Chapter 2

Two minutes later, Wesley stubbed out her cigarette and walked straight toward me, her finger lightly touching the corner of my eye.

Her voice was low and husky: "Having a nightmare?"

It was just a normal expression of concern, yet it sent chills through me. Disgust welled up as I swatted her hand away.

I suddenly opened my eyes and met her gaze: "You lied to me. You don't have any hearing impairment at all. Why would you do this?!"

Unlike my breakdown, Wesley seemed to have been mentally prepared for this, as if she had anticipated this day would come.

"What, I'm a normal person and you're unhappy about it?"

Wesley glanced at the cochlear implant on the table and sneered, as if it were just an insignificant decoration.

"You're the one who was full of himself. You're the one who was willing to work and earn money to buy me the implant. From start to finish, you never asked for my opinion."

"I've already played along with you for two years—I've done more than enough. We're still dating just fine now, so why dwell on these trivial matters!"

Trivial matters?

I couldn't understand the person before me, couldn't comprehend how she could lie to me and still feel so at ease.

Back then, I had felt sorry for Wesley's hearing impairment and how she never talked much with others. To help her regain confidence, I worked myself to the bone.

During the most extreme few months, I even worked seven jobs a day, so busy I couldn't even stop to drink water.

My friend Johnson laughed at me for being the ultimate lovesick fool, saying I was destroying my body for a woman.

I shook my head and shot back with my eyes full of concern:

"You don't know how hard the world is for disabled people. I don't want to see Wesley excluded anymore. I want her to see and hear the beauty of this world!"

Later, I finally bought the latest cochlear implant on the market. Wesley stared at my bloodshot eyes and abraded fingers, stunned for a long while.

She reached out to touch my face, her eyes reddening: "Ronald, you're so good to me. I'll never let you down for the rest of my life."

Thinking back to those two years of sweet moments together, I felt nothing but chills running through my body.

And the culprit acted as if nothing had happened, trampling all over my genuine feelings.

"It's all my fault for not explaining this misunderstanding in time. You wouldn't break up with me over something this small, would you?"

I opened my mouth blankly, unable to say a word.

Wesley really knew how to manipulate people's hearts. She knew how deeply I loved her, that I couldn't bear to break up.

Seeing me lower my head with my shoulders trembling slightly, a flash of something strange crossed Wesley's eyes—perhaps a hint of guilt.

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

I was about to press her further about who this William from the phone call was when a sudden urgent ringtone interrupted me.

Wesley's usually composed eyes instantly filled with urgency—an excitement I had never seen before.

"Ronald..." I opened my mouth to call her, but Wesley hastily changed clothes and rushed out the door, tossing out: "Something came up at work, I won't be home for dinner!"

But I saw through it immediately. This was just her clumsy excuse—her sweetheart from abroad must have returned.

I laughed at myself bitterly, my chest aching dully.