Cade's POV
It hit me then. Maybe that girl was Polly all along.
I had always believed that even if I didn’t have a family, at least I had the one person who truly loved me — my girlfriend, my future wife. But reality had delivered a blow far worse than any I could have imagined.
Losing my sight didn’t break me.
But betrayal after betrayal? That made it hard to breathe.
Clutching my chest, I gasped for air, the pain almost unbearable. Just then, the door swung open with a bang.
Polly rushed in, her face pale with panic. "What’s wrong? Are you in pain?"
I couldn't understand how she managed to fake such concern, not after everything I’d just heard. At that thought, rage surged through me, and I shoved her away.
She yelped as she hit the floor, but still, she pressed on. "Is it your legs? Or are you feeling anxious because of your blindness?"
But before I could respond, a sharp slap cracked against my face.
Voice dripping with disdain, he roared, "Being blind and crippled is no excuse for throwing tantrums."
Just then, my mother and Jed returned from their shopping trip, bags of designer goods hanging from their arms. Seeing my father glaring at me, they didn’t even hesitate.
"What did you do this time to upset your father?" my mother scolded.
"Bro, why are you always causing trouble?" Jed added, feigning innocence.
Taking advantage of my blindness, Jed pulled Polly into his arms and planted a kiss on her cheek. She squirmed, but he whispered in her ear loud enough for me to hear, "We’re already married. He’s blind. Why bother hiding it?"
Then he leaned down, pressing his lips to her stomach. "Let me kiss our son."
He kissed her belly a few more times, then turned to look at me, who was staring out of the window, with a smug grin plastered across his face. He thought I was oblivious, but he didn’t know the truth.
I might be blind, but my other senses were sharp. Every whisper, every movement painted a vivid picture in my mind. I could hear everything, and I could imagine it perfectly.
But the real agony wasn’t their actions. It was my parents standing there, pretending not to see a thing.
Jed approached me, his voice laced with mock regret. "I need to tell you something. The truth is, I still like Polly. Now that you’re... well, like this, you can’t take care of her. Maybe it’s best if you two break up."
Despite his provocation, I didn’t explode. I didn’t fight. I just let out a cold laugh and replied, "Do whatever you want."
Still, my mother frowned and scolded me. "Jed is trying to talk to you nicely. Is that any way to respond?"
But contrary to them, Polly knelt in front of my wheelchair, her voice soft, almost pleading. "Even if Jed and I are together now, I won’t forget about you. I’ll still take care of you."
However, as her hand rested on my leg, a wave of nausea churned in my stomach, so I shoved her away again.
She hit the floor hard as a result and her forehead smacked against the table leg, forming a red lump immediately. She looked up at me, eyes wide with disbelief. For eight years, I had treated her like a queen, holding her above all else. I had never even raised my voice at her.
Hell, I respected her wishes so much I agreed to wait until marriage.
In her eyes, I would rather hurt myself than let her suffer.
Jed, on the other hand, rushed to her side, cradling her in his arms. "Is our baby okay?" he asked, his voice thick with concern.
He didn’t even try to hide their child. He said it out loud, knowing it would tear me apart.
Cade's POV
Even so, I just sat there in my wheelchair, unmoving.
Polly looked at me, shaking her head with a pitiful expression.
Meanwhile, my father’s voice rose in anger.
“Polly has been taking care of you out of the goodness of her heart. How dare you lay a hand on her?” he snapped. “You really are just some filthy rat from the slums. Ungrateful and full of malice.”
Maybe they were certain now that I was completely powerless because my mother dropped her act entirely. Her expression darkened as she turned to me.
“Since you don’t know how to treat Polly properly, there’s no reason for her to keep suffering because of you,” she said coldly. “Jed loves Polly very much. From now on, he’ll take care of her. In two weeks, I’ll throw them a grand wedding.” She paused, eyes narrowing. “Once the wedding is over, I’ll send you abroad. You don’t get a say in this.”
I should’ve felt hurt, but all I could do was laugh bitterly.
I was their real child. I was the one who had been kept in the dark. I was the one who had lost both my legs and my sight.
Yet here they were, looking down at me as if I were the villain.
Staring blankly ahead, I muttered, “Don’t bother sending me abroad. I’ll leave on my own.”
They were so scared I’d steal everything from Jed. But the truth? I never wanted any of it.
I turned my wheelchair around, determined to leave, when suddenly my father’s assistant burst into the room, looking frantic.
“Mr. Tillery! Something terrible has happened! The foreign company that agreed to fund us just pulled out of the deal, and the factory, which had already started production, is shutting down due to lack of funds. The workers are also outside the company building right now, demanding their pay!”
“The entire financial chain has collapsed! You need to do something, sir!”
