Too Late, Mr. Sinclair: The Blind Girl You Betrayed Is Gone

Lucas took me camping, then suddenly disappeared.

I have severe night blindness, but I still took a flashlight and went into the mountains alone. I searched for three hours.

I struggled the whole way, until I missed my footing and tumbled into a ditch.

As I called for rescue in tears,

several harsh flashlight beams suddenly lit up on the slope above me.

"Three hours and she's already crying? Lucas, you lose!"

Lucas Sinclair sighed, jumped down, and pulled me into his arms.

"Good girl, why are you crying again? I was right behind you the whole time, protecting you."

Two years ago, Vanessa Wells shone a high-powered lamp into my eyes and permanently damaged my retinas.

Back then, Lucas forced her to kneel and apologize, and he swore he would never have anything to do with her again.

Later, though, she became a regular in our lives.

In the name of "rehabilitation training," she did every cruel thing imaginable: releasing snakes, swapping my medication, staging a fake kidnapping.

After I was brought back to camp, I heard someone outside the tent ask Lucas,

"You know full well Nessa's the one who ruined your girlfriend's eyes. How can you still help put her through all this?"

He took a drink. His voice was calm.

"Because I've fallen in love with Nessa."

"She's spent these three years away paying for what she did. She's paid enough. I don't want her to suffer even the slightest bit more."

The mountain wind stirred the anniversary pennants on the tent, and they rustled softly.

I closed my eyes. For the first time, I wasn't afraid of the dark in front of me.

...

Lucas ducked into the tent carrying a first-aid kit.

I was propped against my sleeping bag. My right knee had been split open, mud mixed with blood, and the pain was piercing.

My severe night blindness left me almost blind in the dim light. I could only make out his blurry outline.

I thought he had come to take care of my wound.

Just now, when he carried me back from the ditch, he had said he would always protect me.

But he only set the kit by my feet, dug out iodine and gauze, and turned to leave without even looking at my leg.

"Lucas."

He frowned and looked back. "What is it?"

I pointed at my bleeding knee.

"My leg really hurts, and the bright lights hurt my eyes. I can't see anything. Could you help me put the medicine on?"

Lucas sighed, bent down, and pulled me into his arms.

"Nessa got carried away tonight. I already talked to her about it."

He took my hand and brushed a light kiss over it.

"Because of what happened to you, I forced her to go abroad and do hard labor. It messed with her head a little. She doesn't really want to hurt you."

"Good girl, don't hold it against her. From now on I'll always be with you, okay?"

If I hadn't heard those two things he said outside the tent, I probably would have believed him.

I didn't pull my hand away. I just closed my eyes.

Lucas waited a moment. When I didn't say anything more, he finally crouched beside the sleeping bag.

He wiped away the mud with a wet wipe, then dabbed iodine on the wound to clean it.

A sting shot through me, and my leg flinched on reflex.

He held my calf down and gentled his touch.

"Hang in there. It'll be done soon."

He wrapped the wound in gauze and carefully pressed the edges flat before packing up the kit.

Once that was done, he figured both the wound and the woman had been soothed. He lay down beside me and fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, I packed my backpack and stood by the SUV waiting for him.

Vanessa came limping over, red-eyed, and grabbed his sleeve.

"Luke, my foot hurts so much. I'm scared to ride in anyone else's car. Will you take me back to the city?"

"What happened to your foot?" I asked.

Vanessa hid behind him.

"I twisted it by accident. Lena, please don't be mad. I'll ride in the supply truck."

Lucas immediately caught hold of her.

"Your foot's this swollen. The supply truck's way too bumpy."

He handed me a set of car keys.

"Ride with Porter. He's a steady driver. I'll take Nessa to the hospital."

I didn't take them.

Even in daylight, my eyesight was weaker than most people's, and I wasn't comfortable riding with strangers. Lucas knew that better than anyone, but he still pressed the keys into my hand.

"Be good. Don't throw a tantrum."

He ruffled my hair, then helped Vanessa into the car and drove off.

I rode back to the apartment in Porter's car. By nine that night, Lucas still hadn't come home.

My phone suddenly buzzed. An unknown number had sent a voice message.

"Lena, Luke was in a car accident at the abandoned parking garage on the south side of town! He's bleeding so much, come quick!"

It was Vanessa.

Right after that, she sent a photo of Lucas with his head covered in blood.

My heart clenched. I knew Vanessa had done plenty of awful things, but the blood in that photo looked too real.

"I called a car for you. I sent you the plate number. Get downstairs now."

I grabbed my coat and my white cane and stumbled down the stairs. A black sedan was already waiting outside the building, its plate number exactly the one she had sent.

I opened the door.

"The abandoned parking garage on the south side."

The driver didn't say a word. He stepped on the gas.

The car reeked of cheap tobacco. I gripped my seat belt and tried to make out what was outside the window, but the streetlights were getting fewer and fewer.

This wasn't the way to the main road to the south side.

"Excuse me, are we going the wrong way?"

