I’ve had severe eye problems since childhood. I couldn’t even see people’s faces clearly. My husband Ethan Bennett, an ophthalmologist, worked himself until his hair turned white trying to formulate special medication for me. Everyone envied me for finding such a good man, saying he was my salvation. Until his birthday party, when I returned from the restroom and overheard him talking to the people around him. “You think I actually want to cure her?” “That little eye problem of hers is nothing serious at all. Any random medication could relieve it.” “I just want to keep her from seeing clearly, make her dependent on me, make it so she can’t live without me.” The people around him burst into laughter. Someone teased him. “Dr. Bennett, that’s pretty ruthless. But I have to say, she’s really obedient—like a dog.” My blood seemed to freeze instantly. All these years, because I couldn’t see clearly, I kept tripping while walking and being laughed at by strangers. Because I couldn’t see clearly, I couldn’t find work and could only depend on him to survive. Because I couldn’t see clearly, I missed out on so much, and couldn’t even remember what I looked like. I thought it was fate being cruel to me. But I never imagined that all of this was personally orchestrated by the man I loved so deeply. I didn’t go back into the private room. I turned around and sent an email. “Professor Lewis, book me a plane ticket. I agree to go to France for the experimental eye treatment.”
I gripped my phone and turned to fumble my way out. But the next second, someone called out from behind me. It was Ethan. “Where are you going? The guests are still waiting for you. How can you just leave without telling me?” I couldn’t see his face clearly. I could only identify the direction by his familiar voice. My whole body trembled uncontrollably. “I… I’m not feeling well. I want to go home first.” “Not feeling well?” Ethan’s tone instantly turned cold. “Today is my birthday. As my wife, how can you leave without permission? Come inside with me and greet the senior colleagues.” I instinctively shrank back, resisting strongly. I couldn’t see the wine glasses clearly, couldn’t see the faces of the people across from me, and was terrified of dropping the glass and embarrassing myself, being laughed at, being despised by him. Over all these years, I’d embarrassed myself enough because of my eye condition. I begged in a low voice, my tone carrying a sob. “I can’t do it. I can’t see clearly. I’ll mess it up. Please don’t force me…” These words seemed to completely ignite his anger. Curious glances from nearby guests were already being cast our way, and whispers could faintly be heard. Ethan felt like I was trampling his dignity underfoot. His grip on my wrist suddenly tightened. “I said go, so you go. What? Are you refusing to listen to me now?” During the struggle, someone grabbed Ethan’s arm. “Dr. Bennett, don’t be angry. Nora has vision problems, so mistakes are inevitable. Don’t hold it against her.” It was Vivian, a new intern nurse at the hospital. As soon as she finished speaking, she deliberately leaned close to my ear and provoked me in a voice only we could hear. “Nora, you’re so useless. You can’t even walk steadily or toast properly.” “You should let go sooner rather than later. Don’t hold Dr. Bennett back.” My whole body stiffened. Not only did Ethan not push her away, he reached up and ruffled her hair, then turned to look at me. “Look at Vivian—thoughtful and capable. She’s so much better than you.” Familiar words, familiar tactics. I instantly recalled the past. He was always like this, deliberately being nice to other women in front of me, deliberately saying things to provoke me. All just to see me get jealous, panicked, crying and begging him not to leave. To see me become even more dependent on him, more obedient to him, like a dog tied to his side. In the past, I was afraid he would really abandon me, afraid of falling back into endless darkness. Every time I would obediently lower my head and beg for mercy, tightly clutching the corner of his clothes, following his every command. But now, I only found it laughable, and felt a bone-chilling cold. My heart was already dead. No matter how much he provoked me, it couldn’t stir the slightest ripple. I kept my eyes lowered. I didn’t cry, didn’t make a scene, and didn’t beg for mercy as I usually would. My composure completely enraged Ethan. He couldn’t stand me ignoring him like this, breaking free from his control. Irritation instantly swept through his entire body. He snatched a glass of red wine from a nearby server’s tray. Without allowing any argument, he pinched my chin and forcefully brought the wine glass to my lips. “Drink it.” I turned my head to dodge, but he roughly gripped my chin and forcibly poured it in. The harsh alcohol choked into my windpipe. I suddenly coughed violently, my whole body trembling. Tears streamed down uncontrollably, and even breathing became difficult. In the chaos, I vaguely felt his fingertips pause slightly, and a trace of extremely faint panic seemed to flash through his eyes. But that bit of panic wasn’t out of heartache—it was just his obsessive possessiveness at work. He never cared whether I was in pain, only whether I was still obedient enough, still dependent enough on him. The coughing gradually subsided. I slowly straightened up, with only one thought in my mind— I need to leave this place.
