Chapter 2The Walking Spare Parts Refuses to Be Blinded

My mother was on the verge of fainting beside me, overcome with grief.

Chloe cast an impatient glance at her, then turned back to the doctor to hammer out the surgical details.

"Yes, I want the top surgeon on this. Put him in a private VIP room, use the best imported medications, and don't worry about the cost. I'll cover it."

Hearing her words, I let out a dry, hollow laugh.

Chloe moved in with me right after graduating from college.

She came from an impoverished background and had never held down a real job for a single day. Yet here she was, grandly pledging funds she didn't have.

She intended to use my money and my corneas to heal her precious first love.

On what grounds?

Was my entire existence merely meant to serve as a stepping stone for their epic romance?

Was I just Brandon’s personal spare-parts dispenser?

First it was a kidney, now my corneas—what was next? My heart?

Taking a deep breath, I said firmly, "I refuse."

The instant the words left my lips, the entire room fell dead silent.

Surprised looks shifted toward me from every corner. Chloe finally looked directly at me. The brief flicker of shock in her eyes was instantly replaced by blazing fury.

"Ethan, what did you just say?"

"I said, I refuse. Brandon going blind is none of my damn business. If any of you care so much, donate your own corneas. You're not getting mine."

I stared at her coldly.

For the first time in our relationship, I took a hard stance and flatly denied her request.

My mother froze in disbelief, wiping away tears with a glimmer of newfound hope.

Chloe’s face flushed crimson with rage.

She practically screeched, "Ethan, if you don't do this, you'll lose me forever! Could you even survive without me?"

I smiled numbly, turned on my heel, and walked away.

In the past, my greatest fear was making Chloe angry or having her leave me.

Now, I didn't even want to waste another breath on her.

"What is Ethan's problem today? Throwing a tantrum?"

"What good will a tantrum do? Remember when Chloe went to Brandon’s friend's birthday and blew off his family dinner? Ethan gave her the cold shoulder then, too. What happened? He ended up groveling with flowers, gifts, and a written apology begging for her forgiveness!"

"Right? Once a lapdog, always a lapdog. Let's see how long before he comes crawling back to beg Chloe."

The bystanders dismissed my departure, convinced I was bluffing.

"Ethan, how dare you walk out on me! Even if you get down on your knees and beg later, I will never forgive you!"

Chloe stood with her hands on her hips, screeching venomously behind me.

In their minds, I was an obedient stray that could never be driven away.

I let out a bitter chuckle, feeling a suffocating tightness in my chest.

Five years of what I believed was true devotion was nothing more than a joke to everyone else.

I escorted my mother out, thoroughly enraging Chloe in the process.

She barraged my phone with dozens of messages.

Nearly all of them were filled with threats and insults.

She even claimed that if I didn't step forward to donate my corneas, she would marry Brandon instead, and I would never have the chance to make her my wife.

Face grim, I finished reading the texts. Looking up, I caught my mother watching me with a complex, hesitant expression.

"Mom, our bodies are given to us by our parents. I made a huge mistake in the past. This time, there's no way in hell I'm donating my corneas."

Tears welled up in my mother’s eyes. She nodded repeatedly. "Son... as long as you've finally seen the light."

"Not only have I seen the light, but I'm also cutting ties with Chloe completely. Mom, pack your things and move back in with me. I'll box up all of Chloe's belongings and send them to her."

My mother’s lips quivered as she gave me a deeply relieved nod.

Looking at her lined face and graying hair, guilt washed over me like a wave.

My mother used to take great care of herself and looked remarkably youthful.

Yet ever since I started dating Chloe and gave away my kidney, her hair had turned gray overnight from the stress.

When Chloe moved in, she constantly nitpicked and complained about my mother.

To spare me from being torn in the middle, my mother chose to move out.

All these years, I had poured everything into Chloe, constantly pandering to her whims, foolishly believing that love conquered all while neglecting the woman who raised me.

I vowed never to make that mistake again.

In an effort to spite me, Chloe made a show of staying at the hospital around the clock to care for Brandon.

I had zero objections. I packed every single thing she owned into boxes and dumped them right in front of the hospital doors.

She called me in a hysterics, demanding to know what I thought I was doing. I simply said, "We're done," and blocked her number.

It was strange, really.

I had loved her to death before.

Yet once the disappointment piled high enough, I felt absolutely nothing for her.