Deafened By His Hateful Words

help my boyfriend, Emiliano Reed, become a rock star. I was h

t in time to catch him with a college student, and

ed her at the police station. Emiliano rushed in, not to defend me, but to protect her. He shoved me so har

at I wouldn't just forgive him. "I gave you

, the man who had just destroyed me all over again.

ar and steady. "The question is, are

pte

ll

, but with a pop-up ad for a B-list

nue penthouse eight years ago. "Adell, this musician, Emiliano Reed, he's a dreamer. Dreamers break hearts, and they cert

ody that promised a life far richer than any inheritance. I' d packed a single suitcase then, leaving behind the gilded ca

d screamed, but I saw the equipment falling, heavy and hot. I pushed him clear, felt the searing pain as a speaker fell, crushing my left ear. The world went silent on that side, a dull, cottony void that became my permane

, signing furiously, "I promise you, Adell. For better or worse.

that now felt more like a sanctuary than a home. He adorned me with designer clothes, glittering jewelry, and a life of effortless luxury. Everything I' d ever needed, mat

op-up hit. "Emiliano Reed's Secret Love: A College Student's Confession." My thumb froze. M

st hinted at something more, a secret relationship, veiled jabs. My heart started to beat a frant

rves someone better than a broken woman." "Guess he got tired of shouting, huh?" The words, cruel and casu

But only one gets to dance." The implication was clear: Emi

he'd signed, his eyes avoiding mine. "Big deadline. You know how it is. We'll celebrate p

quiet loft, the silence felt heavier than usual, a suffocating blanket. I' d even had a follow-up appointment with my audiologist that day. "Remarkable,

sharp. My hearing, finally returning aft

s vintage leather jacket-the one I' d bought him years ago, the one he swore he'd never let anyone else touch. My breath hitched. He was wearing a new watc

y, painfully real. My vision blurred, hot tears stinging my eyes. I felt a scream rising in my throat, b

fumbling over the keypad. "W

"Still at the studio, babe.

ome join you? Bri

le

a crowded, pulsating club, laughing, her arm wrapped around Emiliano's waist. His head was

Best night ever!" K

studio. He had lie

s the sound of betrