Chapter 1
Noah Grant had been blind for three years while I had been his personal "guide dog".
On Thanksgiving Day, after wrapping up my last designated driving job, I headed to the club to pick him up, with a box of his favorite cupcakes still in my hands.
But when I opened the private room door, I found the man who supposedly couldn't even locate his own water glass gripping a pool cue and running the table without missing a shot. The room erupted in cheers.
My best friend, Summer Lawson, handed him a drink, laughing until her shoulders shook. "Mr. Grant, that eyesight of yours looks pretty damn sharp. Since when could a blind man play pool like a pro?"
Noah took the glass and drained it in one gulp, every movement practiced and dead accurate. "Keeping up the blind act is exhausting. It's Thanksgiving Day, so I figured I deserved one night off."
Summer rolled her eyes. "When we bet on whether Julia would give up her graduate school spot for a blind man who had lost his place as an heir, I thought she would bail. Instead, she really stayed and played nursemaid for you. I lost the bet, so dinner is on me tonight."
Noah chuckled, spinning a lighter between his fingers. "A stubborn woman like her only needs a little sweetness to keep her hooked. But three years is plenty. I'm done with this charade. I'll 'see again' tomorrow."
The cupcake box in my hands crumpled beneath my grip.
I had worked three jobs every day to pay for his treatment, burying myself under $110,000 in debt. So this was what all those years of hard work had bought me. I had been nothing more than a chip on their betting table.
I packaged up the recording and sent it to the Grant family's illegitimate son, who had been hunting for dirt he could use against Noah. Then I called my advisor.
"Prof. Cole, about that exchange student spot you mentioned, can I still put my name down?"
I stood in the shadows, my voice so steady it hardly sounded like mine.
My advisor fell silent for a beat, then sounded unsure. "Julia, didn't you say Noah couldn't be left alone, so you had to stay home and look after him?"
I glanced at the private room down the hall, its door left slightly ajar. Golden light slipped through the gap, revealing Noah raising a glass with Summer, laughing like he hadn't a care in the world.
"He doesn't need me anymore."
I turned my eyes away, my voice flat and unwavering.
"The spot is still yours, but all your paperwork has to be in the department office by 10 a.m. tomorrow. Can you make it?"
"I can. Thank you, Prof. Cole."
I hung up without storming into the room to confront those two jerks. Adults knew better than to cling to a losing hand. Once I realized I had backed the wrong horse, I wasn't about to keep betting on it.
I walked to the trash can at the end of the hall and tossed in the box of still-warm cupcakes, along with the three years of love I had wasted on a man who never deserved it.
I got back to my rented apartment and dragged the suitcase out from under the bed. I packed my passport, transcript, certificates of achievement, and everything else that was mine, folding each piece with care.
At 2 a.m., the familiar tapping of a white cane sounded outside the door.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The sound came closer, then stopped at my door. A key turned, and the door opened. Noah leaned on his cane, his eyes vacant as he groped along the wall for the light switch.
"Jules? Are you home?"
His voice had that perfect blend of weariness and dependence. I sat on the couch, watching his little performance without an ounce of warmth.
3 hours ago, I would have hurried over to steady him, helped him out of his shoes, and asked if his head was hurting again. Now, the sight of him made my stomach churn.
I said nothing. I picked up a glass of hot milk and put it on the very edge of the coffee table. If he followed his usual route, he was bound to knock it over.
Noah felt his way toward me. Right before reaching the coffee table, he shifted sideways, gliding neatly past the hot milk.
I snorted inwardly. On the outside, I quickly softened my voice and got up to greet him. "Noey, you're back."
Noah folded himself into my arms, resting his chin on my shoulder. "I went to the hospital for a checkup today. The doctor said there still isn't any sign that my optic nerves are recovering."
He sighed, sounding utterly defeated. "Jules, am I really going to be blind for the rest of my life?"
I lowered my gaze to the hand resting around my waist. "Of course not. The doctor said as long as you stick with the treatment, there's always hope."
Noah chuckled softly, winding a strand of my hair around his finger. "Summer came to see me today. She said you're working three jobs every day and running yourself ragged. She wanted me to let you go."
He paused, his voice suddenly laced with condescension. "But I told her you can't live without me. You're so stubborn. Who else would want you?"
I stared into those eyes that wore deception so well.
For three years, I had taken on $110,000 of debt in my own name to cover his treatment. He thought playing blind meant he could sit back and enjoy being waited on without guilt, while tossing me the occasional crumb of affection from his pedestal.
I pulled out my phone and typed a message to my lawyer without looking down. I sent over every receipt and IOU from the past three years and asked for the debt to be legally transferred to the debtor immediately.
"Of course. How could I ever leave you?" I set my phone face down on the table, my voice soft.
Noah seemed satisfied with my answer. He pulled a neatly folded sheet of A4 paper from his pocket and held it out to me.
"Since you've decided to stay and take care of me, sign this."
I took the paper and unfolded it.
Statement of Voluntary Withdrawal from Graduate School.
