I stared at his face.
The scar.
The eyes.
The man I had loved.
The boy who had hurt me.
For the first time, I realized both could exist in the same person.
I didn't forgive him that night.
But I let him sit beside me.
And somehow, that was enough for the moment.
---
# CHAPTER 7: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE EXPERIMENT DESTROYED MY MOTHER'S REPUTATION—BUT IT ALSO REVEALED ONE FINAL SECRET ABOUT MY HUSBAND
**Three months after I regained my sight, I stood in front of a courtroom and told the story of how a group of adults had stolen twenty years of my vision.**
My hands trembled as I approached the witness stand.
The room was full.
Reporters sat near the back.
Former Lumen Project patients and their families filled several rows.
June Bell sat beside her mother, holding a folder of records.
Dad was near the aisle.
