Chapter 1

After booking my ticket, I thought they would stop their intimate encounter.

When I returned home after composing myself, I found them in the living room, locked in a passionate embrace, the air heavy with desire.

Lorenzo looked at me with lust-filled eyes, biting his lip to stay quiet while Isabella deliberately teased him.

"Don't worry, Lorenzo. She's blind, she can't see us," Isabella whispered against his ear, throwing a contemptuous glance my way.

Lorenzo pinched her side. "Behave. She might hear something."

"But isn't this exciting?" she purred.

"Oh no, we're out," Isabella whispered just loud enough for me to hear, her lips curling into a malicious smile. "We need more protection."

She traced her fingers down Lorenzo's chest, casting a deliberate glance my way. "Should we make your blind wife fetch them for us? Wouldn't that be... delicious?"

Lorenzo hesitated, conflicted, before finally speaking. "Darling, my throat hurts. Could you grab the Tylenol from the coffee table for me?"

I stared at him, pale-faced. His cheeks were flushed, eyes glazed, arms wrapped tightly around Isabella. I clenched my fists, looking bitterly at the "Tylenol" on the table - obviously a box of condoms.

Lorenzo was asking me to hand them protection."Are you coming down with something?" I kept my voice steady despite the tears threatening to fall. "Should I call the doctor?"

"I'm fine," Lorenzo gasped slightly as Isabella's hands wandered beneath his shirt. "Just need to... lie down for a while."

"Then you should rest," his words caught as Isabella nipped at his ear. "In the guest room, of course. Wouldn't want me to catch your... cold."

They stumbled down the hallway, giggling and whispering. The moment the guest room door clicked shut, my composure shattered. Silent tears tracked down my cheeks as the sound of their passion echoed through the walls they thought were thick enough to mask their betrayal.

I called my mentor at the remote mountain sanctuary.

"Are you sure about returning? Once you come back to our healing community, you can't leave. We're completely isolated. Can you really leave Lorenzo?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

My mentor paused. "Alright. Come in seven days."

I used to hesitate because of Lorenzo. Now he made the choice for me.

I glanced at the closed guest room door, hearing their passionate sounds.

"I've wasted years neglecting my gift of healing. It's time I honor it and help others at the sanctuary."

"Good. We'll welcome you home in eight days."

"I'll be there."

After our call, Lorenzo emerged wearing a white shirt, covered in passion marks he thought I couldn't see. After all, I was supposed to be blind.

Chapter 2

The nausea hit me like a tidal wave.

When Lorenzo rushed over, all I could smell was Isabella's signature perfume - a custom French fragrance he'd commissioned just for her at some obscene price. The scent made my stomach lurch. I shoved him away, still playing my part as the blind wife as I groped my way to the bathroom. My body knew what my heart couldn't accept.

Kneeling on the cold tile floor, I heaved into the toilet. When the nausea subsided, something in the trash caught my eye - a pregnancy test with two unmistakable pink lines. It stared back at me, a cruel reminder of my own hollow marriage.

I couldn't even cry. The pain had gone beyond tears. Lorenzo hadn't touched me in the six months since I lost my sight. Now I knew why - he'd been busy getting his assistant pregnant.

"Baby, what's wrong?" His voice cracked with panic as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. His hands trembled against my skin, desperately clinging as if I might disappear. The same hands that had just explored every inch of Isabella's body.

God, Lorenzo, you deserve an Oscar for this performance. I pulled away, creating a chasm between us.

"Just stomach issues. Everything I eat seems to come back up."

When had I become such a convincing liar? I used to hate liars with a passion. Now look at me - I'd become one.

My words sent him into overdrive. Mr. Germaphobe suddenly didn't care about the mess as he pulled me close again.

"I'm so sorry. I've been buried in work, leaving you alone for meals, not taking care of you properly. This is all my fault."

He cradled my face like I was made of glass, his forehead creased with what looked like genuine concern. Back in our bedroom, he reached for my clothes to help me change - a routine since I'd lost my sight. This time, I stopped him. For the first time in our marriage, I dressed myself. The momentary flash of panic in his eyes was almost worth it.

As I lay in bed, he fussed with the covers like a mother hen. "Are you mad at me? For being absent? Tomorrow's your birthday - I'll clear my schedule, spend the whole day with you."

The great Lorenzo Visconti, the shark of Wall Street who made grown men tremble, reduced to this simpering act. Was it a blessing or a curse to witness this side of him?

Just as sleep began to pull me under, his phone vibrated. Thinking I was out, he answered after checking my stillness.

"You savage, you destroyed my La Perla set. Get up here and bring me a new one. Now."

"On my way," he whispered, brushing my cheek with false tenderness before slipping away.

I gripped the Egyptian cotton sheets until my knuckles went white, tears finally breaking through my defenses. So Isabella hadn't left? Was she living here, treating my blindness like some cosmic joke?

Seven days, I reminded myself. Seven days until I'd be gone, cutting every tie with Lorenzo Visconti. Seven days until freedom.

Chapter 3

The next morning, Lorenzo was up early, preparing an elaborate breakfast spread.

He'd prepared a gourmet breakfast spread - eggs benedict, fresh croissants, and my favorite blueberry scones from that little French bakery downtown.

"Try this," he murmured, holding up a forkful of perfectly poached egg. "Just like our first breakfast together, remember?" His voice was dripping with manufactured tenderness.

Across the table, Isabella pouted until Lorenzo discreetly texted her: "I'll make it up to you later. Anything you want. Just don't make a scene in front of her."

Satisfied, Isabella threw me a contemptuous glance before leaving the table, deliberately brushing against Lorenzo as she passed.

I ignored Lorenzo's offered bite, pretending to fumble with my utensils as I ate something else. Mistaking my behavior for sulking, he insisted on taking me out after breakfast.

He'd rented a luxury yacht and invited friends for what he claimed was my birthday celebration.

Throughout the journey, Lorenzo held my hand tightly, ostensibly to prevent me from falling, reminiscing about our past happiness. I remained silent, bitter irony mixing with pain in my chest.

I'd once believed in "till death do us part." What a joke that turned out to be. Lorenzo craved excitement and younger flesh, forgetting our wedding vows.

The yacht's deck was covered in red rose petals. He knew I hated roses - they were Isabella's favorite. How fitting that even my birthday celebration wasn't really for me.

"Remember? We got married right here," Lorenzo's voice cracked with emotion, a tear rolling down his cheek. He guided my finger to touch his tear. Such a convincing performance of devotion.

If he hadn't betrayed me, I might have been moved to tears myself. He had loved me once, but now that love belonged to Isabella.

I withdrew my hand, my face expressionless. Lorenzo's hurt expression lasted mere seconds before his eyes lit up, looking past me.

Isabella appeared in a custom designer gown that made my simple outfit look dowdy by comparison. "Happy birthday, madam," she purred, sliding next to Lorenzo and gripping his hand despite the crowd.

"Everything's ready, sir," she announced. "Shall I count down?"

"Three!" "Two!" "One!"

The night sky erupted with fireworks, painting the darkness with brilliant colors. Standing there, Lorenzo and Isabella looked like the real couple. The fireworks spelled out Isabella's name, not mine.

This birthday celebration, like the fireworks, wasn't meant for me at all.

Suddenly, Lorenzo asked the housekeeper to watch me. "Be good, darling. I'll be right back," he kissed my forehead before hurrying away with Isabella.