I was in a car accident with Dylan, my wife’s childhood sweetheart, on our trip to the shooting competition.
When I woke up, my eyes were bandaged. My wife Scarlett, who happen to be my attending doctor, told me my left eye was severely injured and I would be permanently blind.
Meanwhile, Dylan won the gold medal at that shooting competition. At the celebration dinner, slurring his words, he confessed, “If Scarlett hadn’t transplanted Liam’s cornea to me, I would have gone blind. I’d never have made it to that podium.”
Scarlett hugged him tight, “Liam lost one eye, I can spend the rest of my life making it up to him. All I want is for you to be well, standing in the spotlight.”
That’s when I realized my blindness wasn’t a cruel twist of fate. It was a deliberate, human evil.
A dull ache still pulsed behind my left eye, the wound not yet healed.
Yet the conversation flowed around me. Dylan raised his glass to Scarlett, “I’ve known I was an orphan since I was a kid. Scarlett grew up with me, she always looked out for me, giving me the best of everything.”
“I never thought that in such a crucial moment before the competition, when my eye got injured, she’d be so generous as to transplant Liam’s cornea to me.”
“Scarlett, without you, my future would be nothing.”
Scarlett, tears welling in her eyes, downed the wine in Dylan’s glass and said, “Silly boy, who else would I help if not you?”
“I was Liam’s attending doctor. I had to assess the situation at the time. If your eye hadn’t received a cornea transplant then, you wouldn’t have been able to compete.”
“You trained so hard. How could I let your career be ruined?”
The family and friends inside murmured with admiration, “Your relationship is truly special. Scarlett is amazing to Dylan.”
“Exactly. But Liam was also supposed to compete, wasn’t he? I can’t believe he was willing to donate his cornea to Dylan. That’s unexpected.”
“He practically gave Dylan his future.”
Scarlett scoffed, “Liam’s scores were nowhere near Dylan’s. It was better to ensure Dylan’s success. See? It just proves my decision was the right one.”
Outside the door, I clenched my fists, a hollow, icy dread filling me. It felt like the dead of winter.
I remembered before we left for the pre-competition training, Dylan, who had just gotten his driver’s license, insisted on driving. I disagreed.
Scarlett said, “You don’t trust Dylan? I do. He does everything perfectly. If you’re scared, just take a cab yourself. Dylan, let’s go.”
My wife pulled Dylan into the car. I had no choice but to get in with them.
Dylan, trying to show off for Scarlett, kept speeding and doing drifting maneuvers. Finally, at a sharp curve, we collided with a freight truck. I was knocked unconscious.
When I woke up, it was a few days later. Scarlett, wearing her white coat, sat by my bedside. My left eye was covered in thick bandages.
Before I could speak, Scarlett said with a pained expression, “Honey, don’t worry. We were in a car accident, and both you and Dylan were injured. Your left eye… it’s gone blind.”
Scarlett hugged me, comforting me, “Honey, don’t be scared. No matter what you become, I’ll always be by your side.”
At the time, even though I was devastated by the blindness, I felt a twisted sense of relief to have such a ‘good’ wife.
It never once crossed my mind that my blindness wasn’t caused by the accident, but by human malice.
Scarlett’s dad’s booming voice filled the room, “Liam is such a clueless simpleton. His shooting scores are nowhere near as good as Dylan’s. I never approved of him pursuing Scarlett. If Dylan hadn’t been abroad back then, I would have preferred my daughter marry Dylan.”
Scarlett blushed, “Dad, stop talking.”
Dylan chimed in, “Sir, if you give me the chance, I promise I’ll treat Scarlett well. I have the ability to give her happiness now. Liam is blind in one eye; how can he possibly take care of Scarlett?”
Scarlett whined playfully, “What are you saying? Liam and I aren’t divorced yet.”
In front of our relatives and friends, Dylan loudly declared, “I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes. I will wait for you, marry you, and give you happiness.”
Amidst the cheers and teasing, the two actually embraced.
Dylan was an orphan, two years younger than Scarlett. When they first met, Scarlett’s family treated him like their own son. Her dad always said I was no match for Dylan and that his daughter was unlucky to marry me.
But Scarlett would always stop him from badmouthing me, then she’d reassure me, “My dad treats Dylan like a son, don’t take it to heart. You’re the one I love. I only see Dylan as a younger brother.”
Yet, every single time something involved Dylan, Scarlett’s priority was always him.
When we first got married, I also believed they had a simple brother-sister bond. But as time went on, I realized their feelings had long crossed that line. Still, I loved Scarlett, and I kept wanting to give her one last chance to salvage our marriage.
But I never would have imagined that when my life hung in the balance, Scarlett would leave me to fend for myself, even willfully taking my cornea and giving it to Dylan.
This kind of marriage? Good riddance.
