Chapter 1

At the company banquet, the beautiful intern Serena Coleman flirted with my husband, begging to see the hearing aid on my ear.

My husband yanked off my hearing aid and handed it to her with a smile.

Serena examined it with disgust for a moment, then carelessly tossed it on the floor.

I frantically reached down to pick it up, but she "accidentally" stepped on it, sending sharp pain through my fingers.

After putting it back on, I angrily shoved Serena, only to receive a slap across my face from my husband.

"Aurora, tonight's banquet is for Serena. Stop making a scene!"

I froze for a moment, then removed the hearing aid from my ear, threw it in the trash, and turned to leave.

This hearing aid was the most precious gift my husband had ever given me.

But now, I wanted neither him nor the broken hearing aid.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, I removed my hearing aid and decisively threw it in the trash.

I smiled calmly at everyone. "You all enjoy. I'll head out first."

Then I turned and left.

My ears plunged back into silence. I couldn't hear any sounds, as if I'd been pushed into an isolated world.

I saw the anger on my husband Ethan Rivers's face, but I didn't care anymore.

Walking out of the private room, I sent a message to my best friend Maya Smith.

[I'm resigning in the next couple days to join you. I'll come work at your company.]

She replied almost instantly, her words radiating excitement.

[Yes! Once you're here, we can develop software together. We'll have an amazing future!]

Maya didn't ask many questions, and I was grateful for that.

In college, Maya and I both majored in computer science.

Although we were girls, we both had a deep passion for coding and software development.

We'd teamed up multiple times for competitions and won various awards.

After graduation, she chose to start a business in another city, while I stayed to marry Ethan Rivers and work at his family's tech company.

Maya's career took off quickly, while mine remained stagnant at the company.

She'd often say regretfully that my talent was being wasted, offering multiple times for me to join her, but I'd politely declined each time to stay near Ethan.

But now, Ethan had changed too much for the sake of a new intern.

There was no point in staying anymore.

When I got home, I took out my spare hearing aid and put it on.

My phone chimed. Serena had sent me a video.

I opened it. The lighting was dim—it was shot at a bar. Ethan had found a band to sing for Serena.

"Serena is exceptionally talented. Let me sing a song for her first!"

Then he sang along with the accompaniment, performing the song "Mischief."

My heart seized suddenly.

I remembered what he'd once told me:

"Aurora, this is a song I learned for you. I'll only ever sing it for you."

But now, he was singing it publicly for Serena.

Ethan had broken the promise he'd made to me.

I closed the video with a bitter smile.

Looking around the room, the coldness felt desolate.

I opened my closet and began packing my things simply.

Ethan didn't come home until nearly one in the morning.

Seeing me sitting calmly on the couch watching TV, his face filled with anger.

"I already sent you a message. Why didn't you come down to meet me?"

In the past, whenever Ethan came home late from social engagements, I would always go downstairs early to wait, making sure we could see each other the moment he entered the complex.

But this time, I didn't want to eagerly rush toward him anymore.

I picked up my phone.

In my chat with Ethan, the screen was filled with green bubbles—my messages. His responses were sparse.

The latest message was from him.

Just four simple, cold words: [Heading back soon.]

I looked at Ethan, my tone flat.

"I forgot to check my messages."

Ethan strode toward me, his scolding raining down.

"Aurora, what exactly are you trying to pull! Serena is younger than you—can't you cut her some slack! She just accidentally stepped on your hearing aid, and you had to make a scene and ruin the whole atmosphere! Don't you have any sense of maturity!"

I listened quietly to Ethan's accusations without any reaction.

But my gaze unconsciously fell on his neck.

There were suggestive red marks there.

Noticing my gaze, Ethan froze for a moment, then unnaturally pulled his collar up to cover the marks.

But his tone remained harsh.

"That slap was a lesson. Don't do this again next time! Serena is young—you need to be more understanding!"

I nodded without arguing.

"Got it. I'm a bit tired. I'm going to rest first."

Then I stood up and walked into the bedroom.

Ethan's face darkened. Behind me, he let out a cold "hmph."

I lay on the bed and closed my eyes, but my thoughts wouldn't settle.

—"Just accidentally stepped on your hearing aid."