Chapter 1

Chapter 1

At our college reunion, Garrett's first love asked him right in front of my face.

"I'm pregnant. Can we finally be together now?"

Garrett put some food onto my plate, smiling calmly.

"I promised I'd take care of her for the rest of my life since she's deaf. I can't break my word. She can never know about your pregnancy. I couldn't bear the consequences if she found out."

"As compensation, I'll get a real marriage license with you. Hers is fake anyway."

He put down his phone and turned to me, signing gently that he had booked a restaurant for tomorrow to celebrate our seventh anniversary.

He didn't notice the tears slipping down my cheeks.

He had no idea that three days ago, my hearing was completely cured.

He didn't know that I had already discovered our marriage certificate was a fake.

And he definitely didn't know that I had already booked a one-way flight for tomorrow morning.

After tomorrow, we would never see each other again.

Around the table, everyone was still laughing and chatting.

I lowered my head and quickly wiped away the tear at the corner of my eye.

Garrett finally noticed something was off. He looked at me with concern, his fingers signing with their usual tenderness.

"Is the food not to your taste?"

"Let's go home right now. I don't want you staying hungry."

While I was still frozen, he reached out to take my hand.

I jerked my hand away just as our old classmates chimed in.

"Why leave so early? We rarely get together like this."

"Exactly! It doesn't even look like sister-in-law wants to leave yet."

They said "sister-in-law", but their eyes were fixed on Garrett's first love, Leanna.

Leanna subtly leaned against Garrett, her fingertips lightly tugging at his cuff.

Garrett's face darkened, and he shoved her off so fast that barely anyone noticed.

Seeing me stare blankly ahead, he turned his head and whispered harshly to Leanna.

"Don't get so close to me in front of her."

Leanna glared at me with glistening eyes, full of resentment.

"But we haven't seen each other in three days. I missed you so much."

I pretended not to hear a thing, keeping my voice eerily calm.

"I'm not feeling well. I'm heading home first."

Garrett glanced down at his empty hand, startled, then immediately signed.

"No, we're going back together. You have a weak stomach and you can't cook. What would you do without me?"

I almost laughed out loud.

Right. What would I do without him?

For the past seven years, he personally cooked every meal for my fragile stomach, never letting anyone else touch it.

On the day I lost my hearing and my world fell into dead silence, he stayed by my side and learned sign language with me.

After mastering it, he even quit his job to travel the country with me just to cheer me up.

Back then, he said:

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

"I will make you healthy again."

He used to say that what terrified him most was the lost, helpless look on my face when I couldn't see or hear.

So he became my ears.

I looked at the awkward expressions around the table and smiled faintly.

"It's fine."

"I think everyone needs you more than I do."

The room fell into dead silence.

Everyone looked uncomfortable.

Only Leanna kept an indifferent smirk.

"She's just deaf, not stupid. Garrett, why don't you just stay?"

"Just keep me company for a bit."

Garrett's face turned pitch black.

"Don't talk about her like that."

Leanna acted deeply wronged, rubbing her belly and pouting.

"You're scaring the baby!"

The second she said that, Garrett's expression completely melted. He pulled her into his arms right in front of me, soothing her gently.

"My bad, it's my fault. Don't get upset."

His eyes were filled with pure tenderness and heartache.

In the past, Garrett always claimed he didn't want kids because he was afraid a child would steal my love away from him.

So no matter how much I adored children, I never got pregnant in seven years.

Turns out, he just didn't want a child with me.

He was so absorbed in comforting her that he didn't realize how intimate their embrace was.

Nor did he see the mocking smirk Leanna threw directly at me.

I couldn't stomach watching it for another second. Forcing a smile, I signed to Garrett.

"I can manage on my own."

"I'm deaf, not an idiot."

Garrett's heart dropped for a split second.

But when he saw my usual gentle smile, he convinced himself I hadn't heard Leanna's words.

Seeing that, he didn't insist any further and merely instructed:

"Alright. Call me if anything happens."

I nodded, grabbed my purse, and left that toxic place behind.

Tomorrow, I wouldn't have to see him ever again.