I exchanged a glance with Nolan, and without a word, we wiped away our tears.

I took a deep breath and turned calmly toward Justin. "Since you've been holding onto that report for so long, Nolan and I thought we'd come find you," I said. "We got a little lost and almost went the wrong way."

Justin let out a sigh of relief, and just as a small smile was about to curve his lips, my next words froze him in place.

"What are you holding? Is that our medical report?" I stepped forward, reaching for it, but my eyes didn't leave his face for a moment.

Justin's gaze darted, and he slipped the report out of sight. "We can go over this at home. No hurry."

Seeing his lips pale from nervousness, a hint of irony flashed across my eyes. I pulled my hand back, took Nolan's hand, and turned to leave.

Justin paused briefly, then rushed forward and held Nolan close. His touch was still as gentle and caring as it had been in the 99 days before.

Nolan didn't wrap his arms around Justin's neck like he used to. He froze, staring at him with vacant eyes.

Justin didn't notice anything was wrong and held him all the way to the car. As he set up the child seat, he said casually, "Honey, remember Suzanne Lloyd? Her child was sick before, but now they're recovered and ready to return home. She doesn't have much family, so I thought she could stay at our place for a few days."

He studied my expression and added, "Of course, I'm just suggesting. If you or Nolan mind, we don't have to."

"I don't mind. Bring her home," I said.

Justin froze for a moment, then quickly smiled. "Thanks, honey. You're the best. Marrying you really is my luck."

I didn't smile back. I simply walked to the back seat, holding Nolan close. A single tear slid down my cheek.

Once we got home, Justin immediately found an excuse to leave. I knew he was eager to arrange Suzanne's return. I used the opportunity to finally have a heart-to-heart with Nolan.

I wanted to take him away, as far from this disgusting house as possible, and preferably never see Justin again.

Nolan didn't resist. He just tore the diary apart, which held his record of every day since the accident and all that involved Justin and us.

Day 1 after the accident: My eye was gone. I asked Mommy where it went, and she didn't answer. She just cried. Daddy cried too. It was the first time he held me, saying he would be my eyes from now on.

Day 3: Daddy came every day to take care of Mommy and me. He said he loved us so much, he wanted to be our lifelong support. I told him I loved him too. Daddy cried again.

Day 21: I was discharged. When Jack Stanton discovered my secret, he and the other kids in kindergarten laughed at me for having only one eye. They called me disgusting and said they would never play with me again. I quietly hid in the storage room and cried for a long time, telling myself it was okay as long as Mommy and Daddy loved me.

Day 25: The doctor installed a toy eye for me. Daddy said no one would laugh at me now. I showed the eye to Jack, telling him I wasn't disgusting. But Jack poked it with a pencil, called me a demon, and said the eye wouldn't hurt.

…

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably as I held Nolan tight.

"Nolan, I'm going to take you away, okay?"

He touched his cold, fake eye, his eyes red-rimmed, and nodded.

"Okay."

…

I set my phone to a 24-hour countdown. I quickly started packing, knowing that lingering any longer would only hurt Nolan more.

Countdown: 21 hours.

I took Nolan to the kindergarten to handle his withdrawal.

As I was about to knock on the principal's office door, I heard a familiar voice inside.

"Is Marcus doing okay? Are his eyes bothering him?"

Suzanne chuckled lightly. "Marcus has recovered so well, and his eyes are doing fine. Justin, we really can't thank you enough."

Justin smiled sincerely. "As long as you're happy, I'd do anything."

Suzanne flashed him a mischievous look and said, "What about Claire? If she knew Marcus was using Nolan's eye, would she get upset? Justin, I don't want to make things difficult for you."

Her familiar voice made me feel queasy.

Suzanne had always been like this. Despite reaping all the benefits, she acted as if she were pure and untouchable, making others eager to cater to her.

Suzanne wasn't even due the day Nolan was born five years ago, but she insisted the doctor induce labor just to get Justin's attention, leaving me alone while he spent the night with her in the hospital.

I cried, pleading with the nurse to bring Justin to see Nolan, but he was more concerned about Suzanne. He passed Nolan to the nurse and told me to stay calm.

Recalling those moments, my eyes brimmed with tears. Just as I turned to go, the late principal pushed the door open.

Seeing Nolan and me, Justin's eyes flickered with a hint of panic. "When did you get here? Why didn't you knock?"

Noticing my glare toward Suzanne, he quickly added, "Claire, don't misunderstand. I just found out that Suz already brought Marcus back from abroad. We happened to run into them and decided to register them at the kindergarten. You…"

"I understand," I interrupted, taking Nolan's hand and turning to leave.

