Clarissa's POV

I could no longer tell if Alfie loved me or not.

If he didn’t love me, why would he risk his life to retrieve those dolls for me? But if he did, why would he let Shirley walk all over me?

Outside, the sharp sound of shattering glass broke through the silence. Then came the muffled sounds of Shirley pulling him in again. Seeking excitement, she had no shame—they were getting intimate right outside the door.

Alfie’s voice was low, a weak attempt to stop her. “Don’t mess around. Clarissa is still inside.”

But any hesitation quickly melted under Shirley’s touch. A door clicked shut and he never came back.

I tossed the dolls into the trash.

That was it. That was me severing my marriage with my own hands.

That night, I didn't sleep.

By morning, I heard Alfie open the bedroom door. He must not have expected me to be awake because he hesitated for a second before scrambling for an excuse.

“I fell asleep watching TV in the living room,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Didn’t even realize it. You’re up early.”

I didn’t acknowledge his excuse. Instead, I asked, “Alfie, is it snowing outside?”

His hand paused inside the closet before he pulled out a thick winter coat. He rubbed his nose and muttered, “Yeah, it’s cold. You should stay in. If you catch a cold, Mom will start nagging again.”

With that, he grabbed his coat and hurried out of the room.

I watched him rush off to see Shirley, and the cold in my heart stung far worse than the frost outside.

But this was my first snowfall since regaining my sight. I wanted to see it too.

When I stepped into the living room, my mother-in-law was fastening the zipper of Shirley’s puffer jacket, her face full of warmth and affection—the way a mother looks at her beloved daughter-in-law.

“Shirley is such a beautiful girl,” she beamed. “If only she could be my daughter-in-law.”

Her words were a dagger straight through my heart.

Years ago, when I was hospitalized after saving Alfie, she visited me every day, bringing soup and calling me her daughter.

But the moment she found out Alfie planned to marry me, her attitude did a complete 180.

After our wedding, she never had a kind word for me. She spent years pressuring him to divorce me.

Eventually, to stop constant fights, Alfie moved out with me.

Back then, he told me, “No matter how bad things get between you and my mom, I will always stand by your side.”

But last night at the dinner table, when Shirley and his family openly mocked me, he sat there in silence.

And that silence shattered something inside me.

I finally understood—his heart no longer belonged to me.

Shirley blushed and lowered her head, acting shy.

My sister-in-law, on the other hand, looped her arm through Shirley’s. “That’s right, Mom! You have no idea how generous Shirley was with her gift yesterday! Not like that stingy blind woman.”

The moment she said it, a wave of bitterness surged through me.

Just six months ago, on her birthday, I gave her a designer handbag worth thousands of dollars. She had clung to me sweetly, calling me ‘sissy’ like I was family.

And now?

Now, to her, I was nothing more than a stingy, blind fool.

Outside, they built a snowman together, laughing and playing in the snow, looking more like a family than I ever had.

Snowflakes drifted down, but I felt no cold.

That was when Alfie spotted me standing by the door. His body went rigid.

I acted like I hadn’t seen anything, just like always. I reached out, feeling along the wall, and slowly made my way back inside.

Just then, a message popped up on my phone. It was from my lawyer. The divorce papers were ready.

I printed two copies of it. One for him, one for me.

Not long after, Alfie barged into the room.

Before I could react, he was already demanding answers.

“What the hell is this?” His voice burned with anger.

“You hate the cold. Why would you suddenly go outside?” He took a step closer. “Did you do it just to make Shirley look bad?”

Clarissa's POV

“Are you happy now?” Alfie snapped. “She says she’s leaving! It’s freezing outside, and she’s just a young girl. Clarissa, you’ve really let me down.”

Then he grabbed my arm. “Let’s go. You’re going to apologize to her.”

I didn’t want to, but Alfie didn’t care. He dragged me out of the room.

In the living room, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law glared at me like I was some kind of criminal.

Alfie’s brows furrowed. “Where is she?”

His mother scoffed and said coldly, “She ran off.”

My sister-in-law sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Thanks to someone, she couldn’t even stay another minute. What a nightmare! Can’t even have a peaceful New Year.”

“As if causing trouble all the time wasn’t enough, you also have to drive a wedge between Alfie and Mom. And now, on a rare holiday when we finally get to be home, you just have to make things worse,” she added, rolling her eyes upward.

Alfie yanked me toward the door, determined to go after Shirley. His grip was firm, leaving no room for resistance.

“When we find her, you better apologize,” he ordered. “How could you be like this? You just had to drive her away, didn’t you? And now, in this freezing weather, she’s out there all alone.”

I had had enough. I ripped my arm away from him.

“Oh, now you care about the cold?” I shot back. “Did you ever stop to think that I’m carrying your child?”

Alfie let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Wow, Clarissa, you’re even using the baby to threaten me now?” His gaze hardened. “But I’m telling you right now, I don’t care what you say. You’re going to apologize.”

He shoved me into the car, not caring how rough he was. My stomach twisted in pain because of it, cold sweat beading on my forehead.

But Alfie barely spared me a glance. Instead, he let out a mocking chuckle. “Oh, cut the act. Didn’t the doctor say the baby was perfectly healthy last time? But the second something happens to Shirley, you’re suddenly in pain?”

