An Eye for an Eye

My husband's first love, Daeleen Reed, is abducted and murdered by the Wood family, a mafia family. The final call she makes before her death is to my husband. "Samuel, Louise's green eyes are beautiful. If there is an afterlife, I hope I can have a pair of eyes like that so I can always gaze at you with them." My husband, Samuel Sterling, is the Capo of the Sterling family, a mafia family based on the West Coast. Instead of getting revenge on the Wood family, he comes home and forces me onto an operating table. "Daeleen says she loved your eyes. That was her dying wish, and I will make it come true." I clutch my stomach and grovel at his feet. I beg him to let me off the hook. I've yet to witness our child's birth—I can't lose my eyes! However, Samuel thinks I'm using my pregnancy as an excuse to not give up my eyes. "You can't be so selfish, Louise. You'll only be losing your eyes—you'll be fine." Daeleen is the only one who holds his heart. I am left with nothing but a world of darkness. Later, I drag my broken body into the sea. I forge ahead until I'm submerged. That's when Samuel goes insane. Chapter 1 After my eyes were plucked out, I lay on the operating table with two empty sockets on my face, resembling that of a broken doll. Samuel Sterling felt no guilt. He picked up my eyes to examine them and praised them, saying, "Daeleen was right. These really are a beautiful pair of eyes! I promised you, Daeleen. I will make all your wishes come true." As the anesthesia's effect slowly wore off, I could not help but cry out in pain. Samuel finally turned his attention to me as if blaming me for interrupting his memories of Daeleen. He was the youngest Capo of a mafia family. In just three years, he had led the Sterling family to stand at the pinnacle of all the crime families across the West Coast. The road to the top was paved with the blood of their enemies. Samuel had survived through countless gunfights and assassinations. For him, killing another person was easier than spreading butter on a piece of toast. As such, taking another person's eyes was nothing even worth mentioning. The very person Samuel plucked out the eyes of was me, Louise, his wife, who had stood by him through all sorts of danger time and time again. Samuel walked over and patted me on the face. My skin trembled, and it pulled at my wounds, making the pain even worse. I longed for him to comfort me, but all I heard was a cold sneer. "Louise, you're the wife of a Capo. How can you be so weak? It's not like I'm taking your life. I'm just taking your eyes! "I can't believe you lied to me with pregnancy as an excuse. You know how much I hate lies. Tell me you're sorry, and I'll forgive you." I bit down on my lips and raised my hand to slap him, but I missed. He did not even have to dodge. I had simply swung in the wrong direction because I could not see anything. The next second, I felt a sharp pain coming from my scalp as Samuel grabbed and lifted me up by my hair. Blood flowed down from my hollow eye sockets. He dipped a finger into my blood and then smeared it on my dry lips, spreading a metallic taste to my senses. "You should be grateful that you're my wife, Louise. The last person who tried to hit me is already in hell," he said. Samuel let go of his hand, and my body fell. My hands flailed wildly in the air, trying to grasp onto anything, only to catch nothing. I knocked over a cabinet nearby and crashed to the floor. My hand pressed onto one of the scalpels that had fallen to the ground, causing the blade to slice deep into my palm to the point that bones became visible. I let out a bloodcurdling scream. My face turned deathly pale as I curled up on the floor, trembling in pain. "You're quite the actress, Louise," Samuel chuckled and issued an order to one of his men behind him. "Do not give her any painkillers without my permission." The doctor that Annie had brought in to administer the painkillers pulled away from her grasp and promptly left the room. No one dared to defy the orders of their Capo. Cold sweat soaked my clothes, but I could no longer care about it. The pain was so much that it felt like I was going to die, but all I could do was moan helplessly. Annie Bart had been taking care of me as my maid. She was also scared of Samuel, but when she saw me writhing on the floor from the pain, she still bravely rushed forward and clung to his legs to beg for mercy. "Capo, Mrs. Sterling is only 24 years old! She's already lost both of her eyes, so please, I beg you to stop torturing her anymore! "Mrs. Sterling is in so much pain! Please let her have the painkillers!" Samuel just kicked Annie to the side and replied indifferently. "She's not going to die from this." With that, he turned around and left. Chapter 2 Annie struggled to back up and then tried to help me get to my feet. As I slowly lifted up my body, a