The birthday party didn’t continue. Ethan dragged me home. The burning pain in my throat hadn’t subsided, and my wrist ached and throbbed where he’d gripped it. I curled up in the passenger seat, not daring to make a sound. I just hoped to get home quickly and stay away from him. As soon as we entered the house, he let go of my hand and walked straight to the study. I supported myself against the wall and slowly made my way to the living room. Everything before my eyes was a blur—I couldn’t even see the outline of the sofa clearly. Darkness wrapped around me with a chill, swallowing me whole. In the past, I would always fearfully chase after him, softly coaxing him, begging him not to ignore me. But now, all that remained was a heart full of deathly silence. I didn’t sleep all night. The next morning, I fumbled my way out of bed. My vision was filled with blurry overlapping shadows. Unsteady on my feet, I crashed hard into the corner of the dining table. A sharp pain shot through my forehead, and warm liquid seemed to seep down along my skin. I gasped in pain and supported myself on the table for a long time before fumbling toward the drawer to get medicine. Just as I reached out my hand, my wrist was pressed down by someone. Ethan was standing in front of me at some point, holding a medicine bottle in his hand. “You didn’t obey last night, so you deserve to get hurt.” He held the medicine bottle high. “Remember, without my permission, you don’t even have the right to take medicine.” I covered my dizzy forehead, my whole body trembling uncontrollably. Years of submission were carved into my bones. Even though my heart was dead, my body still remembered fear. I bit my lip and squeezed out a sentence in a low voice. “I’m sorry. I was wrong.” Only then did he snort coldly and casually toss the medicine bottle aside. The glass bottle hit the floor and rolled somewhere unknown. “Pick it up yourself.” I knelt on the floor, fumbling randomly across the floor, my fingertips brushing through dust, utterly disheveled. And Ethan just stood there, watching me crawl on the ground like a dog. Not until I found the medicine and took it could I barely see things. Ethan knelt down and hugged me. “Nora, I didn’t mean to. I’m just afraid you’ll leave me. I just love you too much.” He held me tightly, but I only felt chilled to the bone. Before long, the doorbell rang. Vivian walked in carrying a bag. “Is Dr. Bennett not home? I came to ask about some work matters.” I moved aside to let her in and gestured for her to come in. But the next second, she poured the coffee she was holding all over me from above. My hand immediately swelled and turned red, with blisters visibly forming. Vivian immediately put on an innocent expression. “I’m so sorry, Nora. I didn’t mean to. You have vision problems, so you really shouldn’t walk around randomly.” “Otherwise you might hurt yourself again. Dr. Bennett cares about you so much—he definitely wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.” Every word she said was highlighting my uselessness, highlighting her importance in his heart. As soon as she finished speaking, Ethan walked out of the study. Seeing the mess on the floor and my red, scalded hand, he frowned. But it wasn’t directed at Vivian—he was angry at me. “Who told you to walk around? I told you, just stay put obediently and you don’t need to do anything. But you wouldn’t listen.” “Now you’re hurt. Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you again?” I was sweating all over from the pain and couldn’t say a word. But he quickly walked over and carefully examined Vivian’s hand. “Did you get burned? Are you okay?” From beginning to end, he didn’t look at me once. But when he turned to pour water for Vivian, in my blurry vision, I caught him quickly glancing at my wound. I just found it laughable. Late at night, after he fell asleep, I fumbled in the dark to the nightstand and quietly took out my backup phone. With trembling fingers, I messaged Professor Lewis in France, confirming the flight time and details of the eye experiment. Just as the message was about to send, the bedroom light suddenly turned on. Ethan was standing by the bed at some point, his eyes frighteningly sinister. He snatched my phone away. Just glimpsing the words “plane ticket” and “France,” his face instantly turned ashen. “Nora Sullivan, you want to escape?”
