The Broken Bonds

My husband, Ryan Bailey, insisted that I donate my cornea to his childhood friend.

When I refused, he became enraged. "Sophie Young is an art teacher. She can't afford to have any problems with her eyesight. Why are you being so selfish?"

"If I had known you'd react this way, I would have never married you!" I shot back, my emotions boiling over.

Ryan then began to show affection toward Sophie right in front of me, declaring their love. Heartbroken, I ripped up my pregnancy test results and scheduled an appointment for an abortion.

Later, after Ryan's company went bankrupt, he sought me out everywhere, begging for reconciliation. I let him stand in the rain until he was soaked and shivering, completely ignoring him. I was determined to repay him for every humiliation he had put me through.

"Ella Wilson, it's just a cornea. If you agree to donate it, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life. I'll be your eyes," Ryan said gently, holding my hand. Each word sent chills down my spine.

Just because Sophie had lost her vision, he expected me to sacrifice mine. I pulled my hand away, my tone icy. "I won't donate it. Find someone else."

She may need a cornea, but how could I live without mine?

Seeing the situation turn against her, Sophie clung to Ryan's suit and sobbed, "I'm so sorry. It's my fault for coming between you two. I guess I'll have to live without sight."

Ryan frowned as he wiped her tears away, a look of anguish on his face that I had never witnessed before. "Ella, don't be stubborn. Sophie's eyesight is vital for her teaching. Do you even understand how important this is?"

"You don't even have a steady job! Why not help her out?" I shot back.

I looked at him in disbelief. How could he say that?

Sophie smirked at his words, pressing herself against Ryan and entirely ignoring my presence. I couldn't help but retort, "With how close you two are, anyone would think she's your wife."

Sophie froze, then dramatically covered her eyes and started crying. "I didn't mean it! He's always been there for me, and I've grown so dependent on him."

Ha! As if I would believe that. "You two must be close enough to share a bed, right?"

At that, Ryan yelled angrily, "Ella. What do you mean by that?"

"Just because you had a rough upbringing doesn't mean you can question our relationship." His words struck me hard, like a sharp dagger.

My parents divorced when I was young, and I faced many challenges growing up. When Ryan learned about my past, he promised to be my family.

Now he wielded that very same story against me. Tears welled up in my eyes.

Realizing his mistake, Ryan awkwardly reached out to wipe my tears. I turned away, wanting to create distance. "Leave me alone."

His expression turned cold, resentment radiating from him. As a public company CEO, he had never experienced such treatment before. He locked eyes with me before pulling Sophie into a passionate kiss. I watched, feeling utterly numb.

"There are condoms in the drawer. Make sure to use one-safety first," I called out as he stormed out.

Sophie supposedly went blind recently, but the fact that she was fully dressed and lightly made up made me suspicious.

No matter what, I wasn't going to donate my cornea.

I glanced down at the crumpled pregnancy test results in my hand. Since our engagement, Ryan had constantly asked more of me, never caring about my exhaustion or pain.

Finally, I had a child.

I had initially planned to share the news with him today, but now it didn't seem necessary.

I picked up my phone and scheduled an abortion for that evening.

In the spare bedroom, I stared at the room full of baby items, lost in thought. When Ryan loved me the most, he had gone all out to create the perfect nursery, complete with a starry ceiling, a high-quality wooden crib, and every conceivable item for mother and baby.

He would hold me close, the scent of his light, woody cologne filling my senses. "Ella, once the baby is born, I'll love them with all my heart."

But those sweet words had faded into nothingness.

I drove to the hospital alone and signed the consent form. The nurse asked if my family was nearby. "After the procedure, you won't be able to move around easily. It's best if you have someone with you." Her eyes were filled with sympathy as she looked at me.

I hesitated, my finger hovering over the message I had drafted for Ryan, finally telling him about the abortion.

Just so he'd remember to come see the baby one last time.

Yet, even after the procedure was done, he never arrived.

The nurse said I was weak and recommended I stay in the hospital for observation.

Lying on the hospital bed, I scrolled through my phone and happened to see Sophie's social media post. "My big brother loves me the most. He hasn't left my side since he found out I was hurt."

The photo was blurry, but I could vaguely see her wrist, bruised with two bright red scratches.

I quietly gave the post a like.

She'd added me just to show off, hadn't she?

I stared at my phone. Any moment now, Ryan's call would come through, just as expected. It was always the same.

Whenever we interacted, he would, without fail, criticize me and defend his precious childhood sweetheart.

Ella, you're acting up again, aren't you? Sophie can't see; I'm just taking care of her. What's your problem now?

She can't see, yet she knows exactly how to apply blush and foundation, looking perfectly flawless.

I looked around the empty hospital room and let out a bitter laugh. "The baby's gone. Just like you wanted."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before he bit out angrily, "That's impossible. I haven't touched you in ages; there's no way you were pregnant!"

He could believe whatever he wanted.

With a click, I ended the call and ignored him.

The anesthesia hadn't fully worn off, and I drifted into a haze. I didn't know how long I'd slept before faint voices reached my ears.

It sounded like Sophie and Ryan.

"What do we do now? Sister Ella got rid of the baby. Our plan is ruined. Sophie may never regain her sight."

Ryan gave a cold snort, turning to console Sophie. "I'd thought we could use the baby to control her-wait until she gave birth, then take her cornea. It's her fault; she's so unreasonable, going and aborting the baby!"

A sharp pain twisted through my heart. I slowly opened my eyes to see Ryan's angry face looming over me.

"Ella! How dare you? That was our child-how could you just get rid of it?"

