"Oh, wow. Three years of playing the devoted husband, and now Young Master Damien’s finally done pretending? He’s really planning to divorce that blind woman?"

"You’d better think this through. Even if Serena Riverside can’t see, she’s still the white-moonlight goddess in plenty of people’s eyes."

At ten that night, Serena felt her way along the wall and stopped outside the study door. Before she could knock, she heard her husband, Damien Riverside, talking on the phone.

The call was on speaker.

Every single word landed in her ears, sharp and clear, with nowhere to hide.

"I’ve made up my mind." Damien’s voice came from inside the study, tired, low, carrying a trace of impatience. "I already had a lawyer draft the divorce papers. The Jiangxinzhou villa, plus thirty million in compensation. That’s enough."

That’s enough...

Serena stood outside the door, her whole body going cold in an instant, like blood had stopped moving through her veins.

Inside, the call didn’t stop.

"She’s already been ruined by Dominic Ashford anyway. If it weren’t for Celeste, I wouldn’t have put up with three years of this fake little marriage act. Bottom line, I’ll trick her into signing the divorce agreement. As for the rest, I’ll make sure she never finds out."

...

Serena had no idea when Damien ended the call.

But standing there in the dark outside the study, she felt like she’d been dragged through an entire lifetime of torment.

Three years ago, the day after her engagement, Dominic Ashford had slept with Celeste Ashford.

Her heart had shattered so completely that she tried to kill herself. She was rescued, only to be hit by another nightmare not long after—a car accident that took her sight.

Back then, it was Damien who pulled her back again and again from the edge of death.

After that, he spent a whole year helping her through rehab, sitting with her through counseling, patiently dragging her out of that bottomless pit of despair.

He had once held her hand and said, "Tangtang, no matter what happens from now on, I’ll stay by your side. I’ll be your eyes."

She had really believed it.

She thought there could never be another man in this world who would love her the way Damien did.

Then the phone inside the study rang again. He picked up almost instantly, like he’d been waiting for it.

"Songnian."

"Ruirui won’t drink his milk. I... I’m so swollen it hurts."

"Wait for me. I’m coming right now."

Damien ended the call and rushed out in a hurry. His footsteps were quick, almost anxious. Even after he went downstairs, he never noticed the figure standing in the shadows, silent and broken.

Serena Riverside had no idea how she even made it back to her room.

She had barely sat down when her phone started ringing. The auto-answer clicked on, and Mrs. Riverside’s shrill, grating voice came blasting through the line.

"Serena Riverside, you’re coming to the hospital with me tomorrow for a checkup. You’ve been married a year and still can’t even—"

"Mrs. Riverside, I accept your offer." Serena cut her off before she could finish, her voice flat and calm.

"Help me get my sight back, and I’ll divorce your son immediately."

On the other end, Mrs. Riverside froze for a second. "Y-you... what game are you playing this time?"

"Serena Riverside, I know exactly what kind of cheap woman you are. Back then the Ashfords wouldn’t acknowledge you, so you pulled every trick in the book, climbed into Damien’s bed, and got him to marry you... Have you actually thought this through?"

"Mrs. Riverside, come to the villa tomorrow. We’ll talk face-to-face."

Serena stayed awake the entire night.

Damien Riverside didn’t come home all night either.

The next day, Serena called her lawyer and friend, Sophia Caldwell, and asked her to come over.

She couldn’t see. No matter what, she had to keep her guard up around Mrs. Riverside.

When Mrs. Riverside arrived at the villa, Serena didn’t waste time on small talk.

"Mrs. Riverside, this is the agreement my lawyer friend drafted. Once the surgery succeeds, I’ll leave your son at once. No matter where in the world I go, I will never appear in front of your family again."

Mrs. Riverside glanced over the agreement, then stared at it in shock.

Besides the surgery, there was also a demand for one hundred million.

"You’ve got some nerve. What a joke." Mrs. Riverside’s eyes turned vicious.

Serena lifted her brow slightly. "Then I can drag this out."

Mrs. Riverside gritted her teeth. In the end, she still signed it.

The second she finished signing, she flung the agreement straight at Serena’s face. "Remember what you said. The moment the surgery works, get the hell out. And don’t even think about pulling any funny business!"

The sharp edge of the paper sliced across Serena’s soft cheek.

Blood trickled down at once.

But no matter how much it hurt, it still couldn’t compare to the dead, ashen emptiness in her heart.

Sophia hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe her face, but Serena gently pushed her hand away.

Those dim, lifeless eyes were soaked with despair.

Sophia looked at her, and her own chest tightened with pain. "Serena... are you really set on divorcing Damien Riverside?"