death wish, huh?”I exhaled. “Meaning?”“
Last Updated : 2025-03-12The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 14: What Did You Do Olivia
LeonardI stabbed a piece of lamb with my fork, chewing mechanically, barely tasting it. Across the table, Olivia smiled softly, her eyes bright, posture perfect, like we were starring in a commercial for domestic bliss.Everything was too perfect. The table set with meticulous care, candles flickering, wine poured, her hair neatly pinned back in the style she knew I liked.I cleared my throat. “Did you get any calls today?”Her knife paused, just for a second, but long enough to make my pulse stutter.“Calls?” She lifted her glass, taking a slow sip of wine. “Just the usual. Spam, some telemarketer trying to sell solar panels. Why?”I tightened my grip on the fork. “No wrong numbers?”She smiled again, too smooth, too easy. “Nope. Why?”I shrugged, forcing a smile. “Just wondering. My phone’s been acting up lately.”A lie. But she didn’t question it.Why the hell was she lying?The call was right there in her log. Elena. Clear as day. Olivia knew something. Had to. Unless…Unless sh
Last Updated : 2025-03-12
Latest chapter
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 36: They Won’t Know What Hit Them
Elena POVI ran my fingers once more across the front of my blouse. Smoothed the fabric. Fixed my posture.No more tears.No more shaking.No more blurred reflection staring back at me like some forgotten ghost.I had cried what needed to be cried.Now it was time to perform.I picked up my cane slowly, letting the tip click softly against the tile floor. My other hand adjusted the collar of my blouse and tucked a strand of damp hair behind my ear. Then I turned toward the door. My shoulders were relaxed. My lips pulled into the softest, most fragile smile.I stepped into the hallway.And every tap of my cane was intentional.Measured.Innocent.Tap. Pause. Tap. Pause.I imagined them hearing me approach—Leonard straightening in his chair, the doctor glancing away from their lie-laced conversation.Let them hear me coming.Let them adjust their faces before I arrived.The doctor’s voice trailed off mid-sentence. Leonard cleared his throat.Good.I reached the doorway, pausing just be
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 35: She Found Out
Elena’s POVThe bathroom lights were too bright.Everything in here was too bright, too clean, too white, too… quiet. I stood in front of the mirror, gripping the edges of the porcelain sink like it could hold me together. My breath fogged the glass faintly, but I couldn’t even see my reflection.Just vague shapes. Blurs.Shadows.I leaned in, squinting hard, searching for the outline of my face, the curve of my lips, the pink around my tear-swollen eyes. But there was nothing.Just a smudge of a girl who used to exist.“Come on,” I whispered to myself, breath trembling. “Come on. Don’t fall apart.”But I already had.My mascara was everywhere. My blouse was wrinkled and damp near the collar. My cane rested against the wall, forgotten for a moment as I pressed both hands to my stomach and tried to calm the burning ache that had bloomed inside me like wildfire.You promised me.You said it would be temporary. You said she was just a substitute.Didn’t you?Didn’t you?My mind kept rep
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 34: Calm Down Elena
Leonard’s POVThe doctor sighed, folding his hands in front of him. “We’re doing what we can to slow the progression. We’re monitoring the damage carefully.”“Have you found a donor?” she asked. Her voice cracked. “For Olivia, I mean. You said once she gets a match, Leonard would reverse the transplant, and I could…”Her voice broke completely.“I could see again.”She was crying now. Not the quiet kind.The ugly, painful, shoulder-shaking kind. Her face crumpled, mouth twisting as sobs ripped from her throat uncontrollably.Leonard, do something.I reached for her hand. She pulled it away.“Elena, please….”“No!” she cried, her whole body curling forward as she pressed both palms against her face. “This isn’t fair! I gave them to her. I gave them. You promised!”She wasn’t just crying anymore.She was breaking.She collapsed forward in her chair, a sob ripping from her chest like it had been trapped inside her lungs for years. Not a single tear, an avalanche. Her shoulders buckled.