I stepped back, silently leaving the hotel’s celebration banquet.
I went to the hospital. Since I was Scarlett’s husband, the doctors there recognized me. I had no trouble finding the ophthalmologist who performed our surgeries.
The doctor looked at me with a sigh, “I never thought you and your wife would go to such lengths for Dylan.”
“You’re also a marksman, and your eyes were perfectly fine. Donating your cornea to Dylan was completely unnecessary. In fact, his eyes could have recovered naturally within a year or two.”
“But Dr. Scarlett insisted that Dylan needed to compete and couldn’t wait that long. And since you were unconscious, and she was your wife, she had the right to sign the donation consent form on your behalf.”
My hand trembled, my heart plummeted to rock bottom. I gritted my teeth, forcing the words out, “So, Scarlett signed the donation form for me while I was unconscious, donating my cornea?”
The doctor nodded, “Yes. This normally requires your personal consent, but Dr. Scarlett claimed you had a moment of lucidity, and she asked you, and you vehemently insisted on donating it yourself.”
“You supposedly said your scores weren’t as good as Dylan’s, and you were willing to donate your cornea to him so he could achieve good results for the team.”
“She was your wife, and she insisted so strongly, there was nothing we could do.”
“What? Are you regretting it now?”
I couldn’t utter another word.
Ha, I vehemently insisted? She took advantage of my unconscious state, spinning a web of lies to manipulate everyone, and transplanted my cornea to Dylan.
I sat on the hospital curb, my left eye throbbing faintly.
My phone rang. The special ringtone was one I had specifically set for Scarlett’s calls.
“Honey, where are you? Dylan’s celebration is almost over, and you’re still not here.”
“Remember that watch I mentioned Dylan liked last time? Make sure you buy it as a gift for him. You know, he’s famous now; he needs some status symbols.”
“That watch perfectly suits his style. Buy it, then come over, and on your way in, settle the bill for our room first.”
Ha. I hadn’t attended the celebration, and she didn’t ask if I was feeling unwell. She only demanded I buy a gift and pay the bill.
That watch cost over half a million dollars. Scarlett saw it and said it should be for Dylan.
In the past, with my old temperament, I would have bought it without a second thought at Scarlett’s request. But now, I wouldn’t pay another cent for them.
I said coldly, “I’m busy; I can’t make it. You two can pay for it yourselves.”
Scarlett was momentarily stunned, then immediately exploded, “You’re not coming? If you don’t come, who’s going to pay? Tonight’s celebration, we used the best wines, and the seafood was all air-shipped today. You *have* to pay this hundred-thousand-dollar bill!”
“If you can’t come, just transfer the money to me.”
I chuckled, “Scarlett, my eye hurts, I’m not feeling well. Besides, it’s Dylan’s celebration. Doesn’t he have a million-dollar prize? How can he not afford the bill for such an expensive meal?”
Scarlett sounded frantic on the other end, “Dylan’s prize money is for something else; he needs to buy a house! As your brother-in-law, what’s wrong with buying him a watch and a meal?”
“Liam, why have you become so petty?”
Dylan interjected from his end, “Scarlett, don’t pressure Liam. He might be upset because I won the medal.”
“If it’s really that difficult, I won’t buy a house for now. I’ll pay the bill first. And I don’t need the watch.”
“I was actually thinking of using the prize money for a down payment on that house you liked. I was going to buy it for you, I want to be able to give you a home, protect you from the elements.”
Scarlett’s voice choked with emotion, “Silly boy, how can I let you pay for this? I’m the one who suggested the celebration. I’ll pay. If Liam won’t, I will.”
After she finished speaking, she said coldly into the phone, “Liam, just hoard your money. Don’t think everyone is as obsessed with money as you are.”
“What do you have now besides money? Don’t forget, you’re blind in one eye, and only I’m here, sticking by your side. I thought my sincerity would be rewarded, but I never expected you to be such a narrow-minded person.”
With that, she slammed the phone down.
I then called the bank and froze all the secondary cards associated with my accounts.
The reason Scarlett could constantly bankroll Dylan was because she always used my secondary cards to buy him various designer brands, curating his image as a successful, well-to-do young man.
But outsiders didn’t know that every single thing he wore and used, every cent, came from my money.
After all, the shooting club only provided basic stipends each month, barely enough for Dylan to splurge on a team dinner.
Under Scarlett’s indulgence, he squandered money recklessly. They had long forgotten that everything they possessed was given by me.
Less than ten minutes later, Scarlett’s call came in, “Liam, what’s the meaning of this? Why did you freeze my card?”
I said coldly, “I didn’t freeze your card. I only froze *my* cards. Scarlett, the secondary card is still *my* card, remember?”