However, Suzanne called after me brightly, "Claire, long time no see."

She pulled the young boy sitting nearby forward and introduced him to Nolan. "Nolan, this is Marcus. Say hi. You two seem to have a connection."

Marcus leaned closer, staring at Nolan's eyes with obvious disgust. "Mommy, his eye is fake. That's so gross."

Nolan's face instantly paled, and he hid behind me in shame.

I trembled with anger, but Justin stepped in just in time, standing awkwardly between us and Suzanne. "Claire, don't be upset. Marcus didn't mean it. He's just a child and doesn't understand. As adults, there's no need to get worked up over a child, right?"

Every word was a defense of Suzanne's son.

Nolan stared at him with disbelief. Just yesterday, Justin had lost his temper over someone else mocking Nolan. Now, he was openly protecting the one who had ridiculed him.

Seeing this, the light in Nolan's eyes dimmed. I lost patience and pulled him away, leaving Justin flustered as he watched our backs. Only after Suzanne called out several times did he regain his composure.

…

Countdown: 19 hours.

I spent that evening on the phone with the principal about Nolan's transfer as he sat on the couch watching cartoons.

Just as we were about to finish, the cartoon cut out. I stepped closer and saw a post from Suzanne. She was nestled in Justin's arms, screaming in delight on a rollercoaster, while Marcus looked at the camera with bright, wide eyes, flashing a playful peace sign.

I stared at the photo of Suzanne smiling sweetly. Before I could even register it, Nolan zoomed in on the image, staring at Marcus' bright eyes again and again. "Mommy, do you think my eyes are pretty?"

My chest tightened with pain. I quickly closed the tablet and coaxed him toward his room. "Be good, Nolan. I'll stay with you."

Nolan nodded, but he held my hand tightly.

After Nolan fell asleep, I sent the transfer application to the principal.

Countdown: 15 hours.

It was almost over.

I was halfway through packing when Justin returned home with Suzanne and Marcus, looking worn out from a long day.

The moment he came through the door, he saw my suitcase left open.

Justin froze for a second, then quickly released Marcus' hand and positioned himself in front of the suitcase. "Claire, why are you packing? Where are you going? Where's Nolan?"

He looked at me helplessly. The fear in his eyes didn't seem fake, but I didn't bother looking any deeper. I offered a casual excuse to brush him off. "Nolan's been upset, so I thought a little outing would cheer him up."

Justin visibly relaxed. "That's good. As long as it's not…"

He stopped mid-sentence and continued, "Suz didn't have a place to stay, and since we're friends, I thought it would be fine for them to stay here for a few days. Claire, you're okay with that, right?"

When I didn't respond, he hurriedly continued, "I already spoke to Marcus about this afternoon. He knows he made a mistake. Look…"

I gave a brief hum and continued packing. "Okay, they can stay."

Tomorrow, I would be leaving with Nolan anyway.

As soon as I agreed, Justin quickly ushered them upstairs, as if fearing I might change my mind.

Shortly after, a shrill cry echoed from above.

I rushed up and into Nolan's room.

Marcus stood over something with an excited smirk, while Nolan pawed at the floor desperately. "My eye…"

When he heard me, Nolan lifted his head and cried, "Mommy, I can't find my eye. Help me find my eye…"

He sounded so helpless and fragile that my heart seemed to tighten into a painful knot.

I dashed to him and wrapped him tightly in my arms.

Startled by me, Marcus lost his footing, slipped to the floor, and began crying loudly.

Suzanne shot me a venomous glare. She looked like she wanted to hit me, but halfway through raising her hand, she seemed to remember something.

A twisted smile crept onto her face as she asked, "Claire, don't you think Marcus' eyes are beautiful? The doctor said Marcus might go blind, but Justin immediately scoured the country for a donor.

"The new eye turned out perfect. Marcus didn't just avoid rejection; he's even healthier than before. Tell me, whose eye do you think this is? I really should thank that person properly."

Nolan's crying faltered. He buried his face in my arms, yet his small body couldn't stop trembling.

Suzanne's amusement grew. She leaned toward Nolan and whispered, "There were actually a few matching donors back then, but your dad chose the eye of a five-year-old to lower the surgical risk. Claire, look how beautiful your son's eye look on Marcus' face."

That was the breaking point. I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Suzanne didn't manage to dodge it. She clutched her cheek and screamed, "Claire, you're insane! Let me tell you something. Justin lied about that scar on your waist. It wasn't from the car accident at all. You got it from donating a kidney."