She Stole My life

Chapter 3: His Promise to Me

Amal's POV

I finally recovered from the bombshell he had just dropped.

"No, you are not going anywhere," I snapped, making him flinch a little while my father shot me a scowl.

"I'm sorry for shouting," I said, lowering my head. "But he can't leave, Daddy."

"Who said he is leaving?" my father retorted.

The boy lifted his head and turned towards the direction of my father's voice even though he could not see him.

"You are not going anywhere, boy. You look about sixteen or seventeen years old, which means you are still too young to live on your own. Even if you are eighteen, I still won't let you leave in your condition. You will remain under my care until your family finds you okay?"

He nodded quietly.

"Thank you."

My mother looked at us, her eyes shining with warmth.

"You've already met my wife, Maria, the community healer, my daughter Amal, and me, Jefferson Stover. Since you can't remember your name, I'll call you Jason. Is that alright with you, boy?"

"Yes, sir," he replied.

"You can call me Daddy, just like Amal does."

"And you can call me Mummy," my mother added.

He smiled a little, and somehow that small smile made him look even more handsome.

My mother seemed to catch me staring because she looked at me with an amused smile.

Out of embarrassment, I quickly stood up with the excuse of taking the plates into the kitchen.

I didn't come out again until I heard my mother calling that they were leaving for the farm.

Once they were gone, I walked back to the sitting room.

Jason seemed to sense my presence before I even spoke.

Without saying a word, I reached out my hand to him, and he slipped his fingers into mine before standing up.

I led him into my room, showing him my books, my novels, and the few toys my parents had bought for me over the years.

I even introduced him to Joy, my teddy bear, whom I couldn't sleep without. He smiled while holding it carefully in his hands and nodded as though he was greeting an old friend.

He liked touching everything I introduced to him even though he couldn't see any of it.

Later, I took him to most of my favourite places around the village.

Luckily, my best friend, Crystal, had returned from the city and joined us, making the day even more fun, although she couldn't seem to take her eyes off Jason.

She kept complimenting how handsome and athletic he looked, but the moment she sighed and said it was such a pity that he was blind, something inside me changed.

Her words didn't sit well with me at all.

For the first time since we became friends, I found myself getting angry with Crystal.

I ended our outing much earlier than we usually would and walked home with Jason.

On our way back, we stopped by the beach.

We sat side by side, watching the sun slowly sink into the horizon while I told him everything about myself, from my favourite food to my favourite hobby and how watching the sunset had always been my favourite part of the day.

Jason wasn't much of a talker, but he was a wonderful listener.

He never interrupted me, yet somehow he made me feel like every word I said was worth listening to, and before I knew it, I had talked far more than I intended, just like the chatterbox I had always been.

Then I looked at him and asked,

"What is your greatest wish in life?"

"I wish to regain my sight," he answered without hesitation, "so I can finally see your face."

His answer caught me completely by surprise.

I had expected him to say he wanted to regain his memory or find his family.

He slowly reached out and touched my face as though he was trying to memorise every curve with his fingertips.

I could feel my cheeks growing warmer.

I quickly covered my face with both hands before peeking at him through my fingers, only to find him smiling brightly.

It wasn't his usual faint smile.

This one reached his eyes and somehow made him look even more handsome, making my face grow even hotter.

Then he gently held my hand.

"Thank you," he whispered. "For saving me... and for defending me."

I stared at him in surprise because I hadn't realised he had heard what Crystal said earlier.

"I should be the one apologising," I murmured.

He simply shook his head.

"I've already accepted that I'm blind," he said calmly. "So it doesn't really hurt when people say it."

Even after hearing that, I couldn't stop the guilt that continued gnawing at my heart.

I rested my head gently against his shoulder while we watched the sun disappear beneath the sea, leaving a golden reflection dancing across the water before darkness slowly took its place.

Neither of us spoke again until I heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"Amal. Jason."

I turned around and saw my father walking towards us.

I stood up and helped Jason to his feet before we both walked over to him.

My father wrapped an arm around each of us before taking out a walking cane and placing it into Jason's hand.

"This will help you move around more easily, especially when no one is with you."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"You're welcome, son."

The three of us walked home together, chatting happily while Jason quietly listened and laughed whenever one of us said something amusing.

That was how I spent the rest of my holidays with Jason.

When school resumed, leaving him behind every morning felt like torture, and the closing bell became my favourite sound of the day because it meant I could finally rush home to him.

When I discovered how intelligent he was, I couldn't stop admiring him.

We spent hours studying together, and whenever I struggled to understand something, he patiently explained it to both Crystal and me whenever she came to visit.

Every evening, we returned to the beach to watch another sunset together, and before we realised it, months had passed.

Christmas was just around the corner when news spread through the village that a wealthy family was searching for their missing son.

As usual, the mayor brought them to our house to meet Jason.

Just like every family before them, we thought they would leave disappointed.

Instead, they looked at Jason, screamed.

"He is our young master!"

The words caught all of us off guard.

The room fell silent as my father and mother exchanged glances.

I slowly turned to look at Jason, who seemed just as stunned as the rest of us.

The photographs, his birth certificate, and every other document they brought proved that they were indeed his real family.

I cried harder than I ever had before.

That was when I realised just how important we had become to each other.

Since they arrived late, they spent the night at the community visitors' house.

That evening, we watched our last sunset together.

We shared our last dinner as one family, and even my mother couldn't hide her tears anymore while my father did his best to keep all of us together.

For the first time, Jason and I slept in the same bed, holding onto each other as we waited for morning to come.

Neither of us wanted the night to end.

Sleep only found us in the early hours of the morning before my mother came to wake us.

I helped Jason get dressed before his family's butler arrived.

He brought a large bag filled with money, but my parents politely refused it.

They offered to sponsor my education.

My parents wanted to refuse again, but Jason gently persuaded them.

"Please accept it," he said. "Amal is too intelligent to let her talent go to waste."

He had always reminded me how smart he believed I was and how much he wanted me to continue my education and achieve my dreams.

The butler handed me a stamped piece of paper with an address, contact details, and Jason’s real name which is Jordan Morgan.

"When you finish high school and come to the city, contact us so we can arrange everything for your admission."

I carefully folded the paper and tucked it safely into my pocket.

When I escorted Jason to the convoy of luxurious cars waiting outside, he turned towards me.

"I'll come back for you once I regain my sight."

I suddenly remembered something.

"Wait here."

I ran back into my room and searched through my drawer until I found the only photograph I owned.

It was a picture of Crystal and me.

I hurried back and placed it carefully into his hand.

"I want you to know what I look like when you can finally see again."

We hugged each other one last time before saying our goodbyes.

I stood there long after the convoy disappeared from sight.

As I watched the last car become smaller and smaller until it was gone, I couldn't shake the strange feeling that it would be the last time I would ever see him.