When the wind stops, love lasts
Chapter 1
It was Ethan’s birthday, and I snuck into the hospital where he worked, gift in hand, hiding behind the curtains, hoping to surprise him.
But then I heard his childhood sweetheart, Sarah, ask, “So, how are you going to get Ashley’s eyes?”
He said coldly, “I’ll fake an accident in three days. I’m the attending physician, so I can easily swap her eyes with yours.”
My heart dropped.
I remembered him confessing his feelings for me right after Sarah had injured her eyes saving him.
His constant adoration, his compliments about my beautiful eyes, it was all a lie to get my eyes.
But he didn’t know the truth.
I was the one who saved him that day.
1
“I know it’s not fair to Ashley, but I want to see you again, so badly,” Sarah’s voice trembled with a hint of sadness.
“My kindness towards her was always for her eyes. I’ll just compensate her more later,” Ethan soothed.
A sharp pain stabbed through my heart.
Peeking through the curtain, I saw Ethan lean in and kiss Sarah.
A blush crept across her face.
I stood frozen, blood turning to ice in my veins.
Tears splashed onto the gift box. The Rolex I’d saved a year’s salary for, the one he’d always wanted, felt like a cruel joke.
“Let me take you home,” Ethan said, gently tucking a strand of hair behind Sarah’s ear.
“Are you in such a hurry to get rid of me because you’re afraid Ashley will find me here?”
Ethan hesitated. “I just want you to rest, that’s why I want to take you home.”
“Fine,” Sarah huffed, turning to leave.
Ethan rushed to her side, carefully guiding her out of the room.
Silence fell over the office.
Fighting back the agonizing pain, I walked to the head nurse’s office.
“I’d like to apply for the two-year academic exchange program at the hospital upstate,” I told her.
The head nurse looked surprised. “Didn’t Dr. Miller say he didn’t want you to go? Has he changed his mind?”
“This is my decision, not his.”
“Well, if you’ve made up your mind, make the most of it. Don’t let the hospital down,” she nodded.
I thanked her and left.
Back home, I started packing.
The doorbell rang insistently.
I opened the door to find Ethan, his brow furrowed, his voice panicked. “Why did you apply for that exchange program?”
“It’s a great opportunity. I want to improve myself,” I replied calmly.
Ethan paused, disbelief etched on his face.
“Ashley, have I done something wrong? Are you mad at me?”
His nervousness made me hesitate.
He had always been so loving. I never thought I’d leave him to pursue my career.
But today, I learned his affection was a facade, a ploy to convince me to give my eyes to his childhood sweetheart.
I forced a smile. “I just don’t want to revolve my life around you anymore.”
Ethan frowned. “I know I’ve been neglecting you lately. I’ll make it up to you. Please don’t be like this.”
“Didn’t you say you had a surprise for me? For my birthday?”
His eyes fell on the gift box on my table. He walked inside, opened it, and his face lit up. “Ashley, you remembered! I’ve always wanted this watch!”
“The fact that you remember something I said offhand proves how much you love me. You were just saying all that stuff to be angry, right?”
I snatched the watch back, my eyes cold.
“This isn’t for you.”
He looked stunned. “Ashley, are you kidding me?”
“I’m tired. We’re done,” I said, my voice flat.
Ethan froze. “Why? What did I do wrong?”
“You and…”
My phone rang, cutting me off.
Ethan glanced at the screen, his face falling. He rushed to the side to answer it.
I watched him, his expression growing grim. When he hung up, he said, “I have an emergency. Wait for me.”
2
My transfer application was still being processed.
The next day, I went to work as usual.
During a break, I heard colleagues gossiping about Sarah being admitted with eye pain the previous night and Ethan staying by her side all night.
One of them asked, “Doesn’t it bother you that Dr. Miller spent the whole night with Sarah? The entire hospital is talking about it.”
“We’ve broken up,” I said indifferently.
My colleagues were shocked, as if they’d heard the most unbelievable news.
“You two were so in love! What happened?” someone asked.
