Chapter 2

“Mr. Allen,” she said again, her voice steady but quieter than before, “I asked you a question.”

Ethan swallowed. His throat was dry. He could keep up the lie—turn his head, frown, say he was just tired and had zoned out. But the words wouldn’t come. The guilt he had carried for a week pressed down on his chest, heavy and suffocating. She deserved the truth. Even if it cost him everything.

He let out a slow breath. Then he turned his head—not blindly toward the sound, but deliberately, looking directly at her for the first time since she had walked into his life.

Her eyes widened. Her hand tightened on the scarf.

“You can see me,” she whispered. It wasn’t a question.

Ethan rose from his chair. He kept his hands still at his sides, no cane, no hesitant steps. He walked around the desk with the ease of a man who had never been blind. When he stopped three feet from her, he met her gaze and held it.

“Yes,” he said. “I can see.”

Nelly took a step back. Her face flickered through a storm of emotions—shock, confusion, hurt. “You… you pretended? All this time?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” The word cracked, and she pressed her lips together. “Why would you do that? I helped you across hallways. I described rooms to you. I read contracts out loud. And you—” Her voice broke. “You were just watching me the whole time.”

“Nelly, let me explain.”

“Explain what? That you’re a liar? That this was some kind of game?” She shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. “I trusted you.”

“I know.” Ethan’s voice was raw. He took a step forward, but she held up her hand, and he stopped. “I know I deceived you, and I’m sorry. But it wasn’t a game. I never meant to hurt you.”

“Then why?”

He ran a hand through his hair, struggling to find the right words. “My family wants me to marry a woman I don’t love. A Korean heiress they chose for me. I’ve seen it happen to my cousins—arranged marriages that feel like business contracts. I didn’t want that. I wanted someone who would love me for me, not for my name or my money.”

Nelly’s eyes narrowed. “So you decided to pretend to be blind?”

“When I saw you in the waiting room, I knew you were different. You were reading a book, and you smiled at the page. Not because anyone was watching, but because you were happy. I knew if I approached you as a normal man, you would see the CEO, the family fortune. But if you believed I was blind, you would treat me without pretense. You would be yourself.”

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” she said, but her voice had lost some of its sharp edge.

“Maybe.” He smiled ruefully. “But it worked, didn’t it? You were kind to me. You were patient. You never once looked at me with pity or greed. And somewhere along the way, I stopped pretending.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I fell in love with you, Nelly. The real you. And now I’ve ruined everything because I was too afraid to tell you the truth from the beginning.”

She stared at him, her lips parted. The anger had faded, replaced by something raw and uncertain. “You love me? After a week?”

“I know it sounds impossible. But I knew the moment I heard your voice. And every day since, I’ve only become more certain.” He took a cautious step closer. “I’m not asking you to forgive me. I’m just asking you to let me show you who I really am. No more lies. No more pretending.”

Nelly looked down at her scarf, twisting the fabric in her hands. “I don’t know what to think right now.”

“That’s fair. Take all the time you need.”

She looked up, her dark eyes searching his face. “You really can see. And you’re Korean? Your father spoke Korean.”

“Yes. I was born in Seoul. My family moved here when I was a child.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was afraid you would see the CEO and not the man.” He paused. “I still am.”

She was quiet for a long moment. Then she sighed, a shaky breath that seemed to carry the last of her anger out of her. “I need to go home. I need to think about this.”

“I understand.”

She walked past him toward the door. He didn’t stop her. But when her hand touched the door handle, she paused.

“Nelly?”

She turned her head, not quite looking at him.

“My offer for the job is still open. If you decide you can still work here. I’ll respect whatever choice you make.”

She didn’t answer. She opened the door and stepped out, the soft click of the latch echoing in the empty office.

Ethan stood alone, the weight of the truth finally lifted but replaced by a new fear—the fear that he might have lost her forever.