Three Years Blind, One Song Broken Chapter 07
Jace.
That was what I used to call him when I first moved into the Vale family at ten years old.
Back then, I thought he’d protect me forever.
In the end, he didn’t.
My fingers curled weakly at my side as I stared blankly ahead.
“Home?”
I laughed softly.
“You mean the kind of home where you can lock me back inside that recovery facility whenever you want?”
“Or the kind where I can be thrown out the second Sloane cries?”
I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood.
“Do you know that after you kicked me out for her, I sat alone in the park downstairs all night?”
“I kept thinking maybe you’d come looking for me because I was carrying your child.”
“But you never did.”
Jackson immediately grabbed my hands in panic.
“That’s not true.”
“Mimi, I was wrong before.”
His voice turned desperate.
“I’ll transfer the estate into your name.”
“If anyone gets kicked out next time, it’ll be me.”
I slowly pulled my hands away.
“No.”
The word came out almost empty.
Our daughter was gone.
What meaning did any of that even have anymore?
Jackson’s breathing turned uneven instantly.
“No…”
“Yes, it can work.”
“We can still go home.”
Home.
He repeated the word like it could still save us.
Before I could react, he suddenly lifted me into his arms and carried me outside.
I was too exhausted to fight him anymore.
By the time we got back to the estate, he carried me upstairs carefully and set me down gently on the bed.
Even without seeing him, I could hear how violently his heart was pounding.
“Mimi…”
His voice softened shakily.
“Let’s fix your eyes.”
“I contacted specialists overseas yesterday.”
“I don’t care how much it costs. I’ll find the best doctors in the world.”
“You can do whatever you want after that. I’ll stay with you. I’ll go anywhere with you.”
“No, Jackson.”
I cut him off coldly, my fingers tightening around the blanket.
“You’re the one who destroyed these eyes.”
“So what exactly are you pretending to be now?”
I could hear him swallow hard, like he wanted to say something.
But I didn’t want to hear it anymore.
“Even when I was pregnant… you never softened toward me once, did you?”
Jackson’s breathing became short and uneven.
Finally he said quietly, “I’ll come back later.”
Then he left.
I sat motionless on the bed for what felt like hours.
Eventually, I heard the bedroom door open again.
And then—
The sharp smell of alcohol.
Jackson stumbled toward me and wrapped both arms around me tightly.
“Mimi…”
His voice broke apart instantly.
“I was wrong.”
“I investigated everything,” he choked briefly on the words. “That day… Sloane framed you.”
“You never pushed her.”
“She was never blind either. She bribed the doctors.”
“I thought you were jealous of her.”
“I thought you were just angry and acting out because of me.”
He held me tighter and tighter like he was terrified I’d disappear.
“Baby, I’m sorry.”
“I’m so fucking sorry.”
His hands trembled against my body.
My eyes burned instantly.
But instead of hugging him back, I shoved him away hard.
“Now you know?”
I almost screamed the words.
“Jackson Vale, I told you back then there were security cameras right above us!”
“You never even checked.”
“You just believed her.”
“And then you killed my baby!”
My whole body shook violently.
“For over ten years, you never trusted me.”
“Not once.”
I gripped the edge of the bed to keep myself upright.
It would’ve taken almost nothing to uncover the truth. One security recording. One simple investigation.
But Jackson still chose to believe Sloane over me.
And by the time he finally learned the truth, I had already lost everything.
Jackson lowered his head silently.
His fingers brushed carefully against my arm before quickly retreating again.
Like he’d finally realized he no longer had the right to touch me.
“I didn’t…”
His voice sounded painfully strained.
“I never wanted to hurt the baby.”
“I arranged doctors for you.”
“I paid people to take care of your meals.”
I pressed a hand against my chest and laughed bitterly through the suffocating ache there.
“Then why…”
My breathing shook uncontrollably.
“Why didn’t my baby survive?”
Even smiling hurt now.
I wiped at my tears slowly.
“Jackson.”
“Do you know what the first thing I thought was after finding out about your affair babies?”
I laughed weakly.
“I thought if I gave you a child too… maybe you’d come back to me.”
“Maybe it would prove I still mattered.”
My voice cracked softly.
“Pathetic, right?”
“In the end, I couldn’t keep you.”
“And I lost both my daughter and my eyes.”
For a very long time, Jackson said nothing.
Then finally, he reached out and touched my forehead carefully.
His voice was hoarse beyond recognition.
“Mimi…”
“I’ll make this right.”