Doctor Morris' team kept me at the institute, monitoring my health data daily and studying any signs of rejection from the artificial corneas.

At noon, I sat in the staff cafeteria as usual, eating my meal while the television played a talk show in the background.

The host’s excited voice rang through the speakers.

"Miss Cassandra Pritchett’s bold decision to cast newcomers was absolutely the right choice! Harold’s moving performance in ‘Give Me Ten Days of Light’ is winning hearts everywhere. This film is bound to be a massive success. Congratulations!"

The camera panned to Cassandra Pritchett, the film’s director, who accepted the microphone with a blushing face.

"I auditioned countless professional actors," she said.

She then continued, "But they all felt too rehearsed. I needed someone raw, someone who could embody the emotions I was searching for."

Her eyes shone as she spoke, clearly proud of her discovery.

"And then Harold came into my life."

The audience let out teasing cheers, making Cassandra blush deeper.

The host chuckled and leaned in as he spoke, "Miss Pritchett, let’s put the movie aside for a second. Be honest with us. Is Harold your type in real life?"

For the first time in the interview, Cassandra hesitated. She smiled shyly, no longer as bold as before.

"Well," she began carefully.

After that, she continued, "Harold is such a hard worker. He’s always the first to arrive on set. Every day, he finds a quiet corner, listens to audio recordings and studies the script."

Her gaze softened as she kept on talking, "I think there’s nothing more attractive than a man who takes his work seriously."

Then, the camera immediately cut to Harold. The moment I saw his face, my heart clenched.

Snap!

The utensils in my hand bent.

Harold wrinkled his nose slightly, a familiar habit of his when he was annoyed. I knew that look all too well. He wasn’t interested in Cassandra, no matter how much she admired him.

The host, picking up on the tension, quickly handed the microphone to Harold, as he said, "Mr. Harold Wellington, Miss Pritchett just spoke very fondly of you. Do you have anything to say to her?"

Harold took a deep breath, his fingers tightening around the mic.

"First of all, I want to thank Miss Pritchett," he said calmly.

"Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I have always respected her as a mentor."

A polite answer. But then his tone shifted.

"’Give Me Ten Days of Light’ gave me lots of money. It helped me regain my eyesight. But…"

His voice wavered for the briefest moment.

"I also lost the person I loved most."

The studio audience let out a collective sigh. Cassandra’s expression soured instantly.

Harold turned to the camera, his gaze filled with sincerity.

"She was never part of this industry. She was just an ordinary girl. But when she saw me rise to fame, saw that my eyes had healed, she thought she wasn’t worthy of me anymore… and disappeared without a trace."

Silence filled the room.

Then, Harold spoke again, his voice firm but pleading as he said, "My love, if you’re watching this please come back to me. I will always wait for you."

Harold’s words didn’t just move the talk show audience they captivated the entire cafeteria. Staff members who had been quietly eating now leaned in, nodding in admiration.

"He’s handsome, hardworking and so devoted to his girlfriend," one of them sighed.

"A man like that is worth chasing."

I felt my stomach churn violently, a sickening wave of nausea rising. But no matter how much I wanted to purge this bitterness, it stayed lodged inside me, poisoning me from within.

Harold’s carefully crafted performance had achieved three things at once he gracefully rejected Cassandra, strengthened his image as a devoted lover and ensured that I would never dare to return.

Truly a masterstroke.

For twenty years, I had believed Harold’s kindness was real. But now, I saw the truth he had been acting all along.

I met him in an orphanage. The other children bullied me because I was mute, knowing I couldn’t complain. They stole food right off my plate, laughing as I watched helplessly. But Harold who was blind always reached into his bowl and quietly placed half of his food into mine.

That young boy wasn’t spared from torment either. Some of the children found amusement in tripping him, shoving him, kicking him just to hear him stumble. Whenever that happened, I would launch myself at them like an enraged lion, fighting tooth and nail to protect them.

We clung to each other, two abandoned souls, keeping each other warm in a world that had no place for us. I was his eyes. He was my voice.

One by one, the healthier children were adopted, leaving Harold and me behind. No one wanted damaged goods. But we had each other. Everything felt good even though it was hard.

As we grew older, love bloomed between us. I believed we would spend the rest of our lives together, that one day, we would marry.

Then, an opportunity came.

Cassandra Pritchett, a well-known director, was searching for a blind actor to play the lead in her new film. I thought it was fate. I believed this was the key to changing Harold’s life for the better. So, I took his hand and led him to the audition.

He won the role with a performance so moving it brought Cassandra to tears.

A year later, ‘Give Me Ten Days of Light’ became a box office sensation and Harold’s name was on everyone’s lips. I was overjoyed for him, proud of how far he had come.

But, one night, he pulled me into a tight embrace, whispering softly against my ear.

"Felicia, fame is fleeting. Even now, my popularity won’t last more than a month."

His breath was warm, his voice laced with urgency, as he spoke, "I love acting. I know I have the talent to bring characters to life. But my blindness limits me."

Then came the words that would shatter my world.

"Felicia, will you give me your corneas?"

I froze.