His eyes were red as he clutched the ultrasound report tightly. "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? I'm the father, after all."

I studied the man before me, suddenly realizing I didn't know him at all.

The person who had once wanted to raise a child with me had only wanted to use the baby to tie me down.

"Why would I tell you? So you could take my cornea? So you could use the child to control me?"

Ryan's face paled, and his clenched fists loosened.

"You... heard all of that?"

I struggled to sit up, looking at him with detached indifference. "You're not fit to be a father."

"Take your little childhood sweetheart and get out of my sight." He wanted to say something, but Sophie tugged on his sleeve, complaining that her wrist hurt. With a cold snort, Ryan scooped her up in front of me and walked out the door without looking back.

I scrolled through my phone and contacted a private lawyer. I needed him to pull some strings and investigate Sophie. The matter of the cornea surely wasn't over yet. I had to protect myself.

As I suspected, the truth was as I had imagined. Sophie wasn't blind at all; she was out and about shopping, unaffected by any supposed condition.

So why was she pretending to be blind? And why was she insisting on my cornea?

After much thought, I decided to tell Ryan about this. He couldn't continue being deceived.

As soon as I stepped out of the hospital doors, a hurried figure bumped into me, nearly knocking me unbalanced.

The woman's sunglasses shattered, and she turned to glare at me. At that moment, our eyes met, and I saw the panic deep within hers.

"Sophie! You're not blind! Why did you lie to take my cornea?" I lunged forward, gripping her clothes tightly, refusing to let her go.

She looked away in panic, too nervous even to meet my gaze. Beside her was a young boy, reaching around to find his cane.

As I hesitated, she grabbed the child and fled, leaving me no time to react.

I rubbed my sore ankle, ready to chase after her, but suddenly, a force held me back.

"Everyone's watching you-don't you think you've embarrassed yourself enough?"

It was Ryan.

Panicking, I took out the evidence, eager to prove that Sophie was a fraud. But before I could say anything, I heard the murmurs of the surrounding onlookers, their judgmental whispers surrounding me.

"She ran into a blind person and is still yelling at her. This woman has no sense of decency."

"Yeah, she scared that poor girl off and won't let it go. It's outrageous!"

Upon hearing this, Ryan frowned deeply and asked me quietly what I had done.

"No, she's not blind. We definitely made eye contact..."

Before I could finish, Sophie stumbled between us, her voice breaking as she addressed Ryan.

She even removed her sunglasses, revealing her empty, vacant eyes staring straight ahead.

"Sister-in-law, I didn't expect to run into you like this. I'm sorry," she said, trying to kneel. Everyone thought I had bullied her.

Ryan was infuriated.

"I've put up with you because you're my wife! If you would rather not donate, that's fine, but now you're harassing Sophie!"

He raised his foot and kicked me in the stomach, the pain nearly making me faint.

The body I had just started to recover was showing signs of bleeding again.

Weakly, I reached out, hoping Ryan would at least notice me and take me to the emergency room.

But he didn't.

Sophie stood in front of me, complaining that her stomach hurt and that she wanted to go home with him.

"Ella, I warn you not to play any tricks. If you do, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The two of them strutted away as I lay trembling on the ground outside the hospital.

Finally, an elderly woman passing by helped me to the emergency room.

The bleeding and pain were nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

I gritted my teeth and called my lawyer, asking him to draft a divorce agreement immediately and ensure that Ryan would cover all my medical bills.

After nearly two weeks of recovery, I returned home, gathered my things, and headed straight for Sophie.

I didn't need to contact Ryan; I knew he would definitely be with her.

Today was Sophie's birthday.

She was among the crowd in a delicate dress, looking joyful. When she noticed I had arrived, she gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

"Ryan, you've been so worried about me that you won't leave me alone. Please don't be upset, Sophie-"

I clenched my jaw and raised my hand, delivering a sharp slap.

Five red finger marks quickly appeared on her pale face.

Ryan was furious; he couldn't bear to see her treated like this, and stormed over with an angry expression.

I knew I couldn't take him on, so I grabbed a nearby ceramic plate and hurled it at him.

"Ella, stop! Are you out of your mind?"

Yes, I was out of my mind-I wanted these two to face consequences!

I picked up an ashtray and threw it at Sophie. She instinctively caught it and set it down on the table.

I couldn't help but smirk sarcastically. "Miss Sophie, what excellent eyesight. You can catch a small ashtray, so it seems you don't need the cornea after all."

She froze, stammering and unable to respond, before bursting into tears.

Ryan, heartbroken, held her close, his words dripping with blame aimed at me.

"What's wrong with you? Today is Sophie's birthday. Why are you acting so bitter?"

I pulled out the divorce agreement my lawyer had prepared and shoved it into his hands.

Without even glancing at it, he tossed it into the nearby trash.

"Do you think I don't know what you really want? You just want my money and my attention."

He was giving himself way too much credit.

Only after I slapped him again did he finally listen to me.

"Your kick made me unable to have children. I'll hate you for the rest of my life."

Ryan paused, shock crossing his face as he looked down at my abdomen.

In the past, he had also wanted children.

"If the baby had been born, they wouldn't want to see us like this."

Sophie stood beside him, a slight smirk on her lips, clearly delighted.

She was eager for our divorce to happen as soon as possible.

"Ryan, they say that a forced relationship never bears sweet fruit. Since she would rather not be with you, why not just let her go?"

Ryan's veins bulged as he clenched his jaw, a defiant sneer on his lips as he picked up a pen and signed his name.

"Ella, remember to face the consequences of your words. From now on, we are no longer connected."