Instead of happiness, his voice carried unmistakable dread.
“Was the surgery unsuccessful?” I asked.
“It was successful. You’ll finally be able to see,” he said.
Yet he sounded anything but relieved.
My stomach tightened as he began removing the bandages.
Cool air brushed my eyelids when the final layers loosened.
Suddenly, Nigel spoke.
“Don’t hate me. Before you see this, I need to tell you everything isn’t the way you think,” he said suddenly.
I laughed nervously. “What does that even mean?”
My heart raced as light penetrated my eyelids.
I gasped.
Initially, everything appeared white and golden. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I blinked, watching blurred shapes gradually become recognizable.
Colors emerged.
For the first time in twenty years, I could see!
A blue curtain. Gray equipment. A pale ceiling.
Then I focused on the man standing before me.
His dark hair contained silver strands, and exhaustion surrounded his brown eyes. He appeared older than I’d imagined.
But one detail seized my attention.
A narrow scar near his left eyebrow.
Suddenly, a childhood memory returned.
The playground swing.
A boy pushing me.
My head striking a rock.
I covered my mouth, horrified.
“How… How is it possible that it’s YOU? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Let me explain, my love,” Nigel said, his voice trembling.
I stared at him, furious.
“Don’t call me that. You pushed me. You’re the reason I lost my sight!”
His complexion turned pale.
The scar confirmed what my memory had revealed.
“I was eight,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean for you to fall like that.”
“But you did!” I shot back. “You disappeared after that day. Then you reappeared, pretending we’d never met? You let me marry you without telling me who you were!”
A nurse approached cautiously.
“Ma’am, please stay calm.”
“I want to leave,” I said. “Right now!”
Nigel tried reaching for my hand, but I recoiled.
“Don’t touch me!”
Minutes later, I was being pushed through the hospital corridor in a wheelchair, overwhelmed by unfamiliar faces and bright lights.
Nigel followed.
“Please,” he said. “Just hear me out.”
“I can’t,” I replied.