"When I regain my sight, I’ll finally have a future in this industry. I’ll become truly famous." His grip on me tightened. "I want to marry you, to shelter you from every storm. No more suffering, no more hunger. We’ll leave behind those orphanage days and live in a world as sweet as honey."

He sounded so sincere.

I had never wished for wealth. I only wanted a simple, happy life with him. So, I agreed.

If only one of us could have a normal life, I wanted it to be him. I gave him my sight. And in return, Harold crushed my heart beneath his feet.

Tears burned my eyes and my vision blurred as I recalled my memories.

"Artificial corneas don’t adjust as well as natural ones."

A voice beside me broke through my spiraling thoughts.

I turned to see Doctor Morris watching me, his expression unreadable. At some point, he had sat down beside me.

"Emotional distress or tears can affect their effectiveness," he added.

Wordlessly, he handed me a tissue.

I took it, dabbing at my damp lashes.

"Sorry," I murmured, forcing a shaky smile.

"It’s just that … the wind is very strong today. It seems some sand must have gotten in my eyes."

Lies.

I stood, leaving my unfinished meal behind.

After the interview ended, Cassandra returned to her mansion.

Half an hour later, Harold went upstairs using the mansion’s freight elevator and entered her home through the side door. As soon as the man entered, a bottle of wine fell from above and hit his forehead hard. Blood and wine spilled all over the floor, leaving the house in a mess.

Harold didn’t care about the wound that was constantly bleeding. Instead, the man wiped the liquid off the ground with his clothes, picked up the broken bottle with his bare hands and threw it into the trash can.

He knelt down and rubbed against Cassandra, who angrily said, “You’re really too cocky, Harold! How dare you embarrass me in public?”

Harold explained humbly, “I was only following your teachings. I can’t think about falling in love and getting married at this stage, or I’ll lose too many girlfriends.”

Cassandra sneered as she said mockingly, “You really think you’re a celebrity and can stay popular forever?” She crossed her arms and smirked.

“Without my support, you are nothing.”

“Miss Pritchett, please calm down. I was wrong,” Harold pleaded, trying to appease her. He flatteringly removed Cassandra’s high heels and gently massaged her feet.

Cassandra raised her foot and kicked Harold in the chest as she shouted, “Get out!”

Harold fell backward onto the floor. But what upset him more than the pain in his chest was not knowing how to please Cassandra again.

Cassandra, having vented some of her anger, leaned against the pillow on the sofa and said lazily, “Come and serve me. I’ll forgive you when I’m happy.”

Harold jumped up from the ground and kissed her feet.

In the days that followed, he pleased Cassandra well and, as a result, secured the lead role in the new drama ‘The Boss Falls in Love with Me’.

After I recovered, I left the institute. From then on, I prepared my revenge plan. I wanted to make Harold regret what he did to me.

Since my eyes were as bright as crystal stones, I gave myself the stage name Jewel.

Then, I auditioned for the female lead in ‘The Boss Falls in Love with Me’. With a pair of beautiful and mysterious heterochromatic eyes, I passed the rigorous selection process and was chosen as the female lead by the producer.

Harold and I met at the opening dinner.

Twenty years of shared history created an inexplicable telepathy between us. The moment he saw me, he couldn’t take his eyes off me and an ambiguous tension spread between us.

I walked straight toward him and greeted him warmly, “Harold, long time no see.”

His expression was a mix of happiness and confusion as he asked curiously, “Have we met before?”

I nodded playfully, replying to his question, “I’m your number one fan. I’ve waited for your flight at the airport.”

I smiled.

“I’m so happy to be working with my idol!”

Harold smiled knowingly and held my hand. When our fingers touched, an electric current surged through him, leaving him momentarily stunned. He fell into my trap.

On the other hand, Cassandra’s face immediately darkened when she saw this. The woman called Harold away from me and ordered him to toast to the various sponsors.

But I had already lit a fire in Harold’s heart. Even as he moved through the crowd, raising glasses in forced laughter, his eyes kept glancing at me. The fish was about to be hooked. I couldn’t help but curl the corners of my lips.

A while later, Harold, now drunk, vomited in the restroom. He stumbled out and leaned against the hallway wall to rest. When I saw him, I stepped forward. Then, I took out a honey hangover candy from my bag and handed it to him.

Back in the orphanage, he had once been tricked into drinking cheap liquor by a group of brats. I had rushed to a nearby pharmacy to buy this very candy to help him sober up. That would help him get over his hangover.

Harold stared at the candy for a long time, his eyes misting over. Then, pulling me into his arms, he murmured in a drunken slur, “Felicia, you are the only one in this world who has ever truly cared for me.”

I felt sick to my stomach and quickly pushed him away.

“Harold, what are you talking about?” I asked coldly.

He blinked and tears fell instantly.

“I’m sorry. I was drunk.”

His voice trembled as he spoke,“I just... I really miss an old friend. I mistook you for her.”

The word miss coming from his mouth was nothing but irony. I turned sideways and rolled my eyes. Nevertheless, Harold peeled off the candy wrapper and put the candy in his mouth. As he chewed, he suddenly began sobbing.

His love was too late. Not only that, it was just … insincere. His remorse meant nothing to me now. Instead, it only made me sick.

This time, now that we had met again, I would make him pay the same price for hurting me.