When My Eyes Opened Again Chapter 03
Back at the villa, Brady supported me with gentle care all the way, yet his other hand remained tightly clasped with Carmen’s fingers.
The nanny hurried over from afar to greet them, saying to Carmen:
“Mrs. Voss, you’re finally back! The baby woke up just now and started crying again when he didn’t see you…”
Brady frowned and cut her off: “Who are you calling ‘Mrs. Voss’?”
Only then did the nanny notice I was there. Slapping her forehead, she quickly corrected herself and said to me:
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Voss! Look at me, going senile. I had an urgent matter for Ms. Jenkins, but seeing you arrive flustered me, and I accidentally called Ms. Jenkins ‘Mrs. Voss.”
Brady shot her a warning glance: “Get out of here. Make a clumsy mistake like that again, and you won’t see a penny of your year-end bonus.”
Then, he personally helped me sit down on the sofa.
“Chloe, rest here for a moment. I’ll go check how your room is being prepared.”
Yet he didn’t turn to head upstairs. Instead, he exchanged a smile with Carmen, tenderly clasped her fingers in his, and walked with her into the nursery.
I looked around the house I hadn’t seen in so long, only to find that all the travel photos Brady and I had taken growing up, our postcards, gifts, and carefully curated ornaments had all been replaced by wedding portraits of him and Carmen, alongside pictures of their baby.
Set in the most prominent spot was a family portrait of him, Carmen, and the child.
They smiled so brightly in the photo, looking just like any ordinary, blissful family of three.
Swallowing the bitter ache in my chest, I used the micro-camera hidden in my button to photograph all the evidence, piece by piece.
After who knows how long, fireworks began going off in the courtyard outside, and Brady and Carmen finally emerged from the nursery.
“Ah, it’s the 1st birthday fireworks for Ethan!”
Carmen wrapped her arms around Brady’s waist and spoke excitedly, even offering an invitation as she walked past me:
“Why don’t you come watch the fireworks with us, Mrs. Voss—”
But then she suddenly seemed to realize something and covered her mouth apologetically.
“I’m sorry, I forgot Mrs. Voss can’t see anything right now…”
Amused by her guilty expression, Brady affectionately squeezed her fingers.
He mouthed to her, “It’s fine.”
Only then did he remember to ask me: “Chloe, shall I help you up to your room to rest?”
I shook my head and pushed myself up with my white cane. “Go ahead with what you’re doing. I can make it upstairs myself.”
With Carmen clinging tightly to his waist, Brady made no move to help me, only calling out after me:
“I had milk prepared in your room. Don’t forget to drink it.”
Standing in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window in my room, I could clearly see fireworks bursting across the sky, weaving into a cartoon outline of a family of three.
Soon after, the image shifted into a line of words: Wishing Ethan a happy 1st birthday and a lifetime free of sorrow.
It was so dazzling and bright, the sounds deafening.
It looked just like the night Brady confessed his feelings to me.
Under the same sky filled with fireworks, he had gazed at me with sparkling eyes, his hands trembling slightly with nervousness.
After we made things official, he had pulled me tightly into his embrace, his voice brimming with excitement and undeniable tenderness as he said:
“I’ve decided, Chloe. In the future, we’ll name our child Ethan.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to be with you and our baby forever, in eternal companionship.”
Yet our child had long been aborted, drugged by him after my accident.
And the child he had with Carmen was named after that very same eternity.
The fireworks lasted for a full hour before ending, and the glass of milk spiked by Brady beside my hand had grown completely cold.
I got up and poured every drop of the milk down the bathroom drain.
Then, near the bedroom door, I overheard hushed voices coming from the hallway:
“Babe, be careful. Mrs. Voss is still here. What if she hears or sees us?”
Brady’s breathing was ragged, his voice tinged with hoarseness:
“Don’t worry, darling. She can’t see a thing, and I gave her sleeping pills so I have the whole night to make it up to you.”
The rustle of clothes followed, but Carmen stopped him once again.
“I never agreed to this kind of compensation… Honey, my brother wants to start a business recently. Could you help invest a little…?”
Brady scoffed, “Your brother?
Why are you still in contact with him?”
“Three years ago, he pulled that bastard move and ruined Chloe. Wasn’t it enough that I spared him for your sake? Now he has you coming to ask me for money again?”
A violent shudder struck the depths of my heart.
Carmen’s brother… the driver from back then…
The memories of that night three years ago, which I had deliberately suppressed, surged back into my mind—he was the one who pushed me to the brink and nearly destroyed my entire life.
Hadn’t Brady repeatedly promised me that he would bring him to justice?
He lied to me…
How could he lie to me about this!
My hands trembled uncontrollably.
The glass in my hand slipped and hit the plush carpet, letting out a soft, dull thud.
The conversation outside abruptly ceased, followed by Brady’s chilly voice:
“Chloe?”