[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603226F4B86-346":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},346,7,"Chapter 7: \"Was I Blind for Three Years?\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I landed a job.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Front desk at a five-star hotel in the Financial District. The position came with a decent salary, a full benefits package, and a staff apartment on the twenty-second floor. From my floor-to-ceiling window, I could see the entire city skyline.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I stood in the doorway of my studio unit for a long time after I first walked in.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It felt good. I didn't have to wait for anyone to come home anymore.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Five days later, my mother called.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Bradley actually jumped into the river.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I gripped my phone, watching the traffic below crawl across the overpass like glowing fireflies.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"If the local polar bear club hadn't pulled him out, he’d be dead. Aren't you going to check on him?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"No.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">There was silence on the other end for a few seconds.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Where are you living now? Just come home. You just had that miscarriage, your hormones are all over the place—let me take care of you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I found a job. It includes housing and meals.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"But your health hasn't recovered.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m a receptionist at a luxury hotel,\" I said, catching my reflection in the glass. My uniform was pressed, and my hair was pinned back in a meticulous, professional bun. \"I’m not tired. I can take care of myself.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The only thing I was tired of was the emotional weight. Now that I had finally left Bradley Lawrence, I could breathe.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I hung up.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After my night shift, I headed back to the apartment and scrolled through my feed. A candid photo was going viral. Bradley was lying in a hospital bed, his face ashen, his lips cracked and dry, his eyes sunken into deep, dark sockets.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey Rose was sitting by the bedside, wiping him down.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The comments were relentless:\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Heard he jumped into the river on that day it hit 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Spent five minutes in the ice water before he was hauled out. He’s got pneumonia and hypothermia; he nearly didn't make it.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Lacey’s been guarding his bed for three days and three nights. If that’s not true love, then what was his ex-wife to him?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What was she? A joke. Bradley cheated with Lacey for three years. His wife leaves right after a miscarriage, he turns around and jumps into a river for sympathy, and his wife doesn't even show up. Now the mistress has taken his place.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"The guys from his law firm were outside the room laughing at him. He didn't get his wife back, he ruined his reputation, destroyed his health, and ended up with nothing.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Rumor has it the first thing he asked when he woke up was, 'Where’s my wife?' Lacey started crying right there.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"He deserves it. Should’ve thought about that sooner.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I locked my phone. Outside, the city lights flickered, the metropolis breathing in a quiet, steady rhythm.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">***\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">After Bradley regained consciousness, he scrolled through his social media feed. His face darkened. He looked up at Lacey.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Did you post these?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her smile stiffened. \"What?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His voice was cold. \"Besides you, who else would have been able to get these photos?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey’s eyes welled up with red-rimmed tears. \"Bradley, I’ve stayed by your side for three days and nights, and this is how you interrogate me the moment you wake up?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You posted these to show the world that you’ve finally secured your spot?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey’s face went pale.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Bradley, what is that supposed to mean?\" She began to sob. \"You almost died in that river. Did she even come to look at you once? I was the one who stayed, who took care of you. And this is how you treat me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley looked up, his gaze as cold as frost.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"She did come.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey froze. \"What?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"She came back. That day—the day I pulled you in to kiss you? She was right there in the elevator.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey’s face drained of all color.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"She watched me kiss you,\" Bradley muttered, his lip curling in a self-deprecating sneer. \"She watched me hold you, watched me pull you into the car. She saw us.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He stopped, unable to continue.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey stepped back, trembling. \"Bradley, are you feeling sorry for her?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Wasn't it you who said, 'At worst, we just get a divorce'?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Enough.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He cut her off, closing his eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey stared at him for a few seconds before she suddenly let out a hysterical laugh, tears streaming down her face. \"Bradley Lawrence, do you have any conscience at all? I’ve been with you for three years!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He opened his eyes and stared at her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You’ve been with me for three years. But she spent seven years with me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey bit her lip, her tears falling. \"So what? She doesn't want you anymore, does she?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bradley watched her in silence, his expression making Lacey’s skin crawl.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Why are you looking at me like that?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I’m just wondering,\" he whispered. \"Was I blind for those three years?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Lacey’s composure shattered completely.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Bradley Lawrence, you’re a bastard!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She grabbed her bag and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The hospital room went quiet. He opened his eyes, pulled out his phone, and tapped on the chat window with Wesley Cole.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Tell me what happened the day she came back.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The \"typing\" indicator flickered for a long time. Then, a long, heavy message popped up.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272924560]