Chapter 1

1.

When I was half asleep, I heard a sharp ringing sound.

It lasted only a few seconds before being cut off.

But the caller was determined not to give up until I answered.

The ringing continued.

After a while, I heard Chris softly calling my name.

"Hailey, are you asleep?"

I kept my eyes closed and didn't respond.

Then he gently lifted the blanket, got up, and walked out of the bedroom.

When the door slammed shut, I realized how urgent his departure was.

So I hesitated only briefly.

I immediately got out of bed, got in the car, and followed him, wanting to see what was going on.

When I saw a woman in sexy pajamas wrap her arms around Chris's neck, I froze.

It was Jasmine Wood, Chris's secretary.

During the second year of our marriage, Jasmine appeared by his side.

She followed him everywhere for business negotiations.

They fought side by side, and their relationship was beyond that of an employer and employee.

But now...

Jasmine smiled coyly at Chris.

"Mr. Davis, do I look good today?"

Chris clearly enjoyed it, pulling her waist and cocking his brows with a smile.

"Of course, you look good, my dear."

Jasmine teased, "Then why didn't you answer my call? Were you..."

Chris pinched her nose, looking impatient. "What are you thinking?"

"She's like a dead fish in bed. Who would marry a cripple? I've really had enough of it all these years. She's just a deaf person who makes me want to throw up now."

Satisfied with his answer, Jasmine smiled brightly.

She climbed onto Chris's shoulder, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his lips.

The two embraced and entered the villa.

I stood where I was for a full two hours.

A chill gradually spread throughout my body.

2.

I returned home in a daze.

My mind replayed Chris's words over and over.

A deaf person who made him wan to throw up.

But he forgot that my ears were injured to save him.

When I was eleven, my dad forced my mom to sign the divorce agreement.

His first love came back to find him after her divorce, and he immediately chose to abandon us.

To make a living, my mom was hired as a nanny by the Davis family.

That was how I met Chris.

Three years later, my mom overdosed on sleeping pills in our cramped rental apartment.

Once again, I was abandoned by my family.

It was Chris who brought me back home.

He held my hand and promised to always protect me.

Wherever he was, that was my home.

Love grew wildly from the depths of my heart.

But my insecurity made me carefully hide my love for him.

That was until that accident.

In the early days of his startup, Chris was young and reckless, unaware of how to adapt.

He offended countless people.

After a dinner party, he was cornered by thugs from the rival company in an alley.

I rushed forward without hesitation to protect him.

The blow landed on my ear.

My eardrum perforated.

I almost permanently lost my hearing. After that, I had to wear a hearing aid from then on.

In the hospital room, Chris's white shirt was stained with my blood.

His eyes were red as he held my hand, veins bulging.

After a long pause, he finally said softly, "Hailey, let's get married, okay?"

When a person was in the deepest pain, they couldn’t refuse the light offered by others.

At that moment, the entire world blurred.

Only the gentle boy in front of me was magnified infinitely.

The warmth in his eyes and the love he expressed dispelled my panic over losing my hearing.

But now, I finally understood.

This was the cruelest part of Chris.

He loved you, but it seemed he didn’t love you that much.

He would always give you a carrot after the stick.

He would make your mood go up and down, but unable to escape his grasp.

3.

At dawn, the door to the house opened.

Chris probably didn't expect me to be waiting for him.

When his gaze met mine, he froze for a few seconds before coming back to his senses.