Chapter 207

Vincent's mind spun with confusion. Before he could settle his thoughts, Hannah's parents swept into the room, bringing a doctor along with them.

As more people crowded the space, Hannah's voice cut through the tension."Why aren't the lights on?" she asked, sounding puzzled.

She had difficulty seeing in the dark and couldn't see anything without light. She disliked darkness and could never sleep without her lamp casting a soft glow.

Stunned, Vincent was rooted to the spot.

Margaret shot him a glare and marched over, trying to nudge him toward the exit. "You are not welcome here," she said,her words sharp.

Vincent managed to keep his balance, his voice shaking. "I just wanted to see how she was doing..."

The moment Raymond noticed Vincent, anger flooded his face."A∥I of this happened because of you! How dare you show your face here?"

For a moment, Vincent could not find any words at all.

Hannah tried to understand their conversation until the truth abruptly crashed down on her. The darkness wasn't because the lights were off. Was she unable to see anymore? Blindly reaching out, she searched for her mother's hand. "Mom?"

Margaret rushed to Hannah, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around Hannah,her words trembling as she tried to soothe Hannah. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. Sweetheart,everything's going to be alright. There's no need to be scared. The doctor's here now, so let's listen to what he has to say."

Hannah tightly held Margaret's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Raymond looked on, eyes shining with tears he couldn't hold back.

After a thorough examination, the doctor finally spoke up. "It appears the explosion caused a blood clot. It's pressing on the optic nerve, and that's why she can't see for now."

The idea of blindness settled heavily in the room.

Raymond's voice came out thick with worry. "If we begin treatment immediately, is there hope for her sight?"

"We believe this blindness may be temporary," the doctor replied, his expression serious. "But we cannot rule out the possibility of permanent blindness. We'll need more tests to know for sure."

These words hit Raymond and Margaret hard, leaving them unsteady on their feet. How had their perfectly healthy daughter ended up like this?

Those last few words, permanent blindness, echoed in Vincent's mind, filling his eyes with tears. "I'll get in touch with overseas specialists right away."

Hannah's vacant eyes drifted in the direction of Vincent's voice. "That's not necessary," she said quietly.

To her, their marriage was already behind them. Now that the immediate danger had passed, she saw no reason for her blindness to keep Vincent tethered to her life.

Stepping forward, Vincent's words came out rough. "All of this happened because of me. I just can't leave you alone."

Hannah remarked, "I didn't save you because I cared. Anyone in your shoes would have gotten the same help from me."

She was telling the truth. She had saved him without any personal feelings involved. She'd simply done what was right.

A shadow crossed Vincent's face. His wounded leg began to throb, and he could not stop himself from wincing.

Catching sight of Vincent's injury, the doctor's expression turned stern. "Your leg is bleeding again. Don't you feel that? You need proper care and rest."

No answer came from Vincent, who just stood there, unresponsive.

Shaking his head at Vincent's stubbornness, the doctor turned to Hannah's parents. "Your daughter needs a calm environment and absolutely no stress. I'll arrange things with the nurse and get the tests ready."

With instructions given, the doctor made his exit.

Not hesitating for a second, Margaret nudged Vincent out and shut the door behind him. "Leave. We don't want to see you," she said, her tone firm.

Vincent lingered outside Hannah's ward for a few moments before deciding to go. At noon, having arranged for a few doctors to come by, he planned to sneak a peek at Hannah while her parents grabbed some midday rest.

When Vincent arrived at the doorway of Hannah's hospital room, he found her alone.

As Hannah reached out blindly, feeling for her water glass, Vincent hastily entered and moved toward her.

A nurse was who Hannah expected, but Vincent's unique scent quickly gave him away.

Carefully, Vincent pressed the glass into her hands, but she kept her fingers curled and refused to accept it."Why are you here again?" Hannah asked, her brow furrowing.

Rather than explain himself, Vincent said, "Just drink some water. You were thirsty, weren't you?"

Hannah's voice turned cold. "I'm not thirsty anymore." She added,"My parents don't want you around.You're only making things harder."

Her meaning was clear-her blindness was more than enough for her parents to worry about, and she wanted Vincent to stop adding to their distress.

"Everything's been settled between us. You don't owe me anything," Hannah said, her voice even but distant.

Not missing the cold edge in her words, Vincent recognized her stance. His gaze dimmed, and though he wanted to speak, he didn't know what tosay.

The silence stretched between them.

Just then, a female voice shattered the awkward silence. "I figured I'd find you here."

Erica walked in, rolling a wheelchair she'd fetched for Vincent. She posed a question to Hannah in a polite tone. "Ms. Scott, how are you feeling?"

"All good," Hannah replied, keeping her answer short.

Growing more attuned to the world through sounds.and smells, Hannah had no trouble identifying Erica."Good timing. You can take him away now."

Erica's expression softened with concern. "Vincent needs to rest. His leg isn't healing well, so I'm here to bring him back." As she helped him settle into the wheelchair, her eyes flicked to Hannah.′′MIs. Scott, is your vision gone?"

"That's right," Hannah answered lightly.

Vincent interjected, "She'll recover." Hope burned in him, unwilling to accept any other outcome.He was determined to find a way to restore her sight.

Feeling his profound worry for Hannah, Erica's hands tightened around the handles of the wheelchair.Without further delay, she wheeled Vincent back to his room, planning to talk through everything that had happened.

But once back to his ward, Vincent grabbed his phone, launching into a rapid conversation with a specialist in another language.

Although the details escaped Erica, she was certain his call had everything to do with Hannah.

Erica's jealousy flared up. Since her return from abroad, Vincent hadn't paid much attention on her. A shadow crept over her face as she watched him.

Citing to run an errand, Erica left Vincent's room. Moments later, she disguised herself as a nurse, altered her voice, and made her way to Hannah's bedside. Acting every bit the diligent nurse, Erica escorted Hannah from her room for a11rotutine check."

With gentle direction from "the nurse" and no reason to suspect otherwise, Hannah followed the guidance,never guessing anything was amiss as the elevator carried them upward.