In Darkness and Despair
Chapter 1
“Aldry, the donor just backed out. You have to beg, Eric and ask for his help. Your eyes can’t wait any longer.”
Abigail Heed was packing her hospital bag when her best friend, Jacinta Bennett, called. The news struck Abigail hand, loving her mind blank and her vision swimming in darkness.
When she finally came to her senses, she gripped her phone tightly, her voice shaky as she asked, “Why did they change their mind? Isn’t there any way to talk to them again? 1.-L.”
Her words faltered, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her shirt.
Eric Gomez’s cold, distant expression flashed throughs her mind, and a heavy weight settled in her chest. He wouldn’t help her, not after what happened
back then
Eric loathed Abigall–se mach so that, in three years of marriage, he had treated her as if she were Invisible.
How could be possibly help her?
“Abby, I can’t reach the donor. They insisted on keeping their information confidential. You need to find Erie right away. Ask him for help. Your surgery needs to happen no later than early next month.”
At some point, the call had ended, but Jacinta’s words kept echoing in Abigail’s mind, tightening the tension in her chest.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. A tall fine appeared in the dimly lit entryway, his sharp features cast in shadow, exuding a cold, imposing presence that made Abigail’s breath hitch.
“Eric Abigail snapped out of her thoughts and moved toward him.
As she got closer, the strong scent of alcohol hit her. Eric lowered his gaze and shot her an icy glance before suddenly pinning her against the wall.
“You”
Before she could finish speaking, Eric suddenly swept her into his arms and strode toward the room
With a powerful kick, he slammed the door open and unceremoniously threw Abigail onto the bed. He then leaned over her, his lips crashing onto ber collarbone with a furious intensity, as though releasing his pent–up Inestration.
His cold, lifeless gaze looned above her, making her heart race. “What happened, Erich
Eric remained silent. Abigail felt her vision going dark. Her eyes were failing her again.
In the past few days, her eyesight had been worsening at an alarming rate. What once occurred only a few times a month had now become a frequent affliction, hitting her every couple of days. No matter how much medication she took, it was impossible to halt the decline
In her hary state, Abigail managed to glance up at Eric. Through her blurred vision, his features seemed cloaked in shadow and exceptionally cold.
Abigail curled weakly to one side, waiting for the pain in her eyes to subside.
Perhaps her fragile state stirred a rare flicker of sympathy in Eric. Unlike usual, he didn’t pull away but instead gently brushed the damp strands of hair from her temple.
“We’ve been married for three years, yet you’re still like this,” he murmured. Then, as though realizing something, his expression darkened once more.
Abigail closed her eyes, knowing that he was thinking about the past.
The silence between them stretched on until the sudden ringing of a phone cut through the stillness.
Eric swiftly picked the phone up. The phone screen flashed in front of Abigail, revealing a familiar, unforgettable number. It was his true love, Nicole Hopkins.
you come and
The call connected, and a woman’s trembling, sobs came through the line. “I. I can’t see again. I’m so scared. Will I be blind forever? Can you stay with me?”
Eric sat up abruptly and assured Nicole, “Don’t be afraid. A comes donor has been found, and your surgery will be arranged in the next couple of days.”
A thought flickered in Abigail’s mind, but it vasished before she could grasp it.
“Didn’t the hospital say I wasn’t next in line yet? Nicole asked sloptically.
“I’ll have someone inform the patient that the donor backed out at the last minute,” Eric said.
Abigail was stunned by the revelation. The donor hadn’t backed out; Eric had intercepted it.
Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the man standing by the bed, pulling on his shirt.
The smoky gray trousers clung perfectly to his long legs, the tailored suit framing his figure with precision. Standing against the light, his face was shadowed, making him seem undamiliar and menacing
“I’m heading over now. Don’t wander around the house,” Eric Instructed before hanging up the call.
Chapter 1
Before he could step away, Abigail stood up to block his path. “Walt! You… you stole someone else’s cornea? How could you do that?”
Eric stared at her, his face devoid of emotion, as if waiting to see what tricks she might try to pull.
Abigail’s mind was a chaotic mess and she found it hard to breathe. “How could you do this? It’s unethical, and if-”
“Unethical?” Eric cut her off.
Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and grabbed her chin, his grip firm and unyielding With a cold sneer, he said, “What right do you have to talk about ethics? Nicole’s eyesight problems started because of the medicine from your family’s company. Why are you pretending to be a saint, Abigail?”
Abigall shook her head desperately, but no words came out.
The Reed family had been doctors for three generations. Under her father’s leadership, their pharmaceutical company had flourished like never before, developing dozens of groundbreaking treatments beloved by patients.
Five years ago, a scandal erupted. News broke that one of the Reed Corporation’s drugs caused blindness, and her father, Conner Reed, was accused of embezzlement.
The fallout was devastating. The family was plunged into ruin, and Connor took his own life by jumping from a building. Nicole had been one of the victims of that scandal.
Abigail forced a bitter smile, a thought suddenly surfacing in her mind. “If I lost my sight, would you be this anxious about me? Would you help me find a come?”
Eric gave a mocking laugh before responding, “Never. If you went blind, it would be nothing more than the punishment you deserve. And don’t bother with these pathetic mind games. You’ll never be as good as Nicole ”
Abigail’s lips trembled slightly. The tightly wound strings of her heart, stretched taut for five long years, suddenly snapped.
She stared at him blankly and said calmly, “Eric, let’s get a divorce.”
