Chapter 2

Two minutes later, Ethan stubbed out his cigarette and walked straight towards me, his fingers gently touching the corner of my eye.

His voice was deep and husky:

"Bad dream?"

It was a perfectly normal question, a sign of concern, but it sent shivers down my spine. With a surge of disgust, I slapped his hand away.

I abruptly opened my eyes and met his gaze:

"You lied to me. You don't have a hearing impairment at all. Why would you do this?!"

Unlike my breakdown, Ethan seemed to have been mentally prepared, as if he'd anticipated this day.

"What, you're not happy that I'm a normal person instead?"

Ethan glanced at the artificial cochlear implant on the table, scoffing lightly, as if it were just an irrelevant ornament.

"You were the one who got ahead of yourself. You were the one who wanted to make money to buy me a cochlear implant. You never asked for my opinion, not once."

"I've played along with you for two years. I've done more than enough. Now that we're dating properly, why dwell on these minor details?"

Minor details?

I found myself unable to understand the man in front of me, baffled by how he could lie to me and still be so utterly at peace with himself.

Back then, I felt so much pity for Ethan's hearing impairment. He rarely spoke much to others, and to help him regain his confidence, I worked myself to the bone.

During those most extreme months, I sometimes worked seven jobs a day, so busy I barely had time to drink water.

My best friend, Chloe Green, laughed at me, calling me a hopeless romantic, throwing my health away for a man.

I pouted, my eyes filled with concern, and shot back:

"You don't understand how difficult life can be for someone with a disability. I don't want to see Ethan excluded anymore. I want him to see and hear the beauty of this world!"

Later, I successfully bought him the latest cochlear implant. Ethan just smiled at it, then pulled me into his arms, kissing me passionately:

"Ava, you're so good to me. I'll never betray you in my life!"

Recalling the sweet two years we'd spent together, I felt as if hundreds of ants were crawling over me, a chilling sensation washing through my body.

Yet the culprit acted as if nothing was wrong, carelessly trampling on my genuine feelings.

"It's my fault for not explaining this misunderstanding sooner. You wouldn't break up with me over such a small thing, would you?"

I opened my mouth in a daze, unable to utter a single word.

Ethan was truly skilled at manipulating people. He knew the depth of my love, that I simply couldn't bear to break up.

Seeing my head bowed, my shoulders trembling slightly, a strange flicker of guilt passed through Ethan's eyes.

"Alright, it's all my fault. I won't lie to you again, okay?"

I was about to press him further about Scarlett from his call, but a frantic phone ring interrupted me.

Ethan's usually composed eyes instantly showed a hint of urgency, an excitement I had never seen before.

"Ethan..."

I called out his name, but Ethan quickly pulled on his clothes and rushed out the door, tossing over his shoulder:

"Work emergency. I won't be back for dinner!"

But I instantly saw through it, recognizing it as a clumsy excuse. His beloved, far away overseas, must have returned.

I scoffed at myself, my heart aching with a dull pain.