Chapter 2

After several restless hours of tossing and turning, I unlocked Adrian's phone with my fingerprint.

When we first got married, he had made a show of registering my fingerprint in his phone, because I couldn't actually see it.

There was only one pinned chat in his WeChat - Felicity.

I opened their conversation, and my whole world seemed to freeze over.

Tomorrow is my birthday, yet Adrian had promised Felicity he'd pick her up at the airport.

Taking a deep breath, I clicked on his Moments feed.

It was filled with posts about Felicity, every word dripping with barely concealed love and obsession.

"Felicity, the moment I first saw you, I knew I was completely lost."

"Felicity, I know you want to study abroad. For you, I'd do anything, no matter how unethical. As long as you're happy, I can bear any consequences."

"Felicity, I saw your photos from Paris. I'm glad you're happy. To make up for it, I'll take care of Aria's daily needs. But every time I hold her in my arms, all I can think about is you."

Tears fell unbidden, dropping onto the phone screen and blurring my vision.

The deception and betrayal cut me to the core, leaving my heart raw and bleeding.My heart ached until it went numb. I put his phone back where it was and spent a sleepless night.

Early the next morning, Adrian placed a pearl necklace around my neck, his voice filled with regret:

"Aria, Felicity is coming back to the country today. A few of us old friends are planning a welcome dinner, and I can't get out of it. I'm sorry, but could you celebrate your birthday with everyone there?"

I knew this was just an excuse, and I was well aware of who the real guest of honor would be today.

At the dinner table, Felicity sat in the center, the star of the show, while Adrian and I sat across from her.

After some small talk, Felicity suddenly turned her attention to me:

"Aria, can you still not see?"

I smiled, my tone flat.

"No, it's still the same as before."

She spoke with feigned sympathy:

"I heard from Adrian before that you wanted to study in Paris too. Such a shame... Now that I've returned after completing my studies, Aria, you're not jealous of me, are you?"

Her mocking words stabbed at my chest. Felicity knew everything, knew exactly where to twist the knife to hurt me the most.

Adrian squeezed my hand, furrowing his brow:

"Felicity, apologize to Aria."Adrian's attitude was firm, as if he viewed me as a precious treasure.

Yet he still peeled a bowl of shrimp for her, even though I was the one whose finger had been pricked by the shrimp head.

As the drinks flowed, they began to leave the private room one by one.

I quietly followed them, and sure enough, I heard them whispering around the corner.

[Felicity, Aria can't see anymore. She's not in a position to compete with you, so why are you getting upset over her?]

Even though I already knew the truth, Adrian's words still made my heart sink.

[Then why were you protecting her just now?]

Felicity stomped her foot coquettishly, and he immediately crumbled.

They didn't show any intimate gestures, but Adrian made a promise:

[Felicity, don't worry. Once everything is settled, I'll ask her for a divorce.]

My nose stung, and I couldn't bear to listen anymore.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I made an excuse to leave early. Adrian didn't come after me.

At the same time, I received a voice message from Felicity.

[You heard everything just now, didn't you? To tell you the truth, Adrian arranged that fire back then. After you fell into a coma, you weren't actually blind. I switched your medication, and that's why you can't see now.However, it was him who later came up with the idea of having me take your place to study abroad and arranged everything for me.

"If you know what's good for you, you'd better leave on your own accord."

As soon as those words were spoken, a sharp pain suddenly pierced my heart.

I had originally thought they were only responsible for causing the fire.

But I never imagined that my blindness was also intentionally inflicted.

It wasn't a natural disaster or accident, but a ruthless act of harm.

All the blood in my body seemed to be flowing backwards, and the autumn breeze that blew past seemed to mock my foolishness.

It turns out all my misfortunes were because of Adrian.

Yet I had treated him as my savior and loved him for so many years.

That evening, I saw Felicity post on social media.

"Had a wonderful night! Adrian actually bought this sapphire necklace at the auction!"

The accompanying photo showed Felicity holding up the necklace, with Adrian beside her, gazing at her tenderly.

I searched online and found out that the pearl necklace around my neck was merely a free gift that came with the purchase of that seven-figure necklace.

Numbly, I took it off and threw it in the trash.