Days passed. Then weeks. And Hope returned—not with hugs, but with *plans*.
"I'll help you," she said one morning as Ella prepared Kelvin's tea. "But on *my* terms."
Kelvin, sitting quietly with his walking stick, turned his head. "Why?"
"Because I want you to feel *everything* you made us feel."
Ella looked up, alarmed. "Hope—"
"No," Hope snapped. "He deserves this. You want to act like he's changed? Let's test that."
From that day forward, Hope became a shadow in his life—present but cold. She made him walk in torn slippers. She served him burnt food. She hid his cane once. When he fell, she didn't lift a finger. Ella protested, but Kelvin stopped her.
"I deserve this," he'd say.
But Ella noticed something different.
At night, when Hope thought no one was watching, she would peek into Kelvin's room and… cry. Her fists clenched, but her eyes—those angry eyes—betrayed confusion. Rage and longing battled inside her.
---
One evening, Kelvin asked softly, "Why didn't you walk away?"
Hope stared at him. "Because I want to see what a broken god looks like… and maybe… because I needed to *hear* you say you were sorry."
He reached out, blindly searching. "I am, Hope. More than words can hold."
Hope didn't take his hand. But she didn't walk away either.
---
Meanwhile, Ella carried her own quiet burden—her heart was changing.
She had seen men like Kelvin before. But this man, this *blind*, empty shell, was learning pain. Learning love. And something dangerous was stirring inside her.
One night, she sat by his bedside.
"You're not the man I met," she whispered.
He turned toward her voice. "Then who am I now?"
"You're… human."
He smiled faintly. "And who are you, Ella?"
She hesitated. "The woman who might be falling in love with Mr. Blind."
Silence.
Then, a soft chuckle from Kelvin. "Then I must be the luckiest beggar alive."
But fate wasn't done.
One morning, the door slammed open. Two men in black suits entered. Former associates. Dangerous ones.
"You still owe us, Hart," one growled. "You thought your blindness would save you?"
Hope stepped forward. "Touch him, and I'll scream this whole street down."
Kelvin froze. Not because of the threat—but because she *stood in front of him*.
She was protecting him.
---