My boyfriend went blind saving my life.

Then I cheated on him.

All because I'd overheard him talking to a friend.

“You’re faking all of it—the sickness, the blindness. Aren’t you afraid she’ll find out?”

“She worships me. I’ll use her guilt to chain her to my side and play her for a fool. As long as Madison is happy, it’s worth it.”

Then came the night he invited his bro Ethan for dinner.

And I was in the shadows of the hallway, kissing him.

“Your boyfriend is right out there, you know.”

I smiled. “It’s fine. He’s blind.”

Later, my boyfriend begged me with tears, “The three of us together…I can live with that arrangement. Just please, don’t leave me.”

————————

1

When Jackson Miller called, Ethan Hayes had me pressed against the island counter of his downtown Seattle penthouse, kissing me deeply.

I pushed against him several times before finally biting down hard on his lip.

He finally let me go, his tongue poking at the spot where I'd just bit him as he picked up my phone and glanced at it.

“...Your boyfriend. Answering?”

I accepted the call.

From the other end came the noisy chatter and music of a jazz bar.

“Freya, Jackson’s not feeling well again. He’s in really bad shape—”

Jackson cut Tyler off. “I’m fine. Freya’s busy, don’t bother her with something so trivial.”

Ethan toyed with my fingers, his nail tracing a suggestive line across my palm.

I pulled my hand free, only to run my thumb over the fresh cut on his lip.

But my voice was laced with worry. “You’re the most important thing. Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

A chorus of teasing erupted from the other end of the line.

“Man, Jackson, you’ve really got her wrapped around your finger. She used to have such a sharp edge, and look at her now—completely at your mercy.”

Ethan hung up the phone.

“Busy?” He leaned in close, the corner of his lip curling up. “Why don’t you tell them you were busy kissing me?”

“And that’s something to be proud of?” I retorted.

Ethan let out a low chuckle. “They’re bugging me to come over, too. Let’s go together.”

When we got there, we walked in one after the other.

“Freya, how come you came with Ethan today? You two are always at each other’s throats. Didn’t you have another one of your blow-ups?”

My expression cooled. “We just ran into each other at the door.”

“Ethan and Jackson are like brothers. Can’t you two declare a truce?”

Ethan, sitting in the furthest seat, let out a short laugh at that. “Make peace…”

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “Is she even worthy?”

Everyone’s expression turned awkward.

Only I saw it. After saying that, he stared straight at me, slowly raising his hand to brush over the cut on his lip where I had bitten him.

Jackson, clutching his chest as he leaned against the sofa, turned his head slightly at the sound, as if he couldn’t pinpoint where I was. “Freya?”

His act was getting more convincing.

I went and sat by his side, asking softly, “Still in pain? Do you want some water?”

I held the water to his lips, but Jackson accidentally raised his hand and knocked the glass over.

The atmosphere in the room froze for a moment. Ignoring everyone else, I took his hand. I meticulously wiped it clean with a napkin, then blew a warm breath over the back of it. “Did you burn yourself?”

Tyler let out a whistle. “Damn, Freya, you're the perfect girlfriend! Totally head over heels for Jackson.”

“Well, that’s all because Jackson played the hero, a move that cost him his eyes!”

A smile touched Jackson’s lips. “Don’t listen to their nonsense. I did it willingly. Besides, losing my sight was a small price to pay for a girlfriend like her.”

Everyone said that Jackson Miller had a girlfriend he cherished more than life itself.

Even I started to believe it, and I fell for him, truly.

During my freshman year of college, the Loretta family suddenly tracked me down and told me that I’d been switched at birth, that I was their true daughter.

Mrs. Loretta pulled me into a tearful hug, but I went completely rigid.

Her gaze then fell upon Madison Foster's tear-filled eyes, and the arms holding me immediately pulled back.

“Freya, this is Madison. She’s also… your sister.”

“Your adoptive parents passed away many years ago, and it’s impossible to investigate now whether the switch was an accident or deliberate. But no matter what, Madison is innocent. I hope you two can get along in the future.”

She subconsciously moved her hand to shield Madison, as if afraid I would take my anger out on her.

Madison.

A sudden hope sparked within me—that they would love me just as much as they loved Madison.

But that night, as I passed their room, I noticed the door was ajar.

Madison was whimpering, “Mommy, now that you’ve found my sister, does that mean you don’t love me anymore?”

Mrs. Loretta tapped her forehead dotingly. “What a silly thing to say. Mommy loves you most of all. Alright, go to bed now.”

Before I could even react, Madison pushed the door open. Seeing me there, she smiled, completely unsurprised.

“Gutter rat.”

I froze outside the door.

The conversation inside continued.

Mrs. Loretta’s voice was filled with worry. “I just feel there’s something off about Freya. When I held her, she didn’t react at all, and her gaze is so cold, it frightens me.”

“What if she was corrupted out there? What if she bullies Madison?”

Mr. Loretta’s voice was cold. “Then we’ll just send her to a boarding school in Europe.”

Then why did they bring me back?

I wondered numbly.

Love, it truly is a rare thing.

And I was never meant to have it.

The first time I met Jackson was at Madison's birthday party.

The front hall was a whirlwind of champagne flutes and chatter, but I was crouching alone by the backyard pool.

Mrs. Loretta’s words were still ringing in my ears.

“Don’t show your face at the party this time. If a scandal like being switched at birth got out, it would be bad for Madison… and for you. You’ll just have to endure it this year, Freya.”

Bang.

Fireworks exploded in the night sky.

It was immediately followed by a chorus of enthusiastic wishes: “Happy birthday, Madison!”

“So, you must be the Loretta family’s real daughter?”

I looked back, and Jackson was standing right there.

I hated that title. I averted my gaze. “My name is Freya Loretta.”

Jackson nodded. Suddenly, someone from the front hall called for him, and he turned to leave.

But he returned a moment later.

“Freya Loretta,” he said, placing a specially decorated cupcake beside me. The corner of his lip quirked up. “Happy birthday.”

The second time we met, Jackson confessed his feelings for me.

He said it was love at first sight.

“I know you don’t believe me, but I’ll prove it to you.”

I didn’t give it much thought. Back then, Stanford had a fantastic opportunity: if your GPA and research achievements were outstanding, you could get a full scholarship to the medical school.

I gave it my all to secure a spot.

When Madison found out, she just said, “It’s just a scholarship, isn’t it?”

Mrs. Loretta laughed. “Oh, you. If you were just a little more like Freya and willing to study even half as much, your father and I would arrange everything for you.”

A few days later, Madison actually applied for a project and ended up sharing a research lab with me.

There were two small cubicles within the lab, so we could work without disturbing each other.

The day Mrs. Loretta came to visit Madison, I had just finished submitting all my application materials. The tension that had been coiled inside me for weeks finally snapped, and a wave of pure exhaustion washed over me. I ended up falling asleep right at my desk.

I woke to the sharp, acrid smell of chemicals and the shriek of alarms.

Oh no! A chemical leak!

Mrs. Loretta and Madison were here today.

I grabbed a wet cloth to cover my mouth and nose, carefully avoiding the spill as I struggled to make my way to Madison’s cubicle.

It was empty.

They had already gotten out.

The acrid fumes were growing thicker.

Just as my consciousness began to fade, Jackson burst into the room.