My Wife Blinded Me for Love, Now I See Everything

I was playing hide-and-seek with my daughter Bella when it happened. Out of nowhere, my wife's stepbrother, Austin Schulz, pushed her off the fifth-floor balcony.

She died on the spot.

When I confronted him, the excuse he gave was so pathetic it barely qualified as human.

"It was dark. I didn't realize it was a person. I thought it was a stray dog. I got scared…"

I lost it.

"You couldn't tell the difference between a little girl and a dog? Are you blind?!"

I was screaming, my voice almost feral.

Bloodshot eyes and tear-streaked cheeks, my wife Jillian pulled me into a hug. She swore she'd make him pay for what he did to Bella.

Then, before I could fall apart, she drugged me.

When I woke up, I couldn't open my eyes.

My eyelids had been sewn shut.

They dumped me in some abandoned building, and the first voice I heard was my wife.

Jillian...

She stood there with Austin, clutching his arm as if he might break.

Her voice was sharp, flat, and cold as she said, "Austin lost his sight when he was a kid. He was bullied for it. What you said earlier was cruel and triggering."

She tilted her head and sneered, "You like calling people blind so much? Then go ahead. Try being blind yourself. Find your own way out."

I staggered forward, tripping into walls, smashing into rusted beams. Blood poured down my face, but I didn't stop.

Above me, their laughter rang out cruelly, as if they were waiting for the moment I broke down and fell to my knees, sobbing and begging for a shred of mercy.

But I didn't.

I turned toward the rooftop, my hands trailing the cold concrete wall as I moved. My fingers found the black diamond earring tucked behind my ear. No one else had noticed it.

I spoke quietly, "I want a new wife. Send a helicopter. You've got one hour."

——

Christian's POV

Right after I turned away, Jillian's friends—the trust-fund clowns in designer boots—burst out laughing.

"Christian, are you serious right now?" one of them snorted. "Did you not hear her? She said, 'Get out of the building,' not climb it. Are you that blind?"

"Oh wait," someone else chimed in, "He actually is blind. Poor little charity case."

"Seriously, he should be grateful the Schulz family even took him in. And he still had the balls to insult Jillian's brother? Honestly, sewing his eyes shut was a generous act. They should've just cut them out."

"Hey, Blind man, need help finding your way?" another one jeered. "We can clap and snap for you like a good little guide dog."

They began making noise, mocking with barks and whistles, trying to lure me into crashing into the walls again, as if it were just a game.

The factory was freezing. I was dressed only in thin sleepwear, my skin already numb from the cold. I clung to the walls, searching for the stairs.

Up above, Jillian lounged on a leather couch, curled up with Austin. Worried he might get cold, she had people bring over a few mink blankets.

She leaned forward, watching me with distant amusement.

"Christian, cold, isn't it? In the shape you're in, there's no way you're making it out of here alone. So, how about this? You kneel. Apologize to Austin. I'll take you home right now."

I stopped, lifted my head in her direction. "Does what you said about avenging our daughter still stand?"

She must've thought I was finally caving.

Her tone softened slightly, almost sweet. "Of course. As soon as we get home, I'll ground Austin. Three hours. That should be enough for you, right?"

A sharp cold settled in my chest.

That was it?

That's what our daughter's life meant to her?

I looked straight ahead and kept my voice even.

"Jillian, listen carefully. I would rather die than apologize to the man who killed my child!"

The words hit like a hammer.

Austin's eyes filled with tears, perfectly timed.

"Jill, he still hates me," he sniffled. "I really didn't see her… If he hates me that much, I'll jump off this building and make it up to Bella!"

But I knew the truth.

I remembered exactly what I had seen.

I saw my daughter hanging from the balcony railing, her tiny fingers gripping tight. I saw her crying, begging her Uncle Austin for help.

And I saw his leather shoe stomp down on her hands—deliberately and violently.

Austin smiled when she fell.

Jillian's face turned hard.

"Christian, I know you've always been jealous of how much I care about Austin. But he's my brother. Of course, I take care of him. You're his brother-in-law. Can't you be a little more generous?"