The plastic container of organic blueberries crinkled in my tight grip. Neo loved them. For the past year, ever since the devastating car crash stole his vision, I made sure the wealthy heir had a fresh bowl every single morning. I never missed a day.

Today was different. Today, the doctors were removing his bandages.

I pushed through the heavy double doors of the hospital corridor, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. After twelve months of darkness, my fiancé might finally look at me again.

I reached Room 302 and shoved the oak door open.

"Neo, I brought—"

The words died in my throat.

Sunlight poured through the massive window, illuminating two figures locked in a tight embrace. Neo stood tall, no longer wearing the thick white gauze over his eyes. His striking gray eyes were open, clear, and perfectly focused.

He could see.

But he wasn't looking at me. His arms were wrapped securely around Fiona, my half-sister.

The blueberries slipped from my fingers. The plastic container hit the linoleum floor. Berries scattered everywhere, rolling under the hospital bed.

Neo pulled back from Fiona and turned his head. His gaze landed on me. There was no spark of recognition, no overwhelming relief. Just a polite, distant acknowledgment.

"You're here," Neo said, his voice smooth and steady. "I got my sight back."

I stared at him, my chest seizing. "Neo? What are you doing?"

Fiona stepped forward, slipping her slender hand into his. "Oh, Eddy, you made it," she chimed in, her tone heavy with fake sweetness. "I was just telling Neo how grateful I am that my big sister came to check on him today."

I froze. *Big sister?*

I took a shaky step into the room. "Fiona, what is this? Neo, it's me."

Neo frowned, a deep crease forming between his brows. "I know who you are, Eddy. You're my fiancée's sister. It's nice of you to visit, but Fiona and I were just having a moment."

My blood turned to ice. *Fiancée's sister.*

"No," I choked out, shaking my head violently. "I'm your fiancée. I'm the one who sat by your bed every single night. I'm the one who read to you, who fed you!"

Fiona squeezed his hand tighter and leaned against his broad shoulder. "Neo, she's doing it again. She always gets jealous of the things I have."

"Fiona!" I yelled, stepping closer. "Tell him the truth! Why are you doing this?"

Neo stepped in front of her, his body forming a protective wall. His gray eyes hardened into steel. "Lower your voice, Eddy. Do not speak to her that way."

"You're defending her?" Tears spilled over my cheeks, hot and fast. "Neo, listen to my voice. It's me! We share the same father. We're both Ms. White. The nurses just called us Ms. White! She stole my identity!"

"That's enough," Neo snapped. The warmth I had known for a year vanished, replaced by the ruthless heir everyone else feared. "Fiona has been by my side through the darkest period of my life. I won't let you barge in here and insult her just because you want a piece of the spotlight."

I peered around his arm. Fiona met my gaze. A triumphant smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. She had won, and she knew it.

"Neo, please," I begged, my voice breaking. "Ask her about the accident. Ask her about the nights we talked about Paris. She doesn't know!"

"I told you everything about Paris," Fiona whispered to him, her eyes wide and innocent. "She must have listened at the door."

"You liar!" I lunged forward, desperate to rip her away from him.

Neo caught my wrist mid-air. His grip was a vise. "Don't touch her."

"Neo, you're making a mistake!" I sobbed, struggling against his hold. "She wasn't here! She was traveling the world while I held your hand!"

"I said, enough." Neo released my wrist with a rough shove. "Leave. Before I have security escort you out."

I stumbled backward, my heel crushing a stray blueberry. The purple stain smeared across the pristine floor like a fresh bruise.

"You don't mean that," I whispered.

"Get out, Eddy," Neo commanded.

I looked at Fiona. Her eyes danced with absolute victory. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, playing the perfect, fragile victim.

I turned and ran.

The hospital corridors blurred into a wash of white walls and fluorescent lights. I shoved past nurses carrying clipboards and patients in wheelchairs, bursting through the main entrance into the chilly afternoon air.

My chest heaved. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, trying to hold my shattering world together. He didn't know. He actually didn't know. A year of love, of shared whispers in the dark, erased because my half-sister decided to play a twisted game of pretend.

