He pretended to be blind for true love

Previously

…She crossed the room, and he heard her fingers graze the coat rack. Then she stopped. He realized he had been staring at the wall, his face aimed at the desk where he had been reading. It was a minor slip—a blind man would have turned toward the sound, not sat motionless, He held his breath, his heart pounding in his ears. Nelly did not move. “Mr. Allen?” she repeated, her voice different—uncertain, searching. “Your eyes… were you just looking at the wall?” He said nothing. She took a step closer. “You were, weren’t you? You were staring straight ahead.” Ethan felt the ground shift beneath him. He had to say something. But what could he say that wouldn’t shatter everything?