Laura sat on a friendly wooden bench outside a hospital room. She had her hands joined together tightly that her knuckles were getting white.
The hospital hallway was quiet. It was too bright. Too cold. The smell of medicines and sanitisers spread in the air, passing on her nose.
Nurses moved silently down the corridor. Their shoes tapped softly on the floor. A machine beeping nearby. Laura didn't hear it. Her mind was still playing images from what happened earlier.
Allison's scream. Shattered glass. Blood. Gordon's angry eyes. Her chest fell heavy as she stared hopelessly at the floor. Tears had dried on her cheeks, leaving lines on her skin. Her body felt drained.
She didn't even notice Gordon until a hand clamped around her wrist. Laura gasped. The force yanked her off the bench. She looked up. Froze.
Gordon stood above her. His face was threatening with anger. His jaw was pressed. His eyes were hard. There was no warmth in them. No concern. Only fury.
"Gordon…"
"Get up."
His voice was cold and flat. Before she could react, he pulled her to her feet roughly. She stumbled forward.
"Where are we going?" Laura asked. Panic was in her voice. Her slippers dragged on the floor. Gordon's grip hurt. His fingers dug into her skin like iron.
"Gordon you're hurting me," she whispered, trying to pull herself. He didn't loosen his hold. Didn't look at her. Instead, he said, "It's time to pay for your crime."
Laura's breath caught. Her steps faltered. "My… crime?"
Gordon turned, and he was facing her. The anger in his eyes was frightening. "Allison can't see anymore."
Laura stared. The words didn't make sense. Her lips parted. "What?"
"She's blind " Gordon snapped. The hallway seemed to tilt. Her knees weakened. "No…"
Gordon stepped closer. "You are going to give her your corneas." Laura felt like she was falling. Her mouth opened. No words came out.
Then, horror exploded inside her. "What?" she sobbed, shaking her head left and right . "No. No, no!"
Fresh tears spilt from her eyes. She backed away. Gordon's hand tightened around her wrist. "No, Gordon, please!"
"I am not giving you an option," he said through clenched teeth. "If you hadn't pushed her, the glass would never have entered her eyes!"
Laura stared at him. Her tears fell faster. "I did not push her," she sobbed. Her voice cracked. "I did not do it. Please can you trust me for once?"
For a moment, his face shifted. A flicker. A hesitation. It vanished. His expression turned colder. "I trusted you before, " he said bitterly. "Look what happened to Allison."
Laura felt like something inside her was being teared. The pain in his words hurt more than the way he grabbed her. He had already judged her. Already sentenced her. No matter what she said, he had chosen Allison's side.
"No, " Laura said, shaking her head. Her voice trembled. "I won't do it. I will not give my corneas to anyone."
The air between them went still. Gordon's face darkened. He turned to the doctor. "Prepare her for surgery."
Laura's heart slammed against her ribs. Fear shot through her. "No!" She twisted away. Tried to run.
Two doctors grabbed her arms. Laura screamed. "No! Let me go!" Her body thrashed. Her nails scratched against one doctor's sleeve. Her slippers slipped on the floor.
"Get off me!" she cried, kicking wildly. Tears blurred her vision. "Gordon!" she sobbed, looking at him. "Please! Don't do this!"
He stood there like stone. Like a man who couldn't hear her pain. The doctors dragged her down the corridor.
She struggled with every bit of strength she had left. Her fingers reached for the wall. Her nails scraped uselessly across the surface. The sound made her stomach twist.
"Please!" she screamed again. No one listened. The surgery room doors swung open. The bright light inside almost blinded her.
The room was freezing. Metal trays gleamed under the lights. The smell of alcohol and disinfectant made her dizzy. Laura's breathing became fast and shallow.
The doctors forced her to lay on the surgery bed. The cold floor made her shiver. She tried to sit . Two nurses tried to put her shoulders down.
"Don't touch me!" she cried, her voice was rough. Her hair is attached to her cheeks. Her hands shook.
Then the doors opened again. Gordon walked in. His steps were fast, very unimpatient, and angry. His eyes looked across the room.
"Why has the surgery not yet started?"
One doctor stepped forward. "Mr. Miller, we just received Mrs. Miller's medical examination results."
Gordon's face hardened.
The doctor adjusted his glasses. "The results are not ideal. If we remove her corneas, now there is a chance of infection."
Laura's eyes opened widely. A spark of hope entered in her chest. The doctor continued, "For her safety, we strongly advise to stop the surgery until her condition returns to normal…"
Bang! Gordon slammed his fist onto the steel tray. The loud crash made everyone jump. Laura flinched.
"I really don't care!" Gordon thundered. Silence filled the room. The doctor swallowed nervously.
"Mr. Miller, if we continue her health may…"
"Allison cannot wait, " Gordon cut in sharply. "Do the surgery now."
Laura stared at him frozen. The hope inside her shattered. He truly didn't care what happened to her. Not the pain. Not the danger. Not even the possibility that she could lose her sight forever.
Worse. The realization hit her harder than anything. To him, she was nothing but something to use. A sacrifice for Allison.
As the nurses moved towards, her panic burst through Laura like fire. Her eyes flitted around the room. Then she saw it.
A pair of scissors rested on the tray. Without thinking, she rushed. Everyone catched breath in the room. Laura took the scissors. Stumbled backwards off the bed.
Her breathing was broken. Her fingers shivered around the handle. Before anyone could move, she pressed the blade against her neck.
"Stay back!"
Her scream tore through the room. Everyone froze. The nurses stopped. The doctors stared at her in horror.
Even Gordon's face changed. A faint line of red formed where the blade touched her skin. Laura's tears flowed down her face as her hand trembled.
"Laura, " Gordon said slowly, taking a step forward. "Don't!" she screamed.
He stopped. Her chest heaved. Her whole body trembled. "If anyone comes closer I'll do it," she said, her voice breaking.
The blade pressed deeper. Another gasp spread through the room. Laura's eyes locked onto Gordon's.
Years of pain sat inside that stare. The hurt. The betrayal. The loneliness of loving a man who never chose her.
"You want my corneas badly?" she whispered bitterly. Her lips trembled.
"Fine."
Gordon's brows gathered together. Suspicion passed across his face. Laura swallowed hard. Her throat felt tight.
Her voice came out steadier than she expected. "I will donate my corneas."
The room went silent. Even breathing seemed loud. Gordon narrowed his eyes. "Under one condition."
His jaw stiffened. "What do you want?" The question came out sharp. Laura looked at him with watery eyes.
For a second, her lips shook. Then something inside her felt okay. A calm that hurts. A point where she could not take more.
The words came out slowly from the hurt, in her heart. I want a divorce.
The quiet that came next was hard to breathe. Gordon's eyes got really big. For the time that night, he really felt shocked, not just angry.
His lips opened a little. What did you say?
Laura kept crying. Her voice did not shake like before. This time, it was clear what she meant. Final.
I said I wanted a divorce.