Left in Darkness

When Wendy opened her eyes, she was wrapped in bandages from head to toe.

The doctor stood by her bed, his expression filled with pity.

"You had too many glass shards embedded in your body. We had to operate for five hours to remove them all.

"The wounds on your body are minor. They will heal with time. But there's a deep cut on your face. The flesh was already torn when you were brought in. We stitched it up, but it will leave a scar unless you undergo reconstructive surgery.

"It will cost 1300 dollars to do the surgery. You should pay the fees now."

She had less than 200 dollars left—far from enough for the operation.

With difficulty, Wendy said, "Doctor, I—I'm not doing the surgery."

The doctor frowned.

"Are you sure? The scar will be permanent. It's on your face."

Every woman cared about her appearance, but she simply could not afford it.

After a brief silence, Wendy nodded.

"Then, you may be discharged now. Just be careful not to get your wounds wet," the doctor said.

Her phone chimed. It was a message from Lucas.

[Wendy, my boss' daughter got hurt. I need to stay at the hospital with her. You should head home.]

He had not even noticed Wendy lying in that pile of shattered glass, bleeding.

Wendy slowly got out of bed, gritting her teeth against the pain as she went to complete the discharge procedure.

As she reached the stairwell, she saw Natelie sobbing pitifully, clutching her cheek.

"I can't be disfigured! My face can't have scars—not even one! The engagement party is tomorrow!"

Lucas gently comforted her.

"Don't worry, Natelie. I'll make sure your face stays perfect. I'll get you the best medicine and the best doctor."

The doctor beside them spoke up.

"There's a highly effective scar removal cream, but it's expensive—about 1,000 dollars per tube."

Without hesitation, Lucas pulled out a black credit card.

"Natelie's face is what matters most. Money is nothing. Get ten tubes. I don't want a single mark left on her skin."

Natelie finally stopped crying. She threw her arms around Lucas' neck.

"Lucas, I'm so lucky to have you."

Her hand slipped away, revealing the so-called disfiguring wound.

It was nothing more than a tiny scratch, barely visible unless one looked closely.

Wendy touched her own face out of instinct.

Even through the bandages, she could feel the stitches crisscrossing her skin.

She could already imagine how ugly the scar must be.

Lucas had spent 10,000 dollars on a cream for a small, almost invisible wound.

The amount was way more than the 8,000 dollars she had saved over four years, plus the 1,300 dollars she needed for her surgery.

They truly lived in different worlds.

After completing the discharge paperwork, she returned to her apartment.

Her flight was in less than four hours.

She had already packed most of her things over the past few days.

However, she had to prepare a gift for Lucas and Natelie's engagement party tomorrow.

She had packed all the gifts Lucas had given her for the past few years—the free lipstick from a few days ago, the cheap hair ties he had gifted her on their 100-day anniversary, an artificial flower from a street vendor he had given her for her 21st birthday, a silver-plated ring from their first anniversary, and the most expensive gift of all—the sterling silver bracelet that had barely cost over 15 dollars.

Two years' worth of gifts filled an entire box—it felt heavy.

Yet, their total value was probably less than 50 dollars.

To him, she had been nothing more than a plaything, someone who only deserved cheap trinkets.

At the top of the invitation, she wrote a single sentence.

[I wish you happiness. May we never meet again.]

She placed the invitation on top of the box and scheduled an express delivery to the address printed on the card the following afternoon.

A notification popped up on her phone—three hours until departure.

Wendy grabbed her suitcase and took one last look at the place she had once called home.

Then, without hesitation, she turned and left for the airport.

As the plane soared into the sky, she had left everything behind.

From then on, everyone's life would return to normal.

Lucas would go back to being the high-and-mighty heir of the Shaltons.

She would leave for a future that no longer included him.

They would never cross paths again.