Ryan sat alone in his quiet room, holding his phone in his hand.
Emma's words from last night kept playing in his mind.
Do you ever wonder what I look like?
He sighed.
There was something he had been hiding from the very beginning.
Something he was afraid to say out loud.
Ryan was blind.
He had lost his sight when he was young. Since then, people had looked at him differently—some with pity, some with distance. He had learned to protect his heart by staying quiet.
But Emma was different.
When she called that night, Ryan answered with a soft smile.
"Hi," Emma said. "You sound tired."
"I'm just thinking," he replied.
"About what?"
"About honesty," Ryan said slowly. "And how scary it can be."
Emma stayed silent, listening.
"There's something about me you don't know," Ryan continued. "I want to tell you… but I'm afraid."
Emma's heart beat faster.
"You can tell me anything," she said gently.
Ryan held his breath.
Not tonight, he thought. Not yet.
"Soon," he said instead. "I promise."
Emma didn't push him.
"Whenever you're ready," she said.
After the call ended, Ryan placed his phone beside him.
He touched his white cane, resting near the bed.
He wondered—
Would Emma still care if she knew the truth?
For the first time, Ryan wasn't afraid of losing love.
He was afraid of losing her.
And deep inside, he knew—
the truth could not stay hidden forever.