Chapter 1

Five years, and she could finally see!

Catherine Spencer carefully removed the bandages from her eyes, wincing as bright light stung her long-unused retinas. She blinked several times as the private mental health facility gradually came into focus around her.

Richard Rivers had been away on business for two months and was coming to see her today.

She couldn't wait to tell him the good news. He had promised that once her eyesight returned, she could move back home and see her son again!

Catherine walked toward the facility's garden, eager to breathe fresh air and take in the scenery she'd missed for five years.

However, near the main entrance, unusual sounds caught her attention.

"Slow down... someone might see us!" A woman's sultry moan came from a black Porsche parked by the roadside.

Through the window, Catherine could see a pair of feet in red high heels, with a man's large hand firmly gripping the woman's thigh.

"Teasing me in public? Isn't this exactly what you wanted to be seen?" The man's deep voice was thick with dangerous desire.

Catherine was shocked that anyone would be so brazen right outside a mental health facility in broad daylight.

Yet something about the man's voice seemed strangely familiar. She couldn't help but look a moment longer.

She could only make out the man's dark gray suit and his rhythmic movements, but the car's violent rocking left little to the imagination. The woman appeared to be wearing some kind of lingerie, now torn to shreds.

Catherine backed away, stunned. This was too much, even in broad daylight; they seemed unconcerned about being discovered.

Stranger still, why did that voice sound so familiar?

Not wanting to linger at the entrance, she turned and walked back inside the facility, sitting down on a bench beneath a large tree.

Whenever Richard visited, they always sat here together.

Soon, Richard appeared, impeccably dressed as always.

"Catherine, have you been waiting long? I'm sorry, company business has been hectic," he said softly, sitting beside her.

Catherine obediently shook her head. "I understand."

As she spoke, she noticed wrinkles on Richard's suit.

For someone with severe OCD about cleanliness, his appearance was unusually disheveled.

And that suit... it looked remarkably similar to the one worn by the man she'd just seen in the car.

Catherine's heart tightened.

Her change in expression didn't escape Richard's notice. He tensed momentarily before remembering Catherine's eye condition and relaxing again. What could a blind woman possibly notice?

"I smell perfume on you—something very sweet," Catherine probed, realizing it was definitely a woman's fragrance.

Richard dismissed it casually. "I was just meeting with a client who brought his wife along."

Catherine relaxed slightly. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

She smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from her skirt and spoke again, "The doctor says I'm recovering well. Once my eyesight returns completely, I can leave this place, right? I don't want to stay here anymore."

Richard's brow furrowed slightly, though his voice remained gentle. "Yes, once your eyes heal, our family of three can be reunited."

Catherine's lips curved into a small smile. "Could you bring Ethan to see me? I miss him so much."

Richard's expression instantly stiffened before he offered another excuse. "Ethan's busy with his extracurricular activities lately. I'll bring him when he has time."

Catherine's hands clenched in her lap. This was the umpteenth time she'd asked to see her son, only to be brushed off with various excuses.

Before, when she couldn't see, she could only guess Richard's feelings from his tone. Now she clearly saw the annoyance in his eyes.

She remembered when she was first admitted here—Richard visited daily, holding her, expressing sympathy that she had to stay.

He said it was temporary, that the Smith family's lawsuit wasn't resolved, and if she left, she would be imprisoned for assault.

"When will you visit me again?" Catherine asked.

"Depends on my work schedule. I'll come when I can," Richard answered indifferently.

Catherine fell silent.

She kept mental track of Richard's visiting frequency—from daily at first, to weekly, and now only once every two months.

"Could I stay at the villa instead? I promise I won't go out. No one from outside would see me," she suggested cautiously.

Richard's brow immediately furrowed. "Catherine, I went to great lengths to arrange this facility for you to avoid prison. Are you trying to complicate things now? If anything goes wrong, can you handle the consequences?"

"But..." Catherine bit her lip.

When Richard first brought her here, his reasoning was that she wouldn't be discovered.

If she stayed at the villa without going out, wouldn't the effect be the same? Why was he so adamantly against it?

"No buts. My current arrangement for you is best," Richard's voice betrayed his impatience. "Remember how severe the public backlash was after your assault incident? If you don't face consequences, the Smith family won't let it go. Do you want to see the Spencer and Rivers families bankrupted?"

The light in Catherine's eyes gradually dimmed. "I understand."

Seeing her abandon the idea, Richard relaxed slightly.

If Catherine actually moved to the estate, he would have no excuse to prevent her from seeing their son.

Catherine lowered her head, her long eyelashes hiding her emotions.

She wasn't stupid—she could feel Richard's changing attitude.

His visits grew increasingly infrequent, his stays shorter, and the messages on his phone more numerous.

Whenever it came to this time, she would always sweetly let Richard focus on his work first.

In the psychiatric hospital, no one bothered her. Even though she couldn't see, there were still many people looking after her.

The only thing she longed for was her son, but Richard had always refused to let her see him.

Remembering all these details, Catherine felt her heart grow colder.

Just then, Richard suddenly embraced her, saying tenderly, "Darling, give me a little more time. We'll be together soon."

Catherine was about to nod when Richard's phone lit up.

He unlocked it, and Catherine caught sight of the screen. Her blood froze instantly.

It was an extremely explicit photo—a woman in lingerie taking a mirror selfie.

And Catherine recognized her: her half-sister and Richard's childhood friend, Juniper Spencer!

Juniper: [Didn't perform well in the car just now. Want to try again tonight? I've prepared some new tricks.]

Catherine's body stiffened as blood rushed to her head.

So what she'd seen outside the mental health center was indeed Richard!

Just minutes before coming to see her, he had been passionately entangled with another woman—her own sister!

Because she couldn't see, Richard felt no guilt pretending to be a good husband in front of her.

The sudden betrayal stabbed Catherine's heart like an invisible knife. She couldn't bear to imagine how long this betrayal had been going on.

If she hadn't regained her sight today, how much longer would she have been deceived?