sharp pain shot through my lower body. I realized that it came from my child! I began to panic as I could feel the life within me slipping away. I had already lost my eyes for Daeleen. I did not want to lose my child, too. I used all my remaining strength to reach out for Samuel, desperately trying to grab onto him. I endured the pain and pleaded, "Samuel! Save our child! The baby is dying!" I forced myself to keep my voice steady so that I could say the words loud and clear, but Samuel only moved farther and farther away, his attention solely on my eyeballs. He murmured to himself. "Daeleen loves roses, so I'll get a crystal box and fill it with roses before placing the eyeballs inside. She's going to love it! For now, I need to get my hands on some formalin to preserve them." When I could no longer hear his voice, my hand finally fell to the ground with a thud. Samuel was not always like that. Before he became a Capo, he was just an illegitimate son of the Sterling family, working as a low-ranking Soldato in their casino. We ran into each other by coincidence, and I fell in love with him at first sight. He treated me well. He was always worried about me whenever we came across a bloody scene. Whenever Samuel got into a fight, he cleaned his wounds and changed out of his bloodstained clothes before coming home. Back then, he said, "Your eyes are so beautiful, Louise. I'll always protect you so that you'll only have to look at all that is beautiful in this world." Yet, despite his promises, the very last thing my eyes saw was him personally taking them away. No anesthesia or painkillers were used. Immense pain came from my eyes, my hands, and even my belly, either of them enough to make anyone faint from the pain. But at that moment, I could clearly sense that none of them compared to the pain in my heart. I realized that, in the end, Samuel no longer wanted me by his side. I eventually passed out from the pain. I had thought that my suffering would finally come to an end. But reality was cruel, and I once again woke up in agony. The darkness sent me into a panic. I screamed as I reached out to latch onto something, anything, only to remember that my eyes were already gone. Annie grabbed onto my hands, crying as she tried to comfort me. I slowly calmed down as she held me in her arms. My hand was already bandaged because Annie had knelt and begged Samuel for mercy. "Mrs. Sterling will die if she keeps losing blood like this!" It was only then that Samuel allowed me to be treated for my wounds. I knew he had already returned to our room, as I could hear him humming a tune, seemingly in a great mood. I spoke up weakly. "Samuel, do you still remember my dream?" Samuel replied bluntly. "Dreams, you say? I didn't know you still have dreams. If you really still had one, you wouldn't have let yourself go." I reached out to touch my swelling belly. It contained our unborn child, but I could no longer feel its heartbeat. The child's father refused to believe in his existence, choosing instead to believe that it was just a lump of fat on my body. My dream was to become a painter so that I could capture every beautiful scene I saw on a canvas. But now, I can no longer see anything. Samuel once promised me that when he became the most powerful Capo on the West Coast, he would hold an art exhibition for me, one that would allow me to tour the entire country and perhaps even the world. I promised to paint a portrait of him every year on his birthday until his hair turned gray when he became the oldest Don on the West Coast. A month ago, I received news from the doctor that I was pregnant. I had planned to include our baby in that year's birthday portrait, and I would reveal the surprise at Samuel's birthday party next month. But then, Daeleen Reed returned. Chapter 3 "Daeleen is just my first love. She just came home after finalizing her divorce abroad. You're the only person I love, Louise," Samuel explained. That was the explanation he gave me after I caught him secretly meeting Daeleen in the garden. Over the past decade, Samuel had risen from a low-ranking Soldato to the youngest Capo in the Sterling family. As he became busier, he slowly started to forget about our anniversaries and birthdays. He even forgot about Christmas, which we had promised to spend together every year. Or perhaps he never forgot about them. Perhaps he just used work as an excuse so that he did not have to waste his time on me. Anything else was much more important compared to me, after all. "You need to be more understanding, Louise. You're the wife of a Capo, a man who will one day become a Don on the West Coast. Please don't distract me with such trivial matters, okay?" Samuel said. For the sake of his career, I chose to become much more understanding and tolerant. I was Samuel's wife. I had believed that our decade-long relationship could