Chapter 271 Blindness

Chapter 271 Blindness

Sophia stood up too, her gaze falling on James lying in the hospital bed.

James's face was so pale it was almost transparent, his eyes completely unfocused, just staring blankly at the air in front of him.

Sophia frowned, a sense of foreboding slowly rising in her chest.

A few minutes later, the attending physician walked out with a grave expression. He took off his mask and gently shook his head at Serenity.

The smile on Serenity's face froze instantly. "Doctor, what's wrong? Didn't he wake up? Is there a problem? Just tell me straight, I can handle it!"

The doctor sighed. "Ms. Powell, the patient's vitals are stable, but during our examination just now, we found that his optic nerves have been severely damaged. Currently... both eyes are blind."

"What did you say?!"

Those words hit like a sledgehammer. Serenity's whole body trembled uncontrollably, and she lost her footing, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Sophia also froze in place, her eyes full of shock.

Blind?

Ha.

For her, this was actually good news.

The corners of Sophia's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.

This was just the beginning.

"Doctor, are you sure you're not mistaken?" Serenity's tears suddenly poured out. "He was just awake, he could still talk to people. How could he suddenly go blind?"

"Is it because the anesthesia hasn't completely worn off? Is it temporary? Check again, look more carefully!"

"Ms. Powell, please calm down." The doctor quickly tried to comfort her. "We've already done two examinations. There's no pupillary light reflex at all. The optic nerve damage is confirmed."

"This condition is most likely caused by the neurotoxicity of the cyanide. Theoretically speaking, we can't completely rule out temporary swelling causing compression. If the swelling goes down later, there's still a chance he could recover some vision."

"There's hope? How much hope?!" Serenity immediately pressed him, staring intently at the doctor's face, waiting for an answer.

The doctor looked at her nearly breaking down, fell silent for a moment, then slowly lowered his gaze.

The corridor suddenly became quiet, so quiet you could almost hear your own heartbeat.

The doctor's silence was itself an answer.

Serenity leaned toward Sophia, her entire shoulder line collapsing, tears dropping onto the floor one by one.

"Serenity, don't get too upset yet. The doctor said James might still recover." Sophia gently patted her back, her voice tight.

In her past life, he had destroyed her entire life. So this time, was he going to trade his own eyes for her life?

But even so, it was far from enough.

However, facing Serenity, Sophia still felt a pang of bitterness.

After all, James was her only son.

It took a full ten minutes before Serenity could barely push that despair back down.

She raised her hand to wipe the tears from her face and spoke to the doctor in a hoarse voice. "Can I go in and see him?"

"Yes, but not for too long. The patient just woke up and needs quiet rest. He can't get too emotional either." The doctor nodded and had a nurse prepare sterile gowns.

After Serenity changed clothes, she turned to look at Sophia standing nearby, her eyes clearly pleading. "Sophia, do you... want to come in with me to see him?"

Sophia's steps paused. She was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded, took the sterile gown the nurse handed her, and followed Serenity into the ICU.

James heard footsteps and immediately turned his head toward the sound.

"Mom?" He spoke first, trying to force out a bit of a smile. "I'm really fine, don't worry. Did the doctor tell you something again? From your voice, you've been crying again?"

Serenity walked to the bedside and looked at James's completely unfocused eyes. Tears rushed up again.

She tried desperately to hold them back and forced out a smile. "No, I'm happy. Knowing you're awake puts my mind at ease. You being conscious is more important than anything."

James asked carefully, "Sophia? Are you here too?"

Sophia stood in place, watching him turn his head precisely toward where she was standing, even though he clearly couldn't see.

She was silent for a few seconds. "It's me."

He immediately reached out his hand toward her, his tone clearly urgent. "Sophia, come closer, let me... hear your voice more. When I first woke up, I didn't hear you and thought you'd already left."

Sophia didn't move, just stood there looking at his hand suspended in mid-air.

That hand with distinct knuckles was now trembling slightly from weakness.

Serenity watched this scene and quietly turned her head aside, raising her hand to wipe tears from the corner of her eye. "You child, just woke up and all you think about is this. Sophia's right here, isn't she?"

She finished speaking and turned to look at Sophia, her eyes full of pleading.

She hoped Sophia could stay.

She knew very well in her heart that this request was almost too much to ask.

She wasn't blind to what James had done before.

She just hoped that Sophia could, for the sake of him saving her life, stay with him a little longer.

Sophia finally slowly walked to the other side of the bed, standing where he could touch her with one reach.

James immediately sensed the presence beside him. His fingers fumbled around until they finally touched her sleeve.

"Sophia, are you really okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked urgently.

"I'm fine, not even a scratch. You're the one who's hurt." Sophia's expression was as cold as ice. She didn't want to hear what he had to say.

But James was completely unaware of this.

"I'm fine. I've always been tough. This little injury is nothing." James forced a smile, his tone casual, as if he'd just had a bad cold.

"It's just temporary blindness, right? Didn't the doctor say there's still a chance? A few days of rest and I'll be fine. Don't all act like the world's ending."

He spoke lightly, but only he knew that when he woke up to find complete darkness before his eyes, no matter how much he blinked or tried, he couldn't see even a sliver of light—he knew how panicked he felt inside.

He wasn't afraid of death, wasn't afraid of pain, wasn't even afraid of being disabled. What he was truly afraid of was never being able to see her again.

He couldn't show this fear.

He couldn't let his mother break down with him, and he especially couldn't let Sophia carry any guilt.

He did all this never to make her owe him anything, but simply because he wanted to.

Serenity looked at her son's deliberately casual act, her heart feeling like someone was twisting a knife in it again and again.

She opened her mouth but couldn't get out a complete sentence.

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

Sophia looked down at James's hand tightly gripping her sleeve. "Since you're awake and out of danger, I'll leave now."

As soon as she spoke, the smile on James's face disappeared.

He reached out toward her again, his voice suddenly frantic. "Sophia, don't go, okay?"

"I know you have things at the company, but just stay with me a little longer, just a little while, please?"

His eyes couldn't see anything. He felt like he'd been suddenly lifted off the ground with nowhere to land.

Only when she was nearby did that feeling of weightlessness ease a bit.

He was afraid that if she turned and left this time, she would never come back.

Sophia didn't answer, just shifted her gaze to Serenity.

Serenity looked at her son's complete lack of security and sighed heavily. She could only steel herself and speak softly. "Sophia, I know this isn't appropriate, and I know I'm asking a lot."

"But he just woke up and encountered this. He has no sense of security at all right now. Could you... stay a little longer? Even if you don't say anything, just sitting here would be fine. You're the person he cares about most. With you here, he can feel a bit more at ease."