He suddenly smashed the phone hard on the floor. The screen shattered instantly. Then he reached out and gripped my throat tightly, with so much force I couldn’t breathe. “Let me tell you, you’ll never escape me in this lifetime!” “Even if you’re blind for life, you have to stay by my side. You can only die in front of me!” The suffocating feeling engulfed me like a tide. In my ears was his crazy roar. My vision was turning black. My hands flailed at his arm, but I couldn’t muster any strength. The fear of death seized me instantly. I jolted awake. I can’t die like this. I haven’t cured my eyes yet. I haven’t completely escaped from him. I used my last bit of strength to squeeze words from my throat. “I… I won’t run anymore…” Ethan’s hand suddenly loosened. I fell back onto the bed, gasping for air. “Really won’t run?” His eyes were sinister, still disbelieving. I nodded forcefully. “Really. I won’t leave you. I can’t live without you…” I had to stabilize him first. Only then would I have a chance. But he didn’t believe my submission at all, only taking it as false compliance. The next second, he roughly pulled me up and dragged me toward the door. I couldn’t see the way and stumbled, being forcibly dragged by him downstairs to the apartment complex. There weren’t many people in the evening, but there were still quite a few people walking around, their gazes all turning toward us. Ethan pushed me into the middle of the crowd, his voice as cold as ice. “Say it loudly: I can’t live without Ethan Bennett. I’m a worthless person who can’t live without him.” I stood frozen in place, my blood running cold. Years of inferiority, humiliation, and scenes of being laughed at by others all flooded back in an instant. I bit my lip hard, refusing to speak. “Won’t say it?” He suddenly gripped my wrist tightly. “Say it!” The surrounding chatter grew louder. Curious, contemptuous, and spectating gazes densely pierced into me. Just like all those gazes that had mocked me for my eye condition in the past—glaring and scorching. I practically shouted it out through tears, shame and humiliation completely drowning me. My whole body went limp. I could barely stand. I just wanted to escape from here as quickly as possible. “I can’t live without Ethan Bennett… I’m a worthless person who can’t live without him…” Passersby pointed and whispered, laughing, shaking their heads, talking amongst themselves. I felt like I was standing naked in front of everyone, my dignity trampled and ground to dust beneath his feet. Only then did Ethan let go with satisfaction, watching my disheveled, tear-stained appearance with pathological satisfaction in his eyes. When we got home, I was like someone whose soul had been extracted, sitting blankly on the sofa all night. In a daze, I recalled the past—how I knocked over shelves in the supermarket because I couldn’t see clearly, and was cursed at by staff who called me blind. How children in the neighborhood surrounded me, threw pebbles at me, and laughed at my crooked walk. Even distant relatives, when they saw me, would privately say I was a burden, a useless invalid. Back then, I always thought my eye condition had ruined everything. That Ethan was kind enough to take me in and care for me. He wouldn’t let me go out, so I obediently stayed home. He wouldn’t let me interact with outsiders, so I cut off all social contact. He said to take medicine on time, so I never dared miss a dose. He would watch me being mocked by others, then hold me in his arms. Saying “Don’t be afraid, I’m here,” making me increasingly dependent on him, obedient to him. He gradually cut off all my social connections and confiscated my documents. I became his possession, without self, without dignity, with only him filling my heart. But now I understand—his protection wasn’t love, it was to cage me into being more obedient. His gentleness wasn’t tenderness, it was to make me more devoted in my dependence.
