Clarissa's POV
I could no longer tell if Alfie loved me or not.
If he didn’t love me, why would he risk his life to retrieve those dolls for me? But if he did, why would he let Shirley walk all over me?
Outside, the sharp sound of shattering glass broke through the silence. Then came the muffled sounds of Shirley pulling him in again. Seeking excitement, she had no shame—they were getting intimate right outside the door.
Alfie’s voice was low, a weak attempt to stop her. “Don’t mess around. Clarissa is still inside.”
But any hesitation quickly melted under Shirley’s touch. A door clicked shut and he never came back.
I tossed the dolls into the trash.
That was it. That was me severing my marriage with my own hands.
That night, I didn't sleep.
By morning, I heard Alfie open the bedroom door. He must not have expected me to be awake because he hesitated for a second before scrambling for an excuse.
“I fell asleep watching TV in the living room,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Didn’t even realize it. You’re up early.”
I didn’t acknowledge his excuse. Instead, I asked, “Alfie, is it snowing outside?”
His hand paused inside the closet before he pulled out a thick winter coat. He rubbed his nose and muttered, “Yeah, it’s cold. You should stay in. If you catch a cold, Mom will start nagging again.”
With that, he grabbed his coat and hurried out of the room.
I watched him rush off to see Shirley, and the cold in my heart stung far worse than the frost outside.
But this was my first snowfall since regaining my sight. I wanted to see it too.
When I stepped into the living room, my mother-in-law was fastening the zipper of Shirley’s puffer jacket, her face full of warmth and affection—the way a mother looks at her beloved daughter-in-law.
“Shirley is such a beautiful girl,” she beamed. “If only she could be my daughter-in-law.”
Her words were a dagger straight through my heart.
Years ago, when I was hospitalized after saving Alfie, she visited me every day, bringing soup and calling me her daughter.
But the moment she found out Alfie planned to marry me, her attitude did a complete 180.
After our wedding, she never had a kind word for me. She spent years pressuring him to divorce me.
Eventually, to stop constant fights, Alfie moved out with me.
Back then, he told me, “No matter how bad things get between you and my mom, I will always stand by your side.”
But last night at the dinner table, when Shirley and his family openly mocked me, he sat there in silence.
And that silence shattered something inside me.
I finally understood—his heart no longer belonged to me.
Shirley blushed and lowered her head, acting shy.
My sister-in-law, on the other hand, looped her arm through Shirley’s. “That’s right, Mom! You have no idea how generous Shirley was with her gift yesterday! Not like that stingy blind woman.”
The moment she said it, a wave of bitterness surged through me.
Just six months ago, on her birthday, I gave her a designer handbag worth thousands of dollars. She had clung to me sweetly, calling me ‘sissy’ like I was family.
And now?
Now, to her, I was nothing more than a stingy, blind fool.
Outside, they built a snowman together, laughing and playing in the snow, looking more like a family than I ever had.
Snowflakes drifted down, but I felt no cold.
That was when Alfie spotted me standing by the door. His body went rigid.
I acted like I hadn’t seen anything, just like always. I reached out, feeling along the wall, and slowly made my way back inside.
Just then, a message popped up on my phone. It was from my lawyer. The divorce papers were ready.
I printed two copies of it. One for him, one for me.
Not long after, Alfie barged into the room.
Before I could react, he was already demanding answers.
“What the hell is this?” His voice burned with anger.
“You hate the cold. Why would you suddenly go outside?” He took a step closer. “Did you do it just to make Shirley look bad?”