I didn’t respond. I had already given up on him.

It didn’t matter.

I just had to endure a little longer. In a few days, I would be gone.

The entire drive, Alfie was restless, like a man on the verge of losing his mind.

Soon, his phone rang. The moment he saw Shirley’s name, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.

He picked up immediately and panickedly asked, “Shirley! Where are you?”

On the other end, Shirley sobbed into the receiver. “I got lost. I don’t know what to do.”

Alfie’s voice softened in an instant. “Stay where you are. I’m coming to get you. Don’t run around, okay?”

I sat there, numb.

Years ago, he used to speak to me like that.

Now, it was for someone else.

Not long after, we found Shirley waiting at the side of the road. The moment she saw Alfie, she ran straight into his arms.

For a second, he looked guilty and glanced at my way. But then he seemed to remember that I was blind, and his hesitation disappeared.

He wrapped his arms around Shirley without a care.

She sniffled, wiping away nonexistent tears before turning toward me. “I’m so sorry, Clarissa. I was just scared… I didn’t mean to hold onto Alfie like that. I hope you don’t mind.”

She wanted me to know exactly how much Alfie cared about her. But I no longer had the energy to play this game.

When I didn’t react, she wasn’t satisfied. “Clarissa, I’m really sorry. This is my fault. I should just leave. I don’t want to be in your way.”

Alfie’s face twisted in distress. He turned to me and said, “Clarissa, just take a taxi home. I’ll drop Shirley off first. She’s a little afraid of you.”

Afraid? Huh!

Even so, I smiled faintly. “Alright.”

Alfie seemed surprised by my calmness, like he had expected me to fight back. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

He helped Shirley into the car, and without looking back, they drove away.

I stood there for a long time, my fingers and toes numb from the cold.

At some point, my phone rang. It was Alfie.

But when I answered, what I heard wasn’t his voice.

It was a low, muffled groan.

And Shirley’s breathy, exaggerated cries.

She wanted to make sure I knew exactly what they were doing.

Clarissa's POV

I slowly put my phone down, feeling nothing but emptiness inside. Without a second thought, I called for a cab and headed straight to the hospital.

The hospital quickly admitted me, and they told me my surgery for abortion was scheduled two days from now. But there was a problem—it required a family member’s signature.

I had no idea how I was supposed to bring this up to Alfie.

That night, Alfie showed up at the same hospital, holding Shirley in his arms.

Doctors and nurses rushed to meet them. One doctor spoke urgently, “The patient has a ruptured corpus luteum. Get her bloodwork done immediately and check if an operating room is available. We need to get her in as soon as possible.”

The nurse nodded and hurried off.

As Alfie walked past me, our shoulders nearly brushed. He did a double take and frowned. “Clarissa? What are you doing here?”

I kept my expression neutral. “I forgot to pick up my test results from my last prenatal checkup.”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, a nurse called out to him. “Mr. Bowen, please come with me. Your wife needs emergency treatment.”

Alfie didn’t even bother to correct her. Without hesitation, he turned and followed her inside.

I gripped the documents in my hand—the surgical consent form and the divorce papers—and walked into the emergency ward after them.

Inside, the bright lights illuminated the frantic movement of doctors and nurses. Alfie was running back and forth, his face clouded with worry, even as he stood by the payment window, pulling out his wallet with trembling hands.

I watched it all unfold, yet my heart remained still.

Then, as if sensing my gaze, he turned and spotted me.

“Clarissa, about Shirley—” he started, but I cut him off before he could explain.

Pulling two documents from my bag, I handed them to him. “Alfie, I forgot to get your signature when I took leave for my prenatal checkup last time. Our company has a new policy—family members need to sign for reimbursement.”

His expression stiffened. “I’ve never heard of that before.”

I had never lied to him before, so he didn’t suspect a thing. Muttering under his breath, he grabbed a pen and signed his name in both places—the consent form for my surgery and the divorce papers.

As I took the documents back, he suddenly grabbed my hand. “Why are your hands so cold?”

For a brief moment, guilt flickered in his eyes.

Had he finally remembered that he left me outside in the freezing cold last night?

With a soft voice, he said, “I know tonight was hard on you. I promise it won’t happen again.”

I gave him a small nod, but my tone was indifferent as I replied, “It’s fine. Shirley is more important.”

Alfie’s brows knitted together, but before he could respond, I turned and walked away.

From behind me, I heard him call out.

“Clarissa, you’ve never been this passive-aggressive before. What’s going on with you lately?”

“Shirley is just a guest here,” he continued, trying to reason with me. “She has no family in this city. She needs someone to take care of her. That’s all there is to it.”

Yet, I didn’t turn back. I simply nodded.

He thought I couldn’t see anything. He thought I was blind in more ways than one.

But now that he had unknowingly signed both the divorce papers and my surgical consent form, I had no reason to keep pretending.

Two days later, I took the signed consent form and checked in for surgery.

Just before I lost consciousness on the operating table, I heard a commotion outside.

“You can’t just take my wife in there! What the hell are you doing?” Alfie’s voice was frantic.