Watch Me Shine, Watch You Fall - Chapter 1

The night before their third wedding anniversary, Cary Gibson emerged victorious from a high-end auction, securing a pair of rare sapphire earrings.

He said softly, “This is for the person I owe the most-my beloved.”

From home, his wife, Evelina Marsh, felt tears pooling as she watched the auction on television.

Tomorrow was their third anniversary, and maybe, at long last, Cary had realized her devotion.

Cary’s grandmother, Demi Gibson, exhaled in quiet satisfaction. “At long last, Cary’s learned how valuable his wife truly is.”

The next evening, Evelina had barely set the finishing touches on an extravagant dinner when Cary stepped through the door.

She hurried to greet him, swiftly taking his briefcase before reaching out for his coat.

“Quite a feast tonight,” he said lightly. “Did something happen?”

Tall and captivating, Cary carried himself effortlessly. Even the simple act of loosening his tie appeared like a polished gesture from a high-fashion shoot.

Yet, somehow, he always managed to chill Evelina with just a few words. Her fingers paused uncertainly, and she quietly said, “You didn’t forget, did you?”

No, that couldn’t be right. He had purchased those priceless sapphire earrings to make amends, hadn’t he?

Cary’s eyebrows knitted together slightly. “Forget what exactly, Evelina?”

“The sapphire earrings… you bought them, didn’t you?” Her heart trembled with unease, but hope stubbornly remained.

“How do you know about those earrings?” Cary appeared genuinely startled. He clearly didn’t expect his mild-mannered, invisible wife to keep tabs on such extravagant things.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips, hinting at contempt.

Certainly, Evelina possessed natural beauty-gentle features, eyes soft and expressive-but she refused to flaunt it.

She dressed plainly, appearing perpetually dull and overlooked, like a flower that had ceased to bloom.

Even the Gibson household maid seemed more refined than Evelina.

Yet, Evelina gathered her courage, eyes shining cautiously. “I saw the auction broadcast. Those earrings are really lovely-“

Cary interjected her abruptly, “They’re for Esme.”

At the mere mention of his first love, Esme Barton, Cary’s voice softened noticeably. “She’s finally agreed to return to me. Naturally, I needed something special to welcome her back.”

Evelina felt her chest tighten painfully, her breath hitching.

So, the one he felt indebted to was Esme Barton, the very woman who had abandoned him?

And what did that make her-the devoted wife who had stood beside him for three years without complaint, never even asking for recognition?

Unable to bear it, Evelina’s voice wavered with hurt. “Cary, have you forgotten whose fault the accident was-the one that blinded you?”

On that terrible day, Esme had thrown a tantrum over something insignificant, distracting Cary and causing him to crash.

When news broke that Cary’s sight was likely permanently lost, Esme swiftly disappeared, crafting a flimsy excuse before fleeing overseas the same day.

She left no trace, vanishing completely.

Their wedding had already been announced, invitations sent. Neither Esme nor her family could be located.

If Evelina hadn’t courageously stepped in at the final hour, the Gibson family would’ve been the scandalous gossip of the whole city.

“You know nothing about it!” Cary retorted harshly. “Esme wasn’t to blame!”

He refused to tolerate any criticism directed at his so-called true love. “Esme arranged the surgeries for my eyes,” he replied defensively.

“If someone hadn’t accidentally revealed the truth, I would never have known everything she secretly did for me.”

Stunned, Evelina could barely form words. “What… are you saying?”

It was Evelina herself who performed his surgeries. His grandmother had practically begged her for help.

She had conducted three critical procedures, pushing herself to exhaustion.

Countless sleepless nights she spent tending to him, never revealing she was the renowned Sight Weaver, devoting herself entirely to Cary.

How had Esme ended up with all the credit?

“Are you certain? You trust every rumor you hear?”

“Absolutely. Esme was Professor Landen Mitchell’s last apprentice-the only person on Earth qualified to perform those surgeries,” Cary responded with unwavering pride and gratitude.

But wasn’t Evelina actually Professor Mitchell’s final apprentice? How long had Esme been pretending to be her?

Evelina desperately wanted to expose Esme’s deception right then and there, but she quickly recalled her mentor’s death six months earlier.

Of course, Esme would choose now to make her return.

With Landen gone, no one could challenge Esme’s claims.

And Cary, fully healed through Evelina’s care, now held significant influence as head of the Gibson Group. Esme’s timing was impeccably strategic.

Evelina had no evidence, no way to reveal the truth. Quietly, bitterly, she asked, “Then what are you even doing here tonight? Shouldn’t you be celebrating with Esme?”

Removing her apron abruptly, Evelina felt despair gnawing painfully at her heart.

Cary’s answer was casual and indifferent. “I’m exhausted, Evelina. Let’s end this marriage. We agreed on three years, and I’ve endured it long enough.”

Endured it long enough? How dare he casually dismiss all her sacrifices?

Three long years she’d sacrificed, pouring everything she had into nursing him back from blindness, making him the powerful man he had become.

Without even acknowledging the anguish on her face, Cary calmly took out a set of divorce documents, obviously prepared ahead of time.

“Review them. If you have no objections, sign. I’ve wasted enough time already. I won’t make Esme wait anymore.”

Glancing over the papers, Evelina focused bitterly on the divorce settlement-an apartment far from the city center, the worn-out car she’d driven for groceries, and a mere three million dollars.

Incredible. His audacity was astonishing.

He’d gifted sapphire earrings worth three hundred million to the woman responsible for his blindness, yet offered a paltry three million to the wife who had saved him.

Three million wouldn’t even cover the cost of one of her surgeries, let alone make up for the countless procedures she had rejected during these three years spent hidden away, caring only for him.

“If you want more…” Cary anticipated tears or pleading from Evelina.

Instead, she scoffed softly, picked up the pen decisively, and signed her name with determination.

Cary faltered, bewildered. He hadn’t expected her to surrender so quickly. Evelina was an orphan-would she really walk away from a life of comfort?

Handing back the signed papers, Evelina said coldly and clearly, “It’s done. But Cary, you’d better not regret your choice.”