I tightened my grip on my cane. The driver gave a cold laugh and hit the central lock.

With a click, the doors locked.

"Not the wrong way. Miss Wells gave me instructions. I'm supposed to take you somewhere nice."

The car kept speeding up along the dark road.

I yanked at the door with everything I had, but it wouldn't budge.

"Let me out! This is kidnapping!"

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

"Vanessa told me you're blind. Even if I dump you out in the middle of nowhere, you'll never find your way home."

"She wants me to teach you a lesson. Show you what being scared really means."

Vanessa's pranks had never had any limits, and Lucas's indulgence only gave her more nerve.

I fumbled for the window button and pressed it.

To my surprise, the window slid halfway down, and cold air rushed in. Just then, a sharp curve came up ahead, and the car slowed.

I immediately reached out, found the outside door handle, and pulled hard. The door swung open.

Shielding my head, I let the momentum carry me out of the car. The asphalt tore through my jacket, and pain shot through my knees and elbows as I rolled over several times before landing in the grass by the roadside.

Brakes shrieked.

The driver walked back with a flashlight, cursing. "You stupid bitch, do you want to die?"

The beam swept across the grass. I held my breath and curled up, fighting the pain. My night blindness left me nearly blind out here, and I could only track him by sound.

His footsteps came closer and closer, until they nearly brushed past my ear.

After a moment, the driver muttered, "Lucky you," and turned away. Only when the engine faded into the distance did I go limp.

Cold sweat soaked my clothes. My wounds stuck to the fabric, stinging in the wind.

I pulled out my phone and called Lucas.

It rang for a long time before he finally picked up.

"Lucas, I'm on the abandoned highway on the city outskirts. The driver locked me in the car, and I jumped out..."

Loud music came through the line, along with the clink of glasses.

There was a smile in Lucas's voice. "Playing this game again? Nessa said you got home safe ages ago."

My heart sank.

"I'm not home! I'm hurt all over, I can't see the road, it's so dark out here..."

Vanessa's sweet, soft voice came through clearly. "Lucas, you have to drink this one. To make up for missing three of my birthdays."

Lucas laughed softly. "Be a good girl, stop it. It's Nessa's birthday, and I'm having a few drinks with her. If you're really scared, turn on the lights at home. I'll be back soon."

He didn't even ask how badly I was hurt before moving to hang up.

"Lucas!" I sobbed. "If I died out here tonight, you wouldn't care, would you?"

Two seconds of silence on the other end. Then his voice turned cold.

"Lena, when did you get so unreasonable? I told you I'd come back once I'm done here!"

The call went dead.

I listened to the dial tone and slowly lowered my hand. Suddenly, several bright beams swept over me, along with the roar of motorcycles.

A few bleached-blond punks pulled up in front of me on their bikes.

"Well, well. A pretty girl lying out here in the middle of the night."

The harsh light hit me full in the face. My fragile retinas burned, my vision went white, and tears spilled from my eyes.

"Don't shine that at me!"

I covered my eyes and groped for my cane, trying to get up. One of the thugs stepped forward and kicked it away.

"A blind one, too? Perfect. You can have some fun with us boys."

He grabbed my arm and dragged me to my feet. I kicked and hit with everything I had, screaming hoarsely for help.

Another thug laughed and reached for my face.

A piercing siren suddenly split the night, and red and blue lights closed in fast.

The thugs let go of me at once, jumped on their bikes, and fled.

I sank to the ground, watching the officers step out of the patrol car, every last bit of strength gone.

The officers took me to a nearby hospital to have my wounds treated.

My knees and forearms were badly scraped, but while the doctor disinfected and bandaged them, I didn't feel any pain. Something inside me had gone completely numb.

At three in the morning, the officers brought me back to the apartment.

I dragged my heavy legs out of the elevator. When I pushed the front door open, the living room was dead silent, with only faint moonlight filtering in.

Out of habit, I reached for the motion-sensor night-light in the entryway.

Lucas had installed it especially for me. Whenever it sensed footsteps, it gave off a warm yellow glow.

But tonight, the light didn't come on.

Thinking the power was out, I took out my cane and felt my way forward from memory. I had just reached the middle of the living room when my foot came down on something smooth and hard.

The floor was covered in glass marbles.

Before I could react, my feet slid out from under me and I fell hard onto my back. My injured arm slammed against the floor. The wound split open, and blood soaked through the gauze.

I sucked in a sharp breath and curled up on the floor, unable to get up for a long time.

With a snap, the ceiling light in the living room came on.

The harsh glare forced my eyes shut, and tears kept streaming out.

"Oh no, Lena, are you okay?"

Vanessa's voice came from beside the couch.

I forced my eyes open. Once they adjusted to the light, I saw that she was wearing Lucas's shirt and holding the motion-sensor night-light, its bulb removed.

Lucas came out of the bathroom, his hair still dripping. When he saw me lying in a pool of blood, his face changed. He strode over and picked me up.

"How did this happen?"

