POV: Clara
The paper slips from my fingers down to the floor, and my heart pounds so hard in my chest that I think they can hear it, but they are too busy laughing and kissing in the center of the bed to notice anything at all, and I just stand there watching every single second of it while the world spins around me.
"Did you hear something drop out in the hall?" Elara asks, her voice stopping for a second as she looks toward the open door, her eyes wide with a sudden flash of panic.
"It is just the wind or one of the house doors closing by itself, because Clara is still at the hospital and she cannot walk back here by herself anyway," Alexander tells her, pulling her back down against his chest with a rough laugh that makes me want to scream out loud.
"Are you sure nobody is out there watching us?" Elarasks again, her fingers tracing across his shoulder while I stand frozen right in the doorway, staring at the two of them with my eyes wide open and taking in every single ugly detail.
"I am completely sure, because she is helpless without me, and she spends all her time sitting in that chair waiting for me to feed her," Alexander answers, and every single word he says cuts right through me like a knife, but I bite my inner lip hard until I taste blood and force myself not to lose control.
"You always know how to make me feel special, Alexander, and I am so glad you finally decided to get rid of that blind burden," Elara giggles, running her hands through his hair while I watch every single movement they make on the mattress.
"She is just a temporary problem, and her family money is the only reason I married her in the first place, but you are the one I actually want," Alexander whispers, leaning down to kiss her again right in front of me while I hold my breath.
I stand there watching them, and for the first time since my surgery, seeing everything so clearly is much worse than being blind in the dark, because my eyes are wide open and every betrayal burns right into my brain.
I take a slow step backward into the shadows of the hallway, bending down to pick up the medical clearance papers from the floor before Alexander can look over, and I quickly slide them into my pocket while my hands shake uncontrollably.
"Alexander," I call out in a trembling voice, pretending to reach out blindly into the air in front of me like I always do, "is someone in here with you?"
The bed stops moving instantly, and the heavy silence fills the room, followed by the sound of sheets rustling and feet hitting the floor as Alexander scrambles to grab his clothes and throw them on in a hurry.
"Clara?" Alexander gasps, his voice suddenly shifting from arrogant laughter to fake panic, and I hear him rushing toward the doorway while pulling his shirt over his head with clumsy fingers.
"Honey, what are you doing back so soon, and why did you not call me so I could come pick you up from the hospital?" Alexander asks, stepping right up to me and reaching out to grab my hands with his fake gentle touch.
"My ride finished early, and I wanted to surprise you with some cake and wine, so I let myself in with my key," I reply, forcing my lips to curve into a weak smile while I stare straight into his guilty eyes.
"You should have waited for me, because you know how dangerous it is for you to walk around by yourself when you cannot see anything," he says, stepping closer to block the view of the bedroom where Elara is hiding behind the door.
"I can manage just fine, Alexander, but I thought I heard someone talking in our bedroom just now," I say, tilting my head and keeping my tone completely calm even though my whole body is shaking inside.
"You know you are just hearing things again, because nobody is here except the two of us, and you are just letting your imagination run wild because you were at the hospital all morning," Alexander lies smoothly, putting his arm around my shoulders and guiding me back toward the living room.
"Are you sure about that, Alexander?" I ask, letting him lead me away while Elara peeks out from the bedroom door and sneaks down the hall toward the back exit.
"Of course I am sure, my love, and I would never lie to you about anything," he says, kissing the top of my head with lips that were just on my cousin a minute ago.
"I just came home early, that is all," I repeat softly, keeping my eyes fixed on his face and watching every single twitch of his guilty expression while I decide right then and there that I am never going to tell him the truth about my sight.
"Let me take that cake and put it in the kitchen for you, and you can sit down on the couch and rest your eyes," Alexander says, trying to act like the caring husband he has pretended to be for the last three years.
"Thank you, honey, you are so sweet to take care of me," I reply, playing my part to perfection because I need him to think he still has complete control over me.
"I will always take care of you, Clara, because you know I am dedicated to you," he says, walking away toward the kitchen with the box while I stand by the living room window and watch him through the glass reflection.
My mind races through every single month we spent together, remembering how I thanked him every day for staying by my side when the doctors told me I would never see again, and how I believed every lie he ever told me.
He used me, he took my money, and he slept with my own cousin in our bed while I was away trying to fix the very blindness he thought would trap me forever, and now he thinks he has won the game.
"Here is a plate with a big slice for you," Alexander says, walking back into the room with a smile that does not reach his eyes at all.
"Eat up and then maybe you can take a nap, because the hospital trip must have tired you out," he adds, sitting down next to me on the couch and putting his arm around my shoulders again.
"You are right, I am a bit tired, but I am just so happy to be home with you," I say, leaning my head against his shoulder while I stare at the wall across the room and count every single pattern on the paint.
"Get some rest, and I will make us something nice for dinner later tonight," he whispers, kissing my cheek and patting my hand.
I close my eyes for a moment, pretending to drift off to sleep, but underneath my closed eyelids my mind is wide awake and planning my next move, because I am not going to make a scene today and I am not going to give him the satisfaction of a messy fight.
Instead of letting him know I saw everything, I am going to let him keep living in his foolish little fantasy, believing he is safe and secure with his mistress while I quietly pack my things and take back every single thing that belongs to me.
The silence stretches between us in the room, and I listen to the sound of his breathing, knowing that this is the last time he will ever hold me or look down at me with such pathetic arrogance.
My fingers curl into the fabric of my dress, and I keep my face completely blank, hiding the storm brewing inside my chest because the game has only just begun and he has no idea what is coming for him.