not possibly be less than that of his first love, who had abandoned him and married abroad because she looked down on him when he was still a lowly Soldato. And yet, in just a single month, Samuel had fallen in love with Daeleen all over again. The very same Capo who claimed to be too busy to stay by my side even when I was undergoing surgery had now become a lapdog of Daeleen's that she could summon at will. "Louise, you can go ahead and have dinner by yourself. Daeleen just got back, so I'm going to pick her up." "Louise, I won't be home for the next few days. Daeleen isn't used to her new apartment yet, so I'll be staying with her for a while." "Louise, can you make your best cheesecake? Daeleen wants to try it. I want to bring it to her." Daeleen, Daeleen, Daeleen. Her name appeared every single day in the messages sent between Samuel and me. "Samuel, have you forgotten about your aspiration to become Don? You've been running around all day for Daeleen. "What about the Sterling family? Now that everyone knows that your first love is back, it might get extremely dangerous for Daeleen," I asked. Daeleen knew nothing about how Samuel had fought his way up to his current position, but I did. He had always been a ruthless and merciless man, which led to countless rival families always keeping an eye on him in the shadows. Samuel ignored my warning and ridiculed me for it. He said I was only uttering such words because I was jealous of Daeleen. "No one would dare to touch Samuel Sterling's woman. You should just mind your own business, Louise." Later on, Daeleen was abducted and murdered by the Wood family, which was one of Samuel's enemies. I thought that once Daeleen was gone, Samuel would finally return to my side. Sure enough, the moment he heard about Daeleen's death, he called me and told me to wait for him at home. I rubbed my pregnant belly and told myself. "As long as I tell Samuel about the baby during his birthday next month, he'll love me again. I'm sure that he will love our child, too." But I never would have expected that Daeleen would not let me go even in death. Stealing Samuel away from me was far from enough. She even took away my eyes. Chapter 4 My eyes were beautiful. Many people have praised them, saying that they resembled the shine of the finest emeralds. But as the wife of a Capo, just being able to paint was far from enough. I did not want to be a powerless and fragile little flower that required the protection of others. I wanted to be someone who could help Samuel on his path to success. I placed my paintbrush to the side. I helped to manage the family's affairs in his place whenever he was away, and slowly but surely, my intuition grew sharper. But Samuel simply assumed that I was lazing around all day at home, pampered by the housekeepers. In comparison, Daeleen, who had just returned from abroad, was much more alluring. Samuel finally placed the eyeballs into formalin. He could not help but smile as he said, "Daeleen, I'll fulfill your final wish soon." My consciousness began to blur. Annie noticed that something was wrong, and she could not help but speak up to Samuel on my behalf. "Capo, Mrs. Sterling has never lied to you! Please go to her studio and see for yourself! "Mrs. Sterling had already painted your child onto your portrait for this year. She had planned to surprise you with it on your birthday!" "Paintings, you say? The last time Daeleen came over to visit and set up a camp in the garden, she mentioned that she was cold. We made a little bonfire with the paintings, seeing that they were just sitting in the studio unused," Samuel replied. Annie could not help but exclaim. "What?! Capo, the paintings were the results of years of Mrs. Sterling's hard work! Your portrait is among them!" Samuel became enraged at Annie and smashed the wine glass in his hand onto the floor. "That's enough, Annie! Have you forgotten that you're just a maid of the Sterling family? Your father is merely a Soldato of the family. Know your place!" Annie was so terrified that she immediately dropped to her knees, trembling. I reached out for her shoulder and patted her gently. "I'm sorry, Capo. This is my fault for not teaching her discipline. "Annie was just worried about me, you see. As for the paintings, I don't really care if you've burned them or not." An ugly smile crept up on my face. I knew that Samuel's heart was fully devoted to Daeleen and Daeleen alone. The truth of the matter no longer mattered at that point. I had wanted Samuel to be genuinely happy about my pregnancy instead of thinking that I was simply using our child as a bargaining chip to win back his heart. Without his love, the paintings had become nothing more than mere scraps of paper. Being used to fuel a bonfire was the only value Samuel had seen in them. Samuel was stunned when he heard me refer to him as 'Capo. ' It was