Todos los capítulos de Love in Signs, Pain in Silence: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 9

Sebastian's POVWhen I woke up, the doctor stood by my bed and sighed as he reviewed my medical chart. "You already had a stomach ulcer. This time, it flared up and caused an acute perforation. Why didn't you come in sooner?"After Ayla Gardner left, I had called her 26 times. Not once did she answer. In the end, I had to call the ambulance myself.I nodded numbly.Some time passed before Ayla finally opened the door and came in. She was still signing to me. My chest ached with a dull pain. I turned my head away and closed my eyes."What's wrong?" she asked.It had been forever since she had spoken to me. It started around two months after she first met Johnny Baker.She talked normally with everyone else. I was the only one she insisted on communicating with through sign language.Seeing my eyes open, Ayla spoke in the same coaxing tone people used with kids. "I didn't want to leave you behind either, but I promised Johnny I'd go to the art exhibition with him today. A promise

Sebastian's POVInside the private room, Ayla's girlfriends teased her."Hey, Ay. How did you get Sebastian so wrapped around your finger? You tell him not to speak, and he doesn't. You tell him to bring over his engagement suit, and he does it."Someone else chimed in, "His parents have been gone for ages. Who else could he listen to, if not Ayla?"What they didn't know was that I had an aunt living abroad who ran her own business.Years ago, my maternal grandfather tried to force Aunt Julia into an arranged marriage. The night before the wedding, Mom helped her escape. Since then, she had been gone for 20 years.Two years ago, we unexpectedly found each other again. When she saw how much I resembled Mom, she broke down in tears.She tried many times to bring me abroad to live with her, but for Ayla's sake, I turned her down every time. I never told Ayla any of this.Ayla leaned against Johnny in his arms. She didn't deny what her friends were saying. Instead, she laughed and

Third-Person POVAfter calming Johnny down, Ayla felt a strange unease brewing in her chest, as though her mind was alarming her that something was slipping away.When she hurried back to the hospital room where Sebastian was, she stopped dead in her tracks, her lips pale.A wave of helpless panic swept through Ayla. She kept reassuring herself that Sebastian had probably just gone to the bathroom.She forced herself to calm down and sat on the edge of the bed. Without thinking, she touched the bedsheet. It was ice-cold. Only then did she open WhatsApp, intending to message him.His profile picture had become the default grey avatar, and an "Invite" button now sat next to his name. That could only mean he'd deleted his account.Ayla finally realized what had happened. She frantically called Sebastian, only to hear, "Sorry. The number you have dialed is not in service."Her call history was filled with glaring red entries, the same as her call logs with Sebastian three days ago

Sebastian's POVI thought I would never see Ayla ever again. But there she was, on a street in Rainford, running toward me after a month apart.She had lost weight, making her already sharp features look even more prominent. Her long, curly hair—usually perfectly neat—was now a mess. She looked exhausted from the journey.When Ayla saw me, she rushed forward, trying to throw her arms around me. I took two steps back and avoided her embrace.She froze, her hands left hanging in the air. Her gaze slowly lifted to my face, and her eyes grew misty with tears. "Seb, I've missed you so much."I frowned slightly. Seeing her again made me realize I had nothing more to say. I felt no resentment, least of all affection. I had let it all go, and all that remained was tranquility.I looked straight into her eyes without any hesitation. "We're over, Ayla."For a long time, Ayla simply stared at me in silence. "Can we talk? Please?"Her gaze was sincere. The conversation I had once begge

Sebastian's POVSix months later, I heard news of Ayla again. That day, I had just finished a restoration project.The delicate famille rose porcelain bowl on my workbench had countless fine cracks. It took me a week to repair it, and I had finally finished smoothing out the last seam.Aunt Julia nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. Give it a few more years, and you'll be stealing my business."I laughed as I packed up my tools. When I stepped out of the studio, I spotted Rosie waiting at the door. She held up an insulated food bag and waved it at me."Done for the day? I brought you dinner."I blinked in surprise. "What brings you here again?""Just happened to be passing by," she answered with complete confidence. "Besides, didn't you say you always forget to eat when you're working on restorations? Someone with a bad stomach has no excuse for skipping meals."She stuffed the insulated bag into my arms. "Come on, give it a try! I spent the whole afternoon making this potato and