“I haven’t agreed to break up,” Ethan’s voice silenced the room.
I got up to leave, but he followed me.
He blocked my path in the hospital corridor, forcing me to stop.
“Ashley, what did I do wrong? I’ll fix it, okay?”
I scoffed. “No need. We’re over.”
I quickly turned and walked away.
Two days remained until Ethan’s plan would unfold. I had to arrange everything before then.
That afternoon, I finalized my transfer details with the head nurse, urging her to expedite the process.
Back at my desk, I organized my patient files, categorizing and labeling everything meticulously for a smooth handover to my colleagues.
Just as I was about to relax, Ethan stormed over and grabbed my hand.
“Are you breaking up with me because you’re jealous of Sarah? I promise I’ll keep my distance from her. Please don’t do this,” he pleaded.
I yanked my hand away, glaring at him.
“What you do with Sarah is none of my business. Leave me alone.”
Curious stares and whispers filled the air.
Ethan’s face flushed. He leaned in, his voice low and menacing. “I suggest you come back to me, or you’ll regret it.”
He stormed off.
A few concerned colleagues gathered around, offering comfort.
I smiled, assuring them I was fine.
As I left the hospital, I saw Ethan.
Before I could react, he rushed towards me, clamped a hand over my mouth, and dragged me toward a car.
I struggled, kicking and scratching, but his grip was too tight.
He shoved me inside, jumped into the driver’s seat, and locked the doors.
“Ethan, what are you doing!” I yelled.
His voice was cold. “I’m just going to give your eyes to Sarah. I’ll compensate you well, I promise. Just help me out this once.”
I slapped him hard.
“Are her eyes precious and mine are not?”
He clutched his cheek. “It’s just your eyes, not your life! Can you not be so selfish?”
“Then why don’t you give her your eyes?”
“Ashley!” Ethan’s eyes blazed with fury. “I said I’d compensate you! What more do you want? I’m taking your eyes today, whether you like it or not!”
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it over my nose and mouth.
A pungent smell filled my nostrils. I thrashed and twisted, but my limbs grew weak, and darkness crept in.
3
Ethan drove to a secluded mountain road, the scene of his pre-arranged “accident.”
At the designated spot, he swerved violently.
The car screeched and crashed into the guardrail.
My head slammed against something hard, and I lost consciousness.
Ethan pretended to be less injured, climbed out of the wreckage, and called an ambulance.
We were rushed to the hospital.
There, he used his position and connections to set his plan in motion.
He claimed my eyes were severely damaged in the accident, presenting falsified reports showing extensive corneal rupture and internal bleeding, requiring immediate transplantation.
Medical staff, unaware of the deception, began preparing for the surgery.
Sarah was already waiting in a private room, anticipating her gruesome “gift.”
I regained consciousness in the operating room, my head throbbing.
The room was eerily silent, except for the beeping of machines.
Faint voices drifted from the next room.
“Ethan, what if Ashley hates me when she finds out the truth?”
“Sarah, you hurt your eyes saving me. I promised I’d give you your sight back. I’ll compensate Ashley. Don’t worry.”
Those words hit me like a thunderbolt.
A year ago, Ethan and I were sorting expired medical supplies in the hospital’s old storage room.
Sarah, a pharmaceutical rep, was there checking samples.
A short circuit sparked a fire, and flames quickly spread.
Ethan was trapped under a fallen shelf.
I rushed in without hesitation, saving him, but my right arm was severely burned, leaving a permanent scar. Sarah had already fled.
After that incident, Ethan confessed his feelings. I thought we were meant to be, that our feelings were mutual.
But his tenderness was a mask, his devotion to Sarah a mistake, based on the belief that she was his savior.
I was the one who saved him!
I screamed silently, but no sound escaped my lips.
Ethan entered the operating room, dressed in scrubs, and picked up a gleaming scalpel.
My eyes widened, fixated on his every move, my heart pounding against my ribs.
“Bang!”
The operating room door burst open.
Police officers swarmed inside.
