Chapter 1

I was blind. Then, just yesterday, I miraculously regained my sight.

I was about to tell my parents the good news when I found a crumpled tissue under my bed.

There was a single sentence written on it: Don't let them know you can see.

01

A car accident three months ago had left me blind.

To take better care of me, my parents moved us all to the outskirts, far from the city.

Then, last night, my sight miraculously returned.

I was about to tell them the good news when I noticed a crumpled tissue under my bed.

I was obsessive about cleanliness, so I reached under and pulled it out.

But the words written on it made me frown.

Don't let them know you can see.

The handwriting was crooked, as though someone had scrawled it in a desperate hurry.

There was nobody else here. “Them” obviously meant my parents.

I had no idea who could have left the tissue under my bed.

In the past three months, the only people who had entered my room were my parents and my husband, Ji Yan.

Just then, someone knocked.

“Momo, I've made you some bird's nest soup.” Mom's gentle voice came through the door.

I tossed the tissue into the trash.

But when I opened the door, my eyes narrowed in shock.

A stranger stood there holding a bowl, beaming at me.

Her lips were painted bright red, and there was something indescribably grotesque about her smile.

She wasn't my mother.

I stumbled back a step, staring at her in horror.

Mom had a kind, gentle face. This woman's features were sharp; she didn't resemble Mom in the slightest.

Yet her voice was exactly the same.

I was about to demand who she was when I remembered the words on the tissue.

I couldn't let them find out I could see.

“Momo, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” The woman came toward me, looking concerned.

“Mom, just leave the soup there. I'll have it later.” I felt my way to the bed and sat down, speaking slowly.

“It's still hot, Momo. Why don't I feed you?”

I refused at once. “Mom, I'm a little sleepy. I want to take a nap. I'll eat it once it's cooled.”

She nodded and left without another word.

The moment the door closed, I let out a breath.

Cold sweat had soaked my back.

Where was my real mother? Who was this woman?

Too worried about Mom to stay put, I opened the door and went out.

For the first time, I could see the place where I'd been living.

It was a spacious two-story villa.

From upstairs, I could see a man sitting on the living room sofa with his back to me, reading a newspaper.

That had to be Dad.

I looked around to make sure the woman wasn't in the living room, then called softly, “Dad!”

The man turned, revealing his face.

Terror swept through me.

It wasn't Dad's familiar face. It belonged to a complete stranger.

“What's wrong, Momo?”

But the voice coming from his mouth was my father's.

I forced a hideous smile. “Nothing, Dad.”

The woman poked her head out of the room beside me, her red lips stretched into an unnaturally broad smile.

“Momo, didn't you say you wanted a nap?”

02

“I'm not sleepy anymore, Mom,” I said with a smile.

“Then let me feed you your soup.”

She brought the bowl out of my room and fed me one spoonful at a time.

I was rigid with tension, terrified she would realize I could see.

Luckily, she noticed nothing unusual.

Bird's nest soup was usually sweet and fragrant. Now it might as well have been wax. I had no idea whether she'd put something in it.

“What's wrong, Momo? You look so pale, and you keep sweating.” She had noticed after all.

She leaned closer with a concerned expression, her gaze fixed on my eyes.

Her eyes were large, with far too much white around the tiny pupils.

“I'm fine. I just don't know when I'll ever be able to see again.” I made myself sound disappointed.

She smiled. “Don't worry, Momo. You'll get better.”

I managed a stiff, wretched smile as she stroked my head with great tenderness.

Back in my room, I locked the door and sat on the bed, frightened.

My husband, Ji Yan, had visited two weeks ago.

He was an airline captain, and his work kept him very busy.

During that visit, he'd chatted happily with my parents. Dad had even plied him with so much alcohol that he'd spent the night at the villa.

Which meant that two weeks ago, my parents had still been my real parents.

I found my phone. Since losing my sight, I'd been using voice control.

I called Ji Yan at once.

He answered almost immediately.

Relief flooded me. I was about to unplug the charger when I sensed something wrong behind me.

I turned and found myself facing a blank stare.

The woman's face was close to mine, her mouth stretched into an exaggerated curve.

“Momo, I just noticed you've been using the stairs much faster than before. Can you see now?”

04

Terror shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

My heart hammered.

The woman stared unblinkingly into my eyes, the whites of her own eyes unnervingly large.

“Mom, I'd tell you if I could see. My phone was out of battery, that's all. I was in a hurry.”

“I've lived here for over three months. It's only natural I'd be getting around faster,” I added, keeping my voice casual.

She smiled and reached up to touch my face, her nails painted dark red.

Her fingers were as cold as a snake's skin. I couldn't help shivering.

“I thought my Momo could see again. You got my hopes up.”

“If you can see, don't keep it from us, all right? It would hurt your father and me.”

“Here, give me your phone. I'll charge it for you.”

She took it and glanced at the screen.

“Oh, you're still talking to Ji Yan.”

I could barely stand the tension.

Ji Yan's voice came through the phone. “Mom, I haven't spent enough time with Momo. I've taken fourteen days off so I can come and stay with her.”

The woman smiled. “Come as soon as you can. I'll have her father make your favorite braised pork. Momo misses you terribly. I'll hang up for her now. It's not safe to talk on the phone while it's charging.”

Her voice and manner were those of a kind mother who adored her daughter.

But I could see that although she appeared to be looking at the phone, her pupils were turned sideways, watching me.

By the time she left, my back was drenched in cold sweat.

My legs were trembling uncontrollably.

If Ji Yan couldn't find this place, I would have to leave the villa.

I decided to go as soon as my phone reached thirty percent.