Chapter 2

I gave him one last look before standing up. Then, I pushed open the door and walked away without looking back.

Steadying my trembling hands, I scrolled through my contacts on my phone.

[Professor, is there still an opening for the sign language teaching placement in the Northreach outreach program? I’d like to apply.]

I had barely sent the message when Jared caught up and stepped in front of me.

“You got hearing aids?”

He looked at my ear, then shook the cigarette ash out of the ring box and handed it to me.

“Naomi always runs her mouth, and I got carried away with her. The wedding is still happening tomorrow, just like we planned.”

Naomi followed us out and stopped beside him.

“Exactly. Jared and I are just best friends. We grew up together. Even if I stripped naked, he wouldn’t be able to get it up.

“As for the ring box, I just needed somewhere to tap my ash, so I grabbed the first thing I saw. If it bothers you that much, you can have one of my rings instead.”

She casually pulled two rings from her pocket.

Both were set with diamonds, catching the light with an elegant sparkle.

“He called them friendship rings. I think they’re super cheesy.”

Then, she suddenly leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Yours was just some cheap add-on. Jared said there was no point spending that much on someone who can’t hear or speak anyway.”

A sharp ache spread through my chest as I turned to Jared in disbelief.

When we had first got together, he had once twisted a little wildflower into a ring for me and said, “One day, I’m going to give you the best of everything.”

When he proposed, he had nervously told me, “I picked this because I wanted you to know how much you mean to me.”

At that moment, he simply cleared his throat and looked away.

“Kaitlyn, it’s not a big deal. Let me put it on you myself, and we’ll call it even, okay?”

Naomi grabbed my hand and tried to force the ring onto my finger.

Her long, pointed nails dug straight into my skin, hard enough to break through the flesh.

I cried out soundlessly in pain and instinctively yanked my hand back.

Naomi suddenly stumbled, staggered backward, and slammed into the corner by the stairs.

“Jared, my stomach... it hurts.”

Blood ran down her calf.

Jared immediately scooped Naomi into his arms.

“Call an ambulance!”

Then, a second later, he seemed to remember. “Forget it. You can’t even speak. What good are you on the phone?”

Blood streamed from my hand. It felt as though something inside my chest had split open and was bleeding right along with it.

At the hospital, I stood at a distance and watched as the doctor spoke to Jared.

“She’s two months pregnant. There are signs she may miscarry. Are you the father?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

I clenched the pregnancy test in my pocket until my fingers hurt. Tears were streaming down my face.

I was going to tell him that night that we were going to have a baby.

Also, after months of treatment, I had finally regained some of my hearing.

Though at that moment, none of it mattered any longer.

When I reached the ward, I found Jared and Naomi laughing and talking together.

Naomi leaned against the headboard and waved the test results at him.

“Well, Jared. Looks like you really did it this time.”

She looked at him with a teasing smile.

“So, what are we going to do now?”

Jared sighed and ruffled her hair. “Have the baby. We’ll make it legal.”

Naomi could not hide the delight on her face.

Jared was still smiling when he turned around and saw me.

“What was it you told me? Just friends? Congratulations.”

I signed the words to him.

The smile froze on his face.

He stopped me outside the ward.

“Kaitlyn, I didn’t sleep with her on purpose. Nothing about our wedding has to change. Naomi and I talked about it.

“She’ll have the baby, and you can raise it. I’ll put Naomi on the paperwork and make sure she and the baby are legally protected, but you and I can still go ahead with the wedding we planned.

“That way, it works out for everyone.”

I clenched my teeth so hard that I tasted blood. “What if I said I want a child of my own?”

Jared actually laughed. “Come on. How are you supposed to have a baby? What if the baby inherits your…”

His hands stopped before he finished signing, but whatever I still felt for him was already dying.

“The wedding is cancelled, Jared. We’re done.”

At that exact moment, I received a message.