He set me on the couch and turned to get the first-aid kit.

Vanessa leaned in, the picture of innocence.

"Luke, I just thought Lena depends on the night-light too much. She'll never get over her night blindness that way. I put down a few obstacles to give her some exposure therapy. How was I supposed to know she'd walk in without even turning on the light?"

Lucas brought over the first-aid kit, cut away the bloodstained gauze, and gently wiped the blood from around the wound.

"That must have hurt," he scolded in a low voice. "Why didn't you turn on the main light first?"

I looked at his face, so close to mine, and all I felt was how absurd it was.

"Lucas, a floor covered in glass marbles, and that's exposure therapy?"

I looked at him coldly.

"If I'd broken my neck, would you be praising her for a job well done too?"

Lucas stopped mid-motion and sighed.

"Lennie, don't put it so harshly. Nessa's method was a little rough, but she meant well."

Vanessa's eyes went red.

"Luke, is Lena blaming me? I'll leave right now. I shouldn't have stayed the night at your place."

She turned to go, but her steps were very slow.

Lucas immediately caught her wrist.

"Lena, can't you just cut her a little slack?"

"What she did back then was wrong, but she suffered for three years abroad, and now she only wants to make it up to you. Why are you always so hostile toward her?"

I looked at their joined hands, and my stomach churned.

So in Lucas's eyes, Vanessa's pranks, the ones that had nearly cost me my life, were all her way of making amends.

And I, the victim, had somehow become the unreasonable one.

I yanked my hand back.

"Since you think she's so wonderful, keep her around and let her make amends at her own pace."

I pushed myself up off the couch and turned toward the bedroom.

Behind me came Lucas's sigh.

"Lennie, calm down. We'll have a proper talk tomorrow."

I shut the bedroom door, felt my way through the dark, and pulled the suitcase out from under the bed.

Lucas had furnished most of this apartment to his own taste. Not much in it belonged to me.

I stuffed in a few changes of clothes and my documents and kept my cane within reach. I had just zipped the suitcase shut when the door opened.

Lucas flipped on the light, glanced at the suitcase, and gave a helpless laugh.

"In the middle of the night? Running away from home again?"

He hugged me from behind and took my cold hands in his.

"Still mad? Tomorrow I'll take you to buy the necklace you like best, okay?"

He was always like this, certain I was only throwing a tantrum, certain I couldn't leave him.

After all, where could a woman with severe night blindness go, when she could barely make it out the door alone after dark?

"No need."

I pulled free of him and extended the suitcase handle.

His face darkened. "Lena, that's enough. You can't see at night. What if you run into trouble out there? Didn't you get hurt enough on the outskirts today?"

So he knew I had been hurt on the outskirts.

I tightened my grip on the handle.

"The unlicensed cab driver said Vanessa told him to dump me out in the middle of nowhere."

"After I jumped out of the car, a few thugs nearly dragged me into the weeds. When I called you for help, what were you doing?"

Lucas avoided my eyes.

"Nessa explained. She just called a random car. She had no idea the driver would get ideas on his own. As for those punks, you made it back in one piece, didn't you?"

He reached for the suitcase. I blocked him, and my sleeve slid back, exposing my scraped wrist.

"How did you get hurt like this? Where's the first-aid kit?"

"Is that it? You think I stole Luke from you?"

Vanessa stood in the doorway, toying with the matching anniversary rings from the living room. Casually, she tossed the one that was mine into the trash.

"Just say the word and I'll never show up again. You don't have to run away to force his hand."

Lucas frowned. "Nessa, don't make things worse."

Then he turned to me. "She came here to keep you company out of kindness. Do you really have to make things this ugly?"

Lucas had the rings custom-made after my eyesight was damaged.

Our names were engraved inside the bands. He said that even if I couldn't see, I could feel which one was mine.

Now Vanessa had thrown it in the trash, and all he thought was that she was making things worse.

I bent down and picked up the ring. Vanessa's eyes went red.

"Luke, did I say the wrong thing again? I was just scared something would happen to her."

Lucas immediately steadied her.

"Nobody's blaming you. Go back to your room."

On his way past me, he touched my arm.

"Don't go anywhere. Once Nessa calms down, I'll put something on those cuts."

I stepped back half a pace. "Go ahead."

His expression softened. "That's more like it. Leave the suitcase. I'll help you put things away in a bit."

The guest room door closed. I wiped the ring clean and set it in the very center of the shoe cabinet.

As I changed my shoes, my sleeve brushed the wound, and the pain made me pause.

From the guest room came his low, soothing voice.

"Okay, stop crying. I'm here."

This time, I didn't sit in the entryway waiting for him.

Instead, I picked up my cane, pulled my suitcase along, and left.

Not long after the car pulled away, Lucas called.

"Lena, why isn't the first-aid kit where it usually is?"

Over the line came the sound of cabinet doors opening and shutting, then hurried footsteps.

"Lena?"

A few seconds later, his voice changed.

"What's the ring doing on the shoe cabinet? Where are you?"