Mr. Cripple And Mrs. Deaf : Twist Of Fate

What's the color of voice? Red, Green, White or Rainbow? She wants to know. But what she wants to know is how love feels, what kind of color does love have? Red like heart? What's that? What about heartbreak? What color does it have? Black? Dark Red?

Carol Bianca sits in front of the mirror, adjusting her wedding veil with trembling fingers. Her reflection stares back at her—hazel eyes glistening with unshed tears, full lips painted a soft shade of pink, and long, chestnut hair cascading over her bare shoulders in loose curls. She looks like a bride from a fairytale, her white dress hugging her figure perfectly, the flowing skirt pooling around her in a sea of satin.

It's going to be beach wedding with her some friends as bridesmaids and some guests from her fiancé's side. And she has been planning this wedding for years with the love of her life, Troy Victor.

But despite the outward beauty, a shadow of doubt lingers deep inside her chest.

She has been deaf since she was six. The car accident that took her hearing plunged her into a world of silence. Over the years, Carol has learned to live within that silence, relying on the fluid grace of sign language and the careful art of lip-reading to communicate. But no matter how much she adapts, she still feels isolated—locked in a world where she cannot hear the voices or sounds around her. She has not spoken a single word since that day.

Today, though, is different. Today, she will speak. For the first time in nearly two decades, she is going to break her silence and say the words she has saved for this moment, for this man. “I do.”

It’s her gift to Troy Victor, the man who stood by her side when others turned away. The man who saw her as whole when the world viewed her as broken.

Yet despite the excitement, an uncomfortable knot twists in her stomach. 'Why am I so uneasy?'

Carol’s hands are still shaking as she adjusts the lilies in her bouquet—her favorite flowers—their delicate scent barely reaching her in her muted world. She stares at her reflection again, studying her own face.

Is this really happening?

Today, she is supposed to marry Troy, her childhood sweetheart, her rock. But beneath the joy, something feels off. A whisper of doubt she can’t quite silence.

Lifting her hands, Carol signs to herself in the mirror, the motions of her fingers calming her racing heart.

**Will he love me? Even like this?** It’s a question she has asked herself too many times.

A gentle tap on her shoulder pulls her from her thoughts. She turns to see her best friend, Eunice Bell, beaming down at her. Eunice’s blue eyes are full of excitement, her blonde hair falling in waves down her back.

She’s dressed in a soft lavender gown, her hands moving rapidly in sign language as she grins. **“You look stunning! Troy’s going to lose it when he sees you.”**

Carol manages a small smile, her heart warming at Eunice’s energy.

**I’m so nervous,** she signs back, her movements slower than usual. **What if something goes wrong?**

Eunice waves her hand dismissively and leans in to hug her. **Nothing’s going to go wrong! You’re about to marry the love of your life. You’ve been through worse than wedding jitters. Troy is crazy about you.**

Carol blushes and nods, though the knot in her stomach tightens. She trusts Troy. He has never given her a reason to doubt him.

He’s always been kind, patient—he made her feel complete when the rest of the world made her feel small.

But what if... what if I’m not enough?

Her fingers find the necklace around her neck, a delicate pendant Troy gave her when they got engaged.

It was his way of telling her she wasn’t broken—that she was everything to him. But still, the fear gnaws at her.

Eunice notices the doubt crossing Carol’s face, and she squeezes her hand. **You’ll be perfect, Carol. He’s going to love hearing you say ‘I do.’ You’ve been practicing for this moment for months.**

Carol’s heart flutters at the reminder. She has been practicing, secretly rehearsing her vows in her room. It took months of hard work, pushing herself to speak for the first time since losing her hearing. It was all for him.

A surprise she wanted to give Troy on their wedding day—to show him how much he means to her, how much she loves him.

** I’ll be with you every step of the way,** Eunice adds, her blue eyes soft. **You’re not doing this alone.**

Carol smiles again, more genuinely this time. She isn’t alone. She has Eunice. She has Troy.

But just as she stands, gathering her bouquet and preparing to leave, the door swings open. Carol’s heart skips a beat as Troy walks in. He looks handsome in the blue tuxedo she picked out for him, his dark hair perfectly styled, and his broad shoulders filling the suit in a way that makes her heart flutter.

But something is wrong. His usual warm smile is absent, and instead, his expression is distant, tense. The knot in Carol’s stomach tightens into a hard lump.

“Troy!” Eunice sighs, frowning at him. “You’re not supposed to be here. It’s bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony!” She speaks.

Carol’s heart leaps with a strange mixture of love and worry.

Why does he look like this?

She smiles softly, thinking maybe he’s just as nervous as she is. She moves to sign to him, but he interrupts her with a gesture—cold, almost dismissive.

“I need to talk to her,” Troy says, his voice unusually sharp.

Eunice looks back at Carol, her frown deepening. **What’s going on?** she signs to Carol quickly.

Carol looks up at Troy, her heart pounding now, not with excitement, but with dread. **What’s wrong?** she signs, her hands moving quickly, the bouquet nearly slipping from her fingers.

Troy doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walks closer, reaching into his jacket. He pulls out a file and hands it to her, his expression emotionless. **Sign this**

Carol’s hands tremble as she takes the folder, her heart sinking deeper with every second. She opens it slowly, her fingers skimming over the pages.

A prenuptial agreement?

She lifts her head, her wide hazel eyes searching his face for answers. **Why?** she signs, her hands moving shakily.

Troy’s eyes flicker with impatience. **If you sign it, I’ll marry you. If not, I won’t risk my future.**

The words feel like a slap. 'Risk his future?' The world around Carol seems to blur.

Weren’t they supposed to build a future together?

She looks down at the papers in her hands, trying to process what is happening. The joy, the excitement, everything she had felt only moments ago begins to drain away, replaced by a cold, creeping dread.

Eunice steps forward, fury written all over her face. “What are you doing?” she asks angrily. “You can’t just drop this on her!”

Carol can’t move. Her hands hover over the papers, her heart shattering.

'This isn’t the man I thought I knew'