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chaoter 33: Drama In The Hospital
Leonard’s POVI could still see her.Olivia.The way she looked at me, eyes glistening, lips quivering, her whole body trembling like she was barely holding herself together.Like if I looked too hard, she’d crack and fall to pieces at my feet.That look would haunt me for the rest of my life.And yet here I was, driving Elena to her hospital appointment, while Olivia stood in that house, bleeding silently.Beside me, Elena sat like ice.Perfect. Poised. Fragile.Her white blouse was buttoned to the collar. Her cane rested gently against the console. And her face? Calm. Like she hadn’t just been accused of gutting the woman I loved with her words.But I couldn’t leave it alone.Not with the way Olivia had looked at me. Like I’d just let her drown.My hand tightened on the steering wheel, thumb flexing over the leather. The silence pressed against my ears.“Elena,” I said.She turned her head slightly, lashes fluttering as if I’d just roused her from thought. “Hmm?”I swallowed the lum
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 32: She’s Lying
Olivia’s POV “He’s giving me my eyes back. From you.” These words were consuming my thoughts as I pressed the heel of my hand against my chest like I could stop the ache there. Like pressure might make it go away. I heard their voices in the foyer. Elena’s light and delicate. Leonard’s deep and warm. I wanted to scream. Rip something off the wall. Shake him. Make him see what I’d just been through. What she just did. Instead, I walked forward like I was fine. Like I wasn’t about to come apart at the seams. Elena sat by the door, legs crossed neatly, her cane resting gently against the bench. She looked angelic. Calm. Dressed in soft blues and whites like she was heading to heaven. Her hands were folded in her lap. Like she hadn’t spit poison into my soul less than thirty minutes ago. Leonard stood near the front door, fixing the collar of his jacket. He looked up when he saw me. “Hey.” He smiled. “Everything okay?” No. I nodded. Too fast. My voice was thin. “Yeah. Just tire
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 31: I Won’t Let Her Break Me
Olivia’s POV I was just trying to surprise him. Leonard had left early that morning, quiet, soft, like he didn’t want to wake me. He kissed my cheek gently, lingering just long enough to make me believe the moment meant something. Then he was gone, leaving behind the scent of his cologne. So I decided I’d make him lunch. His favorite, homemade pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and cream. Something warm. Something that said, I’m here. I’m yours. We’re okay. I was humming to myself as I padded barefoot down the hallway, still in my robe, the fabric brushing my legs. My phone sat in my pocket. One hand cradled my abdomen without thinking. It had become second nature. A quiet, instinctive gesture. Protective. I turned the corner toward the pantry, already thinking about the spices. And stopped. She was there. Elena. Standing just outside the guest room, her cane resting lightly against the floor. Perfectly still. Like a statue. Like she’d been waiting. Her head turned sl
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 30: I think It’s Best To Tell Him
Olivia’s POVThe sheets still clung to my skin, warm and tangled around my legs like his touch hadn’t left me. My breath had evened out, but my heart hadn’t slowed. It still beat with the rhythm of what we’d just done… of him… of us.“Jesus,” I whispered, blinking up at the ceiling. “I love that man.”The words slipped out before I could catch them, but they didn’t scare me. Not this time.Because for once… it didn’t feel like I was loving someone who had forgotten me.He remembered.“I didn’t think I’d ever get this moment,” I whispered, blinking slowly as I stared at nothing. “I didn’t think he’d come back to me. That we’d ever be this close again.”My voice trembled.“I hated him, you know,” I murmured. “God, I hated him so much for what he did… for how he made me feel like I was nothing. Like I was just a substitute. An accident he regretted.”I pressed my hand over my heart, breathing through the sting in my throat.“But I still loved him. Even when I didn’t want to. Even when it
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 29: Give Me Back My Eyes
Leonard’s POVShe had turned to leave, her cane tapping slowly toward the hall, when she suddenly stopped. Her back stiffened, and her head turned slightly in my direction.Her voice was quiet. Almost broken.But before I go…” Elena said, her back still turned, her fingers clenching around her cane. “I’d like to ask you something.”I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. My heart was already pounding like a warning drum in my chest.She turned slightly, just enough to tilt her pale, sightless face toward me. Her brows were tight. Her lips quivered.“When am I getting my eyes back from Olivia?”Silence collapsed over the room. And for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.She wasn’t crying. Not yet. But there was something far worse behind her voice, exhaustion. That deep, soul-suffocating kind that makes your bones feel like they’ve aged decades.“Elena…” My throat tightened around her name.“I’m not trying to be cruel,” she said, her voice trembling like a cracked violin string. “I’m not trying to
The Billionaire Substitute Wife Chapter 28: Please Understand, She Is My Wife
Leonard’s Point of View. The second time I came inside my wife that morning left me a little too smug for my own good. Olivia’s moans were still etched into my memory, her scent lingering on my skin. I hadn’t planned on going another round, but the way she’d looked at me after mocking Elena? I couldn’t help myself. But now I had to deal with her. I dragged a hand through my hair, buttoning the top of my shirt as I walked into the living room, already dreading the conversation. Elena sat stiffly on the edge of the couch, her cane resting against her leg, her fingers clenched so tight in her lap they’d gone pale. “Elena.” “I didn’t like what you did. What you did this morning was very disrespectful Elena and that I would not take from you” She flinched. “You didn’t knock. You just barged into the room..my bedroom, as if you belonged there. As if Olivia wasn’t right beside me in my bed.” I took a step forward, my tone low and hard. “You came in uninvited, asking for me, demand