I walked blindly down the bustling sidewalk, my mind spinning into chaos. How could I prove it? He wouldn't listen to me. He was completely under her spell.

Then, I remembered.

The necklace.

My hand flew to the leather strap of my purse. Inside the inner zip pocket sat the custom pearl necklace Neo had given me six months ago. He had traced the unique diamond clasp with his fingertips, promising that he would recognize it anywhere.

*That's it. The necklace.*

I stopped near a busy intersection and fumbled with the gold zipper of my bag.

"Excuse me, watch out!" a gruff voice shouted.

Before I could react, a sudden, violent yank threw me off balance.

"Hey!" I shrieked.

A man in a dark hoodie ripped the purse from my shoulder. The strap burned against my skin as it broke free. He shoved me hard in the chest, sending me crashing onto the concrete pavement.

"Stop!" I screamed, scrambling to my knees. "Please! Give that back!"

The thief didn't even glance over his shoulder. He darted through the thick crowd, dodging a fruit cart before vanishing down a narrow alleyway.

"Somebody stop him!" I yelled, my throat burning. "He took my bag!"

Passersby stared, giving me a wide berth. A businessman adjusted his briefcase and hurried past. A mother pulled her child closer. No one offered a hand. No one chased the thief.

Gone.

The bag was gone.

The pearls were gone.

The only physical proof I had that I was the woman Neo loved was currently disappearing into the city's underbelly.

I sat on the gritty sidewalk, my knees scraped and bleeding. I pulled my legs to my chest and buried my face in my hands. Fiona had his heart, and now the streets had my only hope. If I couldn't prove who I was, I would have to stand by and watch my sister marry my fiancé.

A tall shadow fell over me, blocking out the afternoon sun.

"Need a hand, Ms. White?" a deep, unfamiliar voice asked.

I looked up, squinting against the harsh glare. A man in a sharp charcoal suit stood over me. In his outstretched palm, something caught the light.

It was a single, flawless pearl.

I snatched the pearl from the stranger’s palm, my fingers trembling violently.

"Thank you," I choked out, shoving the tiny sphere into my pocket.

But one loose bead wasn't a necklace. It wasn't proof. I turned away, leaving the man standing on the pavement, and started the long walk back.

Every step sent a sharp spike of pain through my bare heels. My shoes had rubbed my skin raw, forming angry blisters, but I barely registered the physical sting. My mind was trapped in the past.

"Leave me alone!" Neo's furious roar echoed in my memory.

Then came the deafening crash of shattering porcelain.

"I'm not going anywhere," I had told him, kneeling on the hospital floor to pick up the jagged pieces of the vase he threw.

He had been a monster in those early days of blindness. He cursed the nurses. He shoved the doctors. My own father had pulled me aside in the hallway.

"Give it up, Eddy," Dad had said. "The man is broken. You're wasting your youth."

But I stayed. I guided his spoon to his mouth. I let him grip my arm until bruises formed just so he could practice walking down the corridor.

"Don't go." His rough, desperate plea from three months ago played on a loop in my head. He had finally reached out, his large hand wrapping around my bruised fingers. "When I see again, Eddy, I'm marrying you."

Now, that promise belonged to Fiona.

I pushed the heavy front door of my family’s house open. Warm yellow light spilled into the foyer. The clinking of crystal glasses and bright laughter drifted from the dining room.

I dragged my bleeding feet toward the archway.

"Eat up, Fiona," Martha, my stepmother, cooed. She piled another slice of glazed ham onto my half-sister’s plate. "You've been so stressed taking care of Neo. You need your strength."

"I didn't mind, Mom," Fiona replied, her tone dripping with false modesty. "Neo is worth every sleepless night."

Dad raised his wine glass. "We should book the country club for June. The gardens are perfect for a wedding. Neo, does that work for your schedule?"

Neo sat at the head of the table. He looked immaculate in a crisp navy shirt. "Whatever Fiona wants. She gave me my life back. I owe her everything."

My stomach violently twisted.

I stepped fully into the light of the chandelier.

The laughter abruptly stopped.

