Panic surged through me. My eyes flew open, but all I saw was darkness.
Tears fell uncontrollably as I reached out, hands grasping at nothing. "Why… why can’t I see?"
"Adalyn, don’t be scared. I’m here. I’ve always been here."
Robert pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. His warm hand stroked my hair, his deep voice filled with what sounded like tenderness and concern.
"You were in a car accident… The doctor said your blindness is only temporary. Don’t worry, Adalyn, I’ll take good care of you."
He paused for a moment, then continued, his tone soothing.
"Be good. Your body is still weak—you shouldn’t get too worked up. Let the doctor give you a nutrient shot, okay?"
If I hadn’t woken up early and overheard his conversation with the doctor, I would have believed every word. But now, I knew the so-called "nutrient shot" was just a sedative to put me under.
I clung desperately to his arm, shaking my head frantically, my voice breaking. "No… Robert, please, I don’t want it… Let’s go home, can we? Please, let’s just go home…"
Before I could finish, the cold sting of a needle pierced my skin.
As my consciousness faded, the last thing I heard was Robert’s usual gentle voice.
"Ada, be good. Just sleep, and everything will pass. I'm here—you’ll be fine."
Tears slipped silently down my cheeks. My body was numb from the anesthesia, but the pain in my heart wouldn't stop.
I closed my eyes in despair. In the darkness, I thought I saw Robert at eighteen, sitting by my bedside, eyes red from crying. He called me an idiot for taking the knife for him.
His young but determined voice echoed in my mind. "Adalyn, I swear, I’ll never let anyone hurt you again."
Yet, the person who hurt me the most, the one who nearly killed me, was him.
When I woke up again, I had lost my eyesight, lost the man I loved, and lost the chance to ever have children of my own. The hospital room was quiet except for the sound of my weak breathing.
Not long after, I heard muffled voices arguing outside.
"Adalyn was in a car accident—I have to take care of her! She’s always been so good to me. If it weren’t for her, I’d still be stuck in the slums. I owe her my whole life, and I’ll never stop repaying her! Don’t try to stop me!"
It was Lexi, Lexi Law, a poor student I had sponsored in the past.
Robert had never tolerated defiance from anyone, yet there wasn’t even a trace of anger in his voice.