I entered the apartment. It smelled of emptiness. On the walls were my childhood photos, but also newspaper clippings of my success abroad that she had somehow tracked down. She had followed every step of my life from the shadows, proud of the son who was ashamed of her. I sat on a dusty chair and, with trembling hands, opened the letter. It was stained with old tears. "My dearest son," it read. "I am writing this because I know I won't wake up again. Please forgive me for embarrassing you your whole life. But there is one secret I’ve kept for decades. When you were a baby, we were in a horrific car accident. The doctors said you would be blind in one eye forever. I couldn't stand the thought of my child growing up like that. So, I gave you mine." "I was so happy that through my eye, you could see the beauty of the world, even if it meant you had to look at me as a monster. I love you more than anything." The letter fell from my hands. Sobs began to tear through my chest. I realized that my entire life, I had hated the woman who literally gave me her sight. I wasn't blind physically—I had been spiritually blind. And now, it was too late for anything but eternal regret.

* Story inspired by real-life situations. Names and details have been changed for privacy.