Dad lowered his glass, his smile vanishing. "Eddy. You look like a mess. Where have you been?"

Neo turned his head. His striking gray eyes locked onto mine. There was no warmth. No spark of recognition. Only the polite, guarded expression of a stranger.

"You must be Fiona's sister," Neo said.

The words struck me like a physical blow. My knees buckled slightly.

"Neo," I whispered, my throat tight. "It's me."

Fiona slammed her fork down. "Eddy, stop it! We talked about this at the hospital. Why are you trying to ruin my night?"

"Ruin your night?" I stepped forward, my hands curling into fists. "You stole my life!"

Martha stood up, her chair scraping harshly against the hardwood. "That is enough, young lady. Go to your room. You are embarrassing yourself in front of our guest."

"He isn't a guest!" I shouted. "He's my fiancé!"

Neo's jaw hardened. He placed his napkin on the table and stood, towering over the room. "I asked you politely at the hospital to drop this delusion. Fiona warned me you had a habit of acting out for attention. I didn't want to believe a sister could be so cruel, but I see she was right."

"She's lying to you!" I cried out.

"Go to your room, Eddy," Dad barked, pointing toward the stairs. "Now."

I looked at Neo. He stared back with absolute indifference. The man who had wept in my arms now looked at me like I was garbage.

I spun around and fled up the stairs.

I slammed my bedroom door and locked it. Sliding down the wood panels, I pulled my knees to my chest and let the darkness swallow me.

Hours passed. The house grew quiet.

My throat felt like sandpaper. I needed water.

I crept out of my room and tiptoed down the carpeted stairs. As I passed the living room, a soft murmur of voices drifted through the open French doors leading to the patio.

I froze.

Pressing my back against the wall, I edged closer to the glass panes.

Fiona stood on the balcony, wrapped in Neo’s large suit jacket. She leaned her head against his chest. Neo held her close, his chin resting on top of her hair.

"She scares me, Neo," Fiona whimpered, burying her face in his shirt.

"She can't hurt you," Neo murmured, stroking her back.

"You don't know her," Fiona said, her voice trembling with manufactured fear. "Eddy has always hated me. She wants everything I have. When she found out you were the wealthy heir to the estate, she started plotting."

"Plotting what?" Neo asked, his tone dropping an octave.

"She wanted your money," Fiona lied smoothly. "She bragged to her friends that she was going to trick the blind billionaire into marrying her. She only came to the hospital today to secure the bag."

My nails dug into the plaster wall.

"She won't get a dime," Neo stated.

Fiona sniffled, wiping away imaginary tears. "I'm just terrified she’ll try to ruin our wedding. She’ll do anything for a payout."

Neo went completely still. His gray eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, turned cold and ruthless.

"If she ever dares to bully you again, I won't let her get away with it," Neo said.

I clamped both hands over my mouth, stifling the agonizing sob ripping up my throat.

He believed her. He believed every single toxic lie. The man I loved was slipping further into Fiona's trap, and I was entirely powerless to stop it.

"It's gone!"

Fiona's shrill cry shattered the morning quiet, echoing down the grand staircase.

I hurried into the living room. Fiona stood by the marble fireplace, clutching shredded pieces of tracing paper to her chest. Mascara ran down her cheeks in dark, messy streaks.

"My wedding dress designs," she sobbed, burying her face in Neo's shoulder. "And the ring. The custom diamond you gave me yesterday... it's missing from my vanity."

Dad stormed toward me, his face flushed with rage. His hand swung in a wide, vicious arc.

*Smack.*

The force of the slap sent me stumbling backward into the heavy oak coffee table. My cheek burned with a fierce, stinging heat.

"Dad!" I cried out, pressing a hand to my throbbing face.

"Don't call me that," he snarled, pointing a thick finger at my nose. "Hand it over, Eddy. Give your sister her engagement ring back right now."

"I didn't take anything!" I pushed myself upright, ignoring the sharp pain in my hip. "I haven't even been upstairs near her room!"

Martha crossed her arms, her lips curled into a nasty sneer. "You've been jealous of her since you were children. Now that Fiona is marrying into the city's top family, your true colors are finally showing. You tore up her sketches out of pure spite."

