Chapter 4

He apologized to me, but I just nodded calmly, not taking it to heart.

I packed up all my belongings and booked a flight for the next day to the city where Maya lived.

Then I went to the company to complete the final parts of my project and submitted my resignation letter.

I took a cab to the cemetery and sat quietly at my grandmother's grave for the entire afternoon.

About to leave this city, my heart was surprisingly calm without a trace of reluctance.

Perhaps I'd been hurt enough that my heart had gone numb.

I leaned against the tombstone, chatting with my grandmother on and off, watching the clouds roll by in the sky.

Only when the sky had completely darkened did I finally head home.

When I opened the door, the house was unexpectedly lively.

Balloons decorated everywhere, flowers and gifts scattered about, with "Happy Birthday" hanging on the wall.

I couldn't help feeling confused.

"Aurora, you're back! Today's my birthday. Ethan said the house is big and perfect for hosting my birthday party!"

Serena appeared with a beaming smile, smiling at me while her eyes fell on the dining table.

I followed her gaze. The table was already laden with delicacies.

"Ethan said he wanted to show off his cooking skills for me. Those are all dishes he made. Ethan is not only handsome but can cook amazingly too. Aurora, I really envy you!"

Though Serena spoke of envy, her words were full of smugness about how Ethan had been busy for her sake.

I forced a smile.

Ethan rarely cooked, but for Serena he could go to such lengths.

Whatever. It had nothing to do with me.

I glanced at Serena indifferently, uninterested in her provocation, and turned to enter my room.

But my gaze fell on a corner of the room, and my movements froze.

Noticing my reaction, Serena laughed unabashedly in my ear.

"Oh, that? I accidentally knocked it off while decorating the room. Ethan said it's fine—he'll clean it up and throw it away later. Aurora, I'm so clumsy. Don't mind it, okay!"

On the floor was my grandmother's carefully framed portrait, now shattered into pieces.

On my grandmother's smiling face in the photo, there were still faintly visible black footprints!

Hearing the complete indifference in her words, fury ignited in me. I couldn't hold back anymore and turned to slap Serena hard across the face.

My mind went blank, completely controlled by rage.

An imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Serena's mouth before she began shouting loudly.

"Aurora, what are you doing! Stop it!"

Ethan rushed out from the kitchen and angrily slapped me across the face, roughly pushing me away before helping Serena up.

My eyes reddened as I looked at the two of them.

"It's just a photo—don't make such a big deal out of it! You've hurt Serena! You're deaf, so you can't stand seeing healthy people? What kind of person are you!"

Ethan roared at me furiously, supporting Serena whose cheek was severely swollen, and walked out of the house.

My nose stung and my heart seized sharply.

So in his eyes, I was a deaf person who couldn't stand others being healthy...

With trembling hands, I carefully picked up my grandmother's portrait, wiped the dirt from it with my sleeve, and placed it in my suitcase.

Ethan didn't come home all night.

I didn't sleep all night either.

Before leaving, I took one last look at the house, placed the divorce papers on the table, and resolutely walked out with my luggage.