“Isn’t your own card with you? If you want to pay Dylan’s bill, use your salary card. We’ve been married for years; haven’t you touched a single cent of your salary? Paying this hundred thousand should be easy for you.”
Scarlett shrieked, “Use my salary card? I have no money! Liam, why have you become like this? You’re so petty about money! You were injured, hospitalized, had surgery, lost an eye… who stayed by your side through thick and thin? How can you be so heartless?”
I cut her off, “Scarlett, was my eye really blinded in a car accident?”
Scarlett went silent on the other end, then said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Your eye was injured in the accident. I tried my best to get you treatment. This is the best outcome.”
“Don’t be absurd. Unfreeze my card immediately.”
“Scarlett, there’s nothing left between us. My lawyer will contact you. Let’s get a divorce. I’m making way for you and Dylan.”
After saying that, I hung up. No matter how many times she called me afterward, I didn’t answer.
I went home, packed my bags, and moved to a hotel.
Scarlett couldn’t reach me by phone and kept sending me messages, but I ignored them all.
But I never expected her to find out my follow-up appointment time from the hospital and intercept me there.
She slapped a bill onto my chest, “The celebration bill, a total of one hundred and ten thousand dollars. You pay me back immediately. Do you know how humiliated I was to scrape together that money to pay it?”
“You’re my husband, half of your money is mine. What right do you have to stop me from using it?”
“I stuck by your side through thick and thin; how can you treat me like this? Where’s your conscience?”
I let the bill fall to the ground, looking at her, “I told you I want a divorce. Didn’t you hear me clearly? The divorce papers have already been sent to your address.”
She looked at me disdainfully, “Playing games? Do you think that will scare me? Liam, don’t say things you don’t mean. You said no matter what I did, you would never leave me.”
“You’ll keep your word, won’t you?”
I looked at her with utter disappointment, “So, you felt you could do whatever you please? Scarlett, how did my eye go blind? Can you tell me?”
Scarlett turned her head away, “Your eye was severely injured in the car accident; that’s how you went blind.”
I said softly, “Is that so? But why did I hear that my cornea was forcibly removed and donated to Dylan?”
“And the person who signed the consent was you, Scarlett. You deliberately took my cornea and gave it to Dylan. You are the reason I can no longer see.”
“The doctor said his eyes could have recovered. Why would you do this to me!”
Scarlett suddenly became agitated, “What do you mean ‘could recover’? That would take two years! Dylan couldn’t wait that long.”
“He’s in his prime right now. You couldn’t win the competition anyway, so it was better to donate your cornea to him. See, it proves my decision was right, he won the competition.”
“I promise you, even if you’re blind, I’ll still be by your side, I won’t leave you. I’ll spend my entire life making it up to you.”
I laughed mockingly, “Not leave me? Aren’t you staying because you need my money to support your family and Dylan?”
“Without me, where would you get the money to buy all those luxury goods for your precious Dylan?”
Scarlett’s face flushed crimson. She shouted, “When did I ever use your money to buy Dylan luxury goods? I used my own salary!”
“Besides, I treat Dylan like my own brother. What’s wrong with buying my brother a few things?”
“As his brother-in–aw, shouldn’t you buy him something too?”
I laughed in exasperation, “Scarlett, you know in your heart whether you really treat him as a brother. No one goes this far for a brother.”
“No matter what you say, I won’t spend another cent on you or your ‘good brother’.” With that, I turned and walked away.
Scarlett yelled behind me, “Liam, who else will want you now? You’ll regret this!”
I ignored her. Before leaving her, I had many things to do.
The first thing I did was go to the shooting club and process my withdrawal from training.
As I left the club, I ran into media interviewing Dylan. He was surrounded by reporters and various streamers and influencers chasing trending topics.
“What do you have to say about winning the gold medal this time?”
Dylan’s face softened as he looked at Scarlett by his side, “This time, I especially want to thank someone who has always been by my side – my best sister, my best confidante, Scarlett.”
“She’s also a doctor at the Central Hospital. I was in a car accident before the competition, and she saved me. She selflessly allowed me to regain my sight.”
The reporters murmured with admiration, microphones pointed at Scarlett, “Dr. Scarlett, we also heard that your husband went blind in the car accident. He’s also a marksman, isn’t he?”
Scarlett’s face showed a hint of sadness, “Yes, I’m very upset about it. I’ve been staying by his side, taking care of him, hoping for his swift recovery.”
“Although his scores are far worse than Dylan’s, he’s still heartbroken about losing the chance to compete. I hope everyone won’t bother him.”
A reporter asked, “Excuse me, was your husband’s eye blinded in the car accident? Since Dylan had the opportunity for a cornea transplant, Dr. Scarlett, why didn’t you keep that opportunity for your husband?”
Scarlett’s face turned grim. She stammered awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
“Because, Dylan’s cornea, is mine.”
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