the first time I had addressed him like his subordinates since our marriage. But seeing that I did not refute him further, he also said nothing more. All he wanted was to present my eyeballs as an offering to the deceased Daeleen. "Send over 100 candles and 10,000 roses as soon as possible." Chapter 5 Downstairs, 10,000 white roses formed a bed of flowers with 100 white candles scattered among them, surrounding a crystal box at the very center. Inside the box were my eyeballs. Next to the bed of flowers stood a choir as well as a priest, whom Samuel had specifically invited. He mentioned that Daeleen was the gentlest soul alive and that she would surely become an angel after death. Only a priest's prayers could ensure that Daeleen received my eyes. Onlookers expressed envy, and some were even moved to tears by Samuel's devotion to Daeleen. What they did not know was that the romantic Capo they were admiring had plucked out his own wife's eyes, and that the owner of the eyeballs on display were now lying on a bed, staring into nothing but darkness. There was no painkiller being administered. All the moans from the pain left me panting for air, with only the ventilator to keep me from suffocating. Suddenly, the ventilator stopped, and the air purification machine beside me stopped, plunging my surroundings into silence. Without the ventilator's help, my breathing grew rapid, and my pain grew even more intense. With the air purification system shut down, the supposedly sterile room was now no different from any other location. The surgery to remove eyeballs was an extremely risky procedure, and without proper environmental conditions, an infection would be inevitable. A confused voice rang out from outside. "The power's out! What happened?" Another voice replied, "The priest said that Daeleen's soul would follow the prayers and the candlelights to be led to this place. Samuel was worried that artificial lighting might interfere, so he ordered for the power to be cut." "Oh my, what a wonderful man! I've always thought that the mafia were ruthless criminals. I never expected that they would have such an affectionate gentleman." The very man they saw as romantic was putting on a show for his first love while disregarding the safety of his own wife. I felt as if I could pass out from oxygen deprivation at any given moment, but I did not want to die in such a pathetic way. I already knew that my child was gone and, along with it, the last shred of love I had for Samuel. Fortunately, Samuel never locked my door, and he also did not station any guards by my bedside. He must have thought that a blind woman could not possibly pose a threat to him. I fumbled my way out of the room. I recalled that there was a vast ocean just behind the hospital. As I passed through the garden, I heard Annie's desperate cries: "Please, Capo, you can't cut off the power! Mrs.Sterling's room needs to be kept sterile, and if the machines stop working, her wounds could get infected!" "Get lost! Everyone's doing just fine with the power cut-off, so why would she be any different?!" Samuel kicked Annie aside and then issued orders to his subordinates. "I've put up with you long enough, Annie. Drag her away to the basement and break her legs!" He then continued, "Bring Louise to the cemetery. I want her to kneel before Daeleen's grave and pray for her." With that, Samuel picked up my eyeballs and got into his car to leave for the cemetery. Annie broke down and started sobbing uncontrollably. Samuel's subordinates were hesitant, but none dared to disobey the Capo's orders. The subordinates searched the entire building, but they never managed to find me. When they arrived at my room, they were greeted with an open door as well as bloodstains scattered across the floor. I walked toward the sea, and I slowly walked into the frigid waters step by step. As the waves reached my thighs, I received a call from Samuel. "What the hell are you doing, Louise? I'm telling you to get to Daeleen's grave immediately! If you waste any more of my time, I'll kill your entire family!" My body temperature slowly seeped away through the seawater, numbing my pain. "Samuel, do you really think that you can hurt my family?" "Watch your tone, Louise. I am a Capo of the Sterling family! The mafia's dignity is not something you can challenge, even if you're my wife!" Samuel shouted. The seawater had now reached my neck. In front of me was nothing but darkness, but I still walked forward step by step with confidence. I will no longer give Samuel another chance to hurt me. Right before the seawater was about to swallow me completely, I spoke up to the irritated Samuel once more. "Samuel, I won't let you hurt me ever again. Even if the Sterling family's Capo dei Capi were here, he would have to kiss my fingers. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Louise Toledo."