From that day on, I stopped resisting him and obeyed his every command as before. When he asked me to toast at gatherings again, I no longer declined or cried and begged. People around praised how well Dr. Bennett had trained his wife. Ethan looked at me with eyes full of satisfaction at controlling everything. When he told me to stay in the room and not come out, I sat quietly by the bed, not fussing or making noise, not touching anything. When Vivian came to the house again to provoke me, deliberately dropping things at my feet and making cutting remarks. I didn’t get angry either. I just silently bent down to pick them up and even got up to pour her a cup of hot tea. “Vivian, have some tea.” Vivian was stunned for a moment and actually lost interest in continuing to make things difficult for me. Ethan saw all of this and was extremely satisfied. He felt I had finally been completely tamed, completely dependent on him, and his tense nerves gradually relaxed. He began to no longer watch me every second. Sometimes he would bring Vivian to the hospital. He would casually mention it on the phone, wanting to see me panic with jealousy. I deliberately said jealous things, and he would be overjoyed. Gradually, he returned to his previous temperament and no longer watched me constantly. Late at night, after he fell asleep, I pulled out the backup phone I’d hidden in the pillowcase. The one he’d smashed before was just a decoy. This was the one I’d secretly prepared long ago. My fingertips trembled as I fumbled across the screen, confirming tomorrow morning’s flight, the gate number, and the person who would meet me at the airport. The moment the message was successfully sent, my tense heart finally relaxed a bit. I packed the simplest luggage in the dark and hid the few documents and cash I had close to my body. Then I felt for his usual medicine bottle and emptied all the pills inside. I replaced them with identical-looking vitamin tablets and gently put it back in place. Ethan probably hadn’t seen me so obedient in so long that a trace of unease stirred in his heart. Before bed the next day, he suddenly pinched my chin, his tone probing. “Tomorrow I’ll take you to the hospital to check your eyes and see if there’s any improvement.” He wasn’t concerned about my eyes—he just wanted to check if I had any rebellious intentions. I raised my head. My vision was still blurry, but I actively reached out to hold his arm. “Okay, I’ll do whatever you say.” He completely let down his guard and pulled me into his arms, his chin resting on top of my head, his tone rarely gentle. “Nora, when I’m done with work, I’ll take you to see the ocean. You’ve always wanted to see what the sea looks like clearly, haven’t you?” I leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. There wasn’t a ripple in my heart. I just nodded lightly. “Okay, I’ll do whatever you say.” He closed his eyes wearily and soon fell into a deep sleep, but his brow was still slightly furrowed, as if even in his dreams he feared I would escape. After confirming his breathing was even and he was sleeping deeply. Only then did I dare to carefully push his hand away bit by bit. Following the route I’d memorized over countless days and nights. I fumbled my way out of bed, avoiding the bed frame, chairs, and TV cabinet, moving step by step to the bedroom door and gently closing it. Without turning on lights, without making a sound. Like a shadow, I crossed the living room alone in the darkness and opened the front door. This was the first time in so many years I’d walked out of this cage alone without his support. My vision was still blurry, but my steps had never been so determined. At the entrance to the complex, the lights of a rideshare car glowed in the night. The driver called out my name. I slowly got into the car following the sound. “To the airport.” The car started and slowly drove away, leaving that suffocating house far behind. In the bedroom, Ethan jolted awake from his dream. He reached out—the bedding beside him was ice cold and empty. His heart suddenly tightened. In a panic, he turned on the light. The glaring light illuminated the empty room. There was no sign of me anywhere. “Nora Sullivan!” He roared like a madman, rushing out barefoot, turning the bedroom, living room, and balcony upside down, leaving every corner in chaos. Finally, he saw a note on the table with my blurry, crooked handwriting. Just one line: “Ethan Bennett, I’m leaving and never coming back.”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “392095”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster
