All Chapters of The Sound That Vanished: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

The room fell silent for a heartbeat before his friends started giving their well-meaning advice."Yoana, how can you pretend you don't know Lawrence? We're the ones who kept things from you, not him.""Really, Yoana, we were just trying to protect you from worry. Now that Lawrence is finally awake, don't give him the cold shoulder."Accusations hung heavy in the air.Before I could get a word in, Lawrence Scott's derisive laugh cut through the tension.He stood up from the couch, lazily holding a cigarette between his fingers, and said with a smug ease,"If she doesn't remember me, then it's better this way. Saves me the hassle of caring."The girl by his side quickly latched onto his arm, her face a mix of shyness and anxiety as she looked up at him."Lawrence... I remember you. She doesn't know what she's missing. I-I'd marry you in a heartbeat, if you'd have me..."Lawrence did not respond with words. Instead, he gave me a fleeting, indifferent look, then pulled the girl c

Chapter 2

A video call came through shortly after.It was Jack."They're out of your usual brand. Do you see anything else you like?" he asked.I was about to pick something when a voice I knew all too well, laced with surprise, came from the video.Lawrence, arm in arm with a young lady, strolled into the store and gave Jack the once-over."I invited you out for drinks tonight, and you bail to shop for a woman?" he exclaimed."You're on video with her? Show me who this miracle worker is that's got through to Mr. Harris!" Lawrence demanded, reaching for Jack's phone.Instinctively, I dodged out of camera view.However, Lawrence's hand never made it to Jack's phone.With just a cool look from Jack, Lawrence backed off. "Fine, fine, you're so protective. Just make sure you introduce her to us next time!"By the way, Jack, I bumped into Yoana. She walked into the wrong room and caught me with another woman. She nearly gave me a heart attack, but my buddies saved the day, claiming I had am

Chapter 3

I shot Jack a look that was a mix of irritation and embarrassment.Lawrence's voice kept coming from the phone, full of surprise "Look at you, Jack! What's going on over there, got a lady with you? Come on, is it that woman from today's video call?"Two years had passed, and all I had done was make a tiny noise. Lawrence had been around so many women over the years, so he did not recognize my voice.Jack did not seem to care about Lawrence's prying.His gaze was locked on me, tender and warm.I shot him a furious look, wriggled free from his arms, and tried to crawl to the other side of the bed.However, before I could get far, Jack caught my ankle and yanked me back.Lawrence went on talking."Bro, you've gotta show me the girl who's got you, the eternal bachelor, finally falling head over heels! And now that you've fallen, you can't exactly say no when I set you up on dates, can you?"Speaking of which, about the engagement party, I was gonna ask you to invite Yoana, but I k

Chapter 4

Selena ushered me in.The moment we pushed through the lobby doors, my mood plummeted.It was the venue for Lawrence's wedding.Up on stage, Lawrence was in the midst of the ring exchange.Across the room, there she was, the girl I had last seen at a bar, standing opposite him.She gazed up at Lawrence, her eyes a mix of bashfulness and anticipation.Lawrence, on the other hand, seemed tense, his gaze drifting to the hall's entrance there and then.Our eyes locked for a brief moment, and something in his expression softened, a gentle smile playing on his lips.The officiant, standing close by, posed the question."Do you, Lawrence Scott, promise to stand by your future bride, Jane Larsen, in all the pivotal moments to come?"With a fleeting look in my direction, Lawrence's smile grew wider."Absolutely."He slid the ring onto Jane's finger, prompting a wave of cheers from the audience."Give her a kiss! Give her a kiss!"Blushing deeply, Jane still boldly rose on her tipt

Chapter 5

In the blink of an eye, I was shoved aside.Of all days, I wore high heels. Off-balance from the shove, I twisted my ankle.The pain was sharp, and I almost cried.Lawrence's eyes were ablaze as he stared at me down."Yoana, this is too much! Who said you could come here and pick on Jane at our engagement party? Do you think I'm invisible? Apologize to Jane, now!"The guests, who had been watching me since I arrived, crowded around us, eager for drama.Someone chimed in."Ms. Stewart, you and Mr. Scott are history. It's done. Causing a scene at Mr. Scott and Ms. Larsen's engagement party isn't exactly classy.""And let's be real, you gotta know when to move on. He's over you, and clinging on won't change that. Besides, nobody wants a love that's forced."Jane, nestled in Lawrence's embrace, her eyes brimming with tears, spoke softly."Lawrence, it's alright, I don't blame Ms. Stewart... It's understandable she's upset seeing you with me. It's natural for her to be angry at me

Chapter 6

Jack was in the hallway, his phone pressed to his ear, listening to his assistant's update."Mr. Harris, the deal between the Harris and Scott families is off. We're untangling the last few knots. However, Lawrence has been trying to reach you, but couldn't get through."Jack's voice was ice, "Let it be.""Understood."Once my cast was on, Jack reappeared and took me home.He played the devoted companion in the days that followed, sticking close to home so I would not get stir-crazy.However, when it was time to remove the cast, he wanted to call in our doctor, but I nixed that idea.I was itching for a change of scenery and insisted on heading to the hospital.Stepping out of the car, I felt steady on my feet, but Jack was having none of it. He swept me up and carried me into the doctor's office.I let him, even though the stares we drew made me duck my head against his chest, cheeks burning.Meanwhile, Lawrence was in a bar close to the hospital, glaring at his silent phone

Chapter 7

After firing off the message, Lawrence chucked his phone to the side and leaned back, a smug grin playing on his face.He could picture me reading his words, probably jumping for joy.I would likely call in a heartbeat, her voice quivering with tears, begging to know where he was, desperate to see him.Should he pick up my first call?Perhaps he could play it cool, let her sweat a bit, and pick up the second call.'She thinks she can get to me by playing the field, huh?' Lawrence thought.He decided he would let me stew for a bit when I rang, just to teach me a lesson.With that thought, Lawrence reached for his phone again.Knowing me, the news of his memory returning would send me into a frenzy of tears.He had picked up my favorite mini cakes, a sweet peace offering for when we met.Lawrence had just finished his order and settled in to wait with the patience of a saint.However, even after the cake had been delivered, there was still no peep from my end.He frowned, a c

Chapter 8

With a self-satisfied grin, Lawrence raised his glass and gulped down his drink.However, the odd looks from his friends lingered.Then, out of the blue, a phone was thrust into Lawrence's hand."Jack just sent out wedding invites. He's tying the knot, and the lucky lady is..."The invitation was extravagant, the names of the couple emblazoned boldly.[Groom, Jack Harris. Bride, Yoana Stewart]I had set the wedding date for just two weeks away, and the lead-up was a whirlwind of activity.I had proposed to Jack on a whim, hoping to give him the sense of security he seemed to lack. I never imagined he would want to rush to the altar so quickly!The big day arrived, and the venue was packed with familiar faces. Friends who had partied with Jack, Lawrence, and I raised their glasses in celebration. Lawrence was among them.His eyes were red and swollen as he stood off to the side. His hands were balled into fists so tight that the glass he held shattered, blood trickling down h

Chapter 9

I could not help but laugh."Lawrence, please, I'm not a toddler."Lawrence stepped back as if I had slapped him. His lips quivered, words trying to form but never making it out."So... You've known for two years..."I was done with Lawrence's drama. I turned to leave, but he caught my hand."Yoana, if you knew all along, why did you keep it to yourself? If you'd told me, things would've been different! All this mess could've been avoided!"His plea made my skin crawl. How could anyone be so utterly shameless?Jack saw Lawrence's grip on me and stepped in, his face like thunder, booting Lawrence away.Lawrence scrambled up from the ground, pointing an accusing finger at Jack."It was him! He's the one who cooked up the whole fake death idea! If not for him, I wouldn't have done it! We'd be married by now! Yoana, don't let Jack fool you! He's a master manipulator!"Jack's hand found mine, squeezing it tight.I knew about that charade already, but Jack and I never talked about

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP