All Chapters of Signed In Silence : Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Wren The only thing worse than Ms. Squeaky's cleavage on display at 9 AM was knowing I couldn't say what I really thought. So I didn't. Until she opened her mouth. "I'm looking for my lovely Leander. Tell him Serene is back waiting for him." She tapped her nails on the counter. Darn. Must she always show her annoying face here? She disgusts me. As usual, she's in a short bum dress with her cleavage fully on display and an annoyingly smug look. I admit, she's pretty and has curves. No wonder she gets the boss's attention. I pinched the bridge of my nostrils, thinking back to her age and my boss, who's almost twice her age. Could she be less shameless. I shook my head before her high-pitched voice cut in again. "Could you spare me a second? I'm sorry—" "Don't you fucking open your mouth and tell me he's not around. I swear I'll fuck you up if I hear something of that sort." She cut me off. "Before you cut me short—I'm sorry... heck no. You don't even deserve it. The boss is havi

Wren "Oh, you actually thought he cared about you. Lean, don't pity this bitch. Not like she would do anything." She wrapped her hands around Raphael's neck and pressed kisses on his body, all while fixing her gaze on me like I was something she'd already stepped over. This was the last thread of patience I had left. But just a little longer. I needed to know when this started—when the two people I loved most decided I was dispensable. I looked into his eyes. He looked at the wall, the floor, and Vivienne. Anything but me. "How long, Raphael?" My voice came out steady. Calm like still water before something drowns in it. "How long has this been going on?" He said nothing. "Was I that bad to you? Where did I go wrong?" The question burned coming out. One tear slipped before I could catch it. I hated that they got to see it. "Just be honest with me. Be a man for once." He exhaled through his nose like I was boring him. "Would that even change anything, Wren?" I sta

Wren's Pov The door to my temporary apartment clicked shut behind me, and I leaned against it, breathing hard. I'd just spent three hours at my old apartment. Packing the rest of my belongings while Vivienne watched from the couch, scrolling through her phone like I was invisible. Three hours of pretending I didn't see the smug smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Three hours of swallowing the words that burned in my throat. I should have left after the first hour. But I couldn't. Because leaving meant letting them win. **** I'd gone back for the box of my mother's things I'd hidden in the back of the closet. The only thing that mattered. The only thing I couldn't replace. Vivienne had been there when I arrived. "Well, well." She didn't look up from her phone. "Look who finally crawled back." I didn't answer. Just walked past her to the bedroom. "Raphael's not here, if that's what you're wondering." Her voice followed me. "He's at work. You know, doing actua

Wren's Pov I was torn between going to the apartment Leander had given me or just going out to clear my head. At the end, I went to Noelle's instead. She opened the door and took one look at my face. "Oh no," she whispered. "What happened?" I walked past her into the apartment. Dropped the folder on her coffee table. Sat down on her couch. "Just read it," I simply responded. She opened the folder. I watched her face as she read. The shock. The confusion. The anger. "Wait, our Leander ?" She asked shock and surprise, still visibly evident on her face. "Yeah." "He wants you to have his baby?" She looked up at me. "Wren, this is—" "Insane. I know." "Insane?" She shook her head. "This is insane. This is—" She read the contract again. "Wait. He's offering you thirty thousand a month? And legal leverage over Raphael?" She looked at me. "Wren, this is—" "Freedom. I know right" "It's a way out," she agreed slowly. "But at what cost?" I laughed, and it came out hollow. "Every