Livia's POV…..
My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
The room felt smaller now and the air felt heavier.
And suddenly, I couldn't breathe properly.
"I may be disabled… but I'm still a man."
His voice echoed in my head, over and over again.
He blinked, I saw his eyes move
"…What?" I whispered.
Lucian didn't answer immediately, he just stared right at me with a bored expression.
What the hell was going on!!
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to speak again.
"You… you just told me not to undress in front of you."
"Yes."
My breath hitched.
"Yes?"
My voice rose slightly, disbelief creeping in. "But—you're blind."
The words hung in the air for a moment, there was silence.
Then Lucian moved.
It was subtle at first a small shift of his head, a slow turn.
And then his eyes met mine again.
My entire body went rigid.
No.
No, that wasn't—that wasn't possible.
I stumbled back a step, my breath catching in my throat.
"You—"
The word died before it could fully form.
Because there was no denying it anymore he was looking at me.
"You can see," I said finally, my voice barely more than a breath.
Lucian held my gaze and let out a deep breath
"Obviously."
The world tilted.
I gripped the edge of the bed to steady myself, my mind struggling to catch up with what was happening.
This didn't make sense none of this made sense.
"They said…" My voice trembled. "They said you were blind. That you couldn't—"
"They say a lot of things," he interrupted smoothly.
My chest tightened.
"You've been lying?" I asked, my thoughts racing now. "To everyone? For how long?"
"Three years."
The answer came without hesitation like it meant nothing to him.
Three years.
"You've been pretending to be blind for three years?" I repeated, my voice rising in disbelief. "Why would you—?"
I stopped because suddenly, the pieces started to shift.
The lack of information online, the absence of photos.
The way no one seemed to really know him.
A chill ran down my spine.
"This… this isn't just about being blind, is it?" I asked slowly.
Lucian didn't respond right away.
Instead, he sat up fully .
"Put your clothes back on Livia" he said
I quickly grabbed a robe from the wardrobe and put it on, facing him directly now
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up now.
He did it so effortlessly like he never needed the wheelchair at all.
Fuck!!
I stared at him, my eyes wide.
He was even taller now, his presence was more overwhelming than before.
"I don't repeat myself," he said calmly, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve as if this were a normal conversation.
"But since you're my wife now, I'll make this simple."
I couldn't move, wife , he made it sound so easy.
"Everything you've heard about me?" he continued. "The blindness, the disability. The isolation."
A pause.
"It's all a lie."
The words settled heavily in the room my heart was racing again, faster this time.
"Why?" I asked, my voice barely steady.
Lucian's gaze sharpened slightly.
"To survive."
"To survive?" I echoed.
He took a step closer, just one but it was enough to make my pulse spike.
"There are people in my family," he said, his tone low and controlled, "who would rather see me dead than in control of Kingsley Enterprises."
My breath hitched.
Dead.
The word sent a chill straight through me.
"So you pretended to be disable" I said slowly, piecing it together.
"To make them underestimate you."
"Yes."
It made sense now
"And now?" I asked, my fingers tightening slightly at my sides.
"Why marry me?"
"You were convenient."
The words hit harder than they should have.
Of course.
Of course that was the answer, I was always the convenient and disposable one
"You weren't supposed to be the bride," he continued. "But in the end… it doesn't change anything."
I forced myself to stay calm and not react.
"To you," I said quietly.
His gaze lingered on me for a moment longer than necessary.
Then—
"You're not part of my plan," he said. "Which makes things easier."
"So what happens now?" I asked.
Lucian turned away slightly, as if the conversation bored him.
"Now," he said, "you play your role."
My chest tightened.
"And what role is that?"
"My wife."
The word felt different coming from him.
"You will act like nothing is wrong," he continued. "You will not question me in public. You will not speak about what you saw tonight."
His eyes flicked back to mine.
"And you will keep my secret."
I hesitated just for a second because this was dangerous.
Everything about this man was dangerous.
If his own family wanted him dead…the what did that make me?
A witness?
A liability?
Or something worse?
"And if I don't?" I asked before I could stop myself.
Lucian's gaze didn't change but something darker slipped beneath it.
"You will."
It was a threat, My breath hitched slightly.
This man…
This man wasn't the helpless figure everyone believed him to be.
"I won't make your life difficult," he added after a moment, his tone softening just slightly. "This arrangement is temporary."
Temporary.
The word caught me off guard.
"What do you mean?"
"I have things to handle," he said simply. "Once they're done… you'll be free."
Freedom, I didn't expect that.
For a second, I just stared at him.
"You'd let me go?" I asked quietly.
Lucian didn't answer immediately, his gaze lingered on me, unreadable.
Then he said quietly
"Yes."
The word was simple but it stirred something strange in my chest.
Relief snd freedom
I looked away first.
"…Fine," I said softly.
His expression didn't change.
"I'll keep your secret."
It felt like the only option like the safest choice in a situation where nothing was safe.
Lucian gave a small nod.
"Good."
"Get some rest," he said finally.
"Tomorrow will be a long day."
I nodded faintly before I could say anything else, he turned and walked toward the wheelchair.
He was still limping, but he could walk, When he reached it, he sat down smoothly, his movements were fluid and practiced.
Then, just like that—
He was the blind, disabled man again.
The illusion slipped back into place as if it had never left in the first place.
My chest tightened with shock and fear at once, it was terrifying how easily he did it.
Without another word, he wheeled himself toward the door.
The soft sound of movement filled the room then the door opened and closed, he was gone.
I stood there for a long moment Just… staring at the wall trying to process everything that had just happened.
My husband wasn't blind and he definitely wasn't weak.
He wasn't anything like what the world believed him to be.
And i was now part of his secret.
A slow breath left my lips as I finally moved to the bed, whatever the hell was going on I just wished it would be all over so I can get my freedom and leave this place behind.
I closed my eyes and let sleep take me under
****