He Called Me Blind

CHAPTER SIX — The Luna's Last Choice

CLAIRE'S POV

Isabella’s mocking laughter brushed against my ear the next second, sharp and cruel.

"I'm going to take everything from you, Claire—especially your beloved husband," she whispered with malice. "You just saw how crazy your Alpha was over me, didn't you?"

Her breath stayed light and provocative, almost amused even—like she was savoring every word—but it was highly venomous.

“I want you to know… all that hard work you put in to earn your place? I can snatch it away just like that. You’ll always be the trash beneath my feet," she added as she stepped closer to me.

I didn’t move away.

The breathy sounds I heard earlier echoed again inside my skull like some cruel, mocking melody. A part of me wanted to scream—but I didn’t.

I remembered Ethan's words outside the hospital room that day. He’d do anything for her… even lie for her. He said it himself.

I never expected they would use me this cruelly. So what was I to Ethan all those years?

A placeholder. A warm body next to his at night that he could use whenever it was convenient.

The more I thought about it, the more my chest burned. My fingers twitched at my side, trembling with restraint.

And before I could stop myself, I raised my hand.

The flat of my palm moved toward her face—firm, but not meant to injure. Just to snap her out of this cruel taunting.

But my fingers barely grazed her skin before a scream tore through the corridor.

“Ahhhh!”

THUD!

The world seemed to spin for a moment. A sudden rush of air followed—then the horrible silence.

Rushed and heavy footsteps came my way.

I staggered backward a step.

And then I sensed Ethan's presence behind me—but he rushed down the stairs almost immediately.

“Isabella!” Ethan’s voice roared from downstairs.

My pulse stuttered. I didn’t even realize I was shaking until I felt the tremble in my fingers.

“What did you do, Claire?" he snapped at me with an accusing tone.

“I didn’t—” I started to say. “I didn’t touch her—”

But no one heard me.

No one cared to listen.

I heard rushed footsteps again, and Beatrice's shocked voice tore through the air.

“Isabella! What happened?!" Her anxious voice echoed.

“Are you out of your mind?!” Neil’s voice thundered. “How dare you push my sister?!”

He rushed upstairs and slapped me hard across the face.

A violent impact exploded across my cheek, and I staggered backward from the blow.

My knees buckled, and I collapsed. The cold marble floor caught me harshly as pain flared through my jaw.

Neil’s breath was ragged with disgust. “I always knew you hated Isabella, but pushing her down the stairs? That’s monstrous, Claire. You disgust me to the core!”

“I’m... okay... Maybe I... I just lost my balance...” Isabella’s weak voice floated up faintly. “Don’t blame Claire... she didn’t mean to…”

“Stop shielding her! She already put you in that state, yet you're still protecting this b***h?!” Neil yelled beside me.

“You poor thing,” Beatrice fussed, her voice full of maternal horror. “We’ll get you to the hospital right now. She will never get to touch you again.”

I could feel the simmering anger in Ethan's wolf, but he didn’t burst out. Instead, he asked me again in a restrained tone:

“Did you really push Isabella down the stairs?"

And just like that—he threw every last ounce of his trust away.

I tried to steady my breathing as a bitter smile tugged at my lips. Cold seeped deep into my spine.

“Ethan…” I murmured slowly. “What if I told you I didn’t push her? Would you even believe me?”

Silence followed.

“Let's talk when I get back.”

That was all I got from him before they rushed outside.

My fingers curled weakly against the floor. My stomach twisted into a painful knot.

But I forced myself to sit up.

I didn’t anticipate another blow from Neil.

A sharp kick slammed into my ribs, knocking the breath from my lungs.

Then his voice spat down at me, full of rage. “Mom was right about you. You’re a curse. If only that accident had taken more than just your sight!”

For a second, the room spun. Pain radiated from my side—but I didn’t cry out.

I endured it.

The pain was too sharp—but the ache in my chest was worse.

I stayed there, curled in on myself, hearing nothing but the footsteps scrambling away.

Eventually, I forced myself upright again, using the railing for balance. My ribs screamed in protest, but I grit my teeth and kept going.

The servants hovered nearby, but none of them dared to approach. Their silence was louder than words.

I made it to my room, somehow, and collapsed onto the floor beside my bed.

For a while, I just sat there—numb—while staring at a distance.

There was no one left to fight for me. And maybe... I was done fighting, too.

I pressed a hand to my abdomen, feeling nothing. Just hollow warmth and the ache of everything I had carried for too long.

This wasn’t sudden. I had already made the decision, hadn’t I? I just hadn’t acted on it until now.

So I picked up my phone and called the driver.

“I need to go to the hospital,” I said. My voice didn’t even sound like mine.

……

It was hours later—after the driver brought me in silence—that I lay on the operating table, staring at the glaring lights above.

The hospital I went to wasn’t exclusive to the pack. It was a mixed one—open to both humans and shifters. Which meant not everyone knew who I was. Or maybe somebody did… and just chose to forget a discarded Luna.

“There's still time to change your mind,” the surgeon said gently, his voice muffled behind a mask. “Are you certain you want to proceed?”

I didn’t answer right away.

My fingers trembled as I laid a hand over my belly—one last time.

I hadn’t even heard a heartbeat. I hadn’t seen its face. But it was still mine.

A piece of me that would never open its eyes. Never be held. Never know what love should feel like.

It was supposed to be born into a family. Into warmth. Into something real.

But what future could I offer it now?

Another tear slid from the corner of my eye and disappeared into my hair.

“I’m sure,” I whispered hoarsely, choking on the lump rising in my throat.

And then… Everything went dark.

___

The aftermath was worse afterward.

Even wrapped in thick blankets, my body felt hollow—like something essential had been scraped out of me and discarded.

I curled onto my side, facing the wall, knees pulled close to my chest.

The IV drip beeped steadily behind me, a dull reminder that I was still here… still breathing… though I wasn’t sure why.

I reached blindly for the paper cup on the nightstand, but my hand knocked it over. Water spilled across the floor in a slow, creeping puddle.

I didn’t bother to clean it.

I just stayed where I was—motionless and fragile in this cold bed, my body aching in a way that had nothing to do with painkillers or broken ribs.

Outside the room, two nurses passed by in hushed conversation.

“...Such a shame. She's a very elegant woman. I think she’s blind.”

“Is she? I thought she was just quiet. She didn’t even flinch when we adjusted her IV.”

“I heard she came alone. No one visited her. Do you think she’s… mentally unstable?”

“Could be. Some women just snap after things like that. Poor thing.”

“You know what’s odd though?” I heard the other voice whisper. “One of the staff said she might’ve been married to someone really powerful. Like… a high-profile man from some elite family.”

“Pfft, and look where that got her. Alone in a hospital room. Can’t be that powerful.”

Their voices faded away down the hall, swallowed by the silence.

They didn’t know who I was.

To them, I was just another fragile woman in a hospital bed.

Not the Luna of a powerful pack.

Not the woman who had just chosen to let go of the life growing inside her.

Just a shadow. A broken, quiet shadow.

And still—I didn’t cry.

Not because I was strong.

But because whatever part of me could feel that deeply had already broken.

And what was left behind… wasn’t soft anymore.