"That's a lie," I said, glaring at my stepmother. I turned my attention to the tall man standing by the sofa. "Neo, you know me. We lived together. I would never do something so petty."

Neo stepped in front of Fiona, shielding her fragile frame from my view. His gray eyes held zero warmth.

"I don't know you at all," Neo stated, his voice flat and unforgiving. "But I know what Fiona tells me. You are harassing my fiancée."

"She's framing me!" I yelled, taking a step forward. "Check the hallway security cameras! You'll see I never went near her door!"

Fiona whimpered and shrank further behind Neo's broad back. "She disabled the cameras, Neo. She planned this."

Neo signaled to the two burly bodyguards flanking the front door. "Get her out of my sight."

"You can't do this," I said as heavy hands grabbed my upper arms.

"Cross Fiona again, and you'll pay," Neo warned. His tone carried a lethal chill that froze the blood in my veins. "Watch her pack her things. Then throw her out of this house."

The guards dragged me up the stairs and shoved me into my bedroom. I pulled a canvas suitcase from the closet, my hands shaking violently as I tossed my clothes inside.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Then it buzzed again. And again.

I picked it up. A dozen notifications flashed across the screen in rapid succession.

*Gallery Opening Canceled.*

*Brand Partnership Terminated.*

I answered an incoming call from my mentor.

"Professor Miller?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"Eddy, I am deeply disappointed in you," he said, his tone icy. "I have already issued a public statement cutting all professional ties with you."

"What? Why?"

"Don't play dumb. The evidence is everywhere." The line went dead.

I opened a news link he had texted me moments before. The bold headline made my stomach drop into my shoes.

*Rising Artist Eddy White Exposed: Plagiarism, Ghostwriters, and Fake Awards.*

Attached to the anonymous article were photos of my private sketchbooks, manipulated chat logs, and a heavily edited video claiming I paid art students to paint my gallery pieces.

"Only family had access to those drafts," I whispered to the empty room.

Fiona. She hadn't just taken Neo. She was actively destroying my livelihood.

The bedroom door swung open. Dad marched in, holding his tablet like a weapon.

"Have you seen this?" he shouted, shoving the glowing screen in my face. "You are a complete disgrace!"

"It's fake," I said, zipping up my suitcase with a harsh yank. "Fiona leaked my private drafts and twisted the context to ruin me."

"Stop blaming your sister!" He slammed the tablet onto my desk. "You will post a public apology immediately. Admit your misconduct to the press."

I stared at him, my vision blurring with unshed tears. "You want me to ruin my own career? To lie?"

"I want you to quit the art world before you drag our family name through the mud," he demanded. "Do it, Eddy. Apologize and step down. Now."

"No." I grabbed the handle of my luggage. "I won't confess to something I didn't do."

"If you walk out that door, you are no longer a White," Dad threatened.

"I lost my family a long time ago," I replied.

I pushed past him, dragging my suitcase down the hall. No one stopped me. No one said goodbye.

I walked blindly down the sidewalk, the wheels of my luggage rattling against the cracked pavement. The afternoon sun offered no warmth. Yesterday, I had a fiancé, a loving home, and a debut gallery show. Today, I had a battered suitcase and a ruined reputation.

A sleek black luxury car glided to a stop beside me. The tinted window rolled down, but I kept walking, keeping my eyes fixed on the pavement.

A man in a sharp charcoal suit stepped out of the driver's seat and smoothly blocked my path.

"Ms. White," he said, his posture rigid and highly professional.

I tightened my grip on my suitcase handle. "Who are you?"

"I am Mr. Albert's secretary," he replied, handing me a heavy, gold-embossed card.

I glanced at the elegant lettering on the card. Albert. Neo's reclusive half-brother. The phantom who actually controlled their family's massive corporate empire, a man who never showed his face in public due to a heavily guarded illness.

"Why are you talking to me?" I asked, attempting to hand the card back.

The secretary didn't take it. He offered a polite, clipped bow.

"Mr. Albert wants to see you," he said, opening the rear door of the vehicle. "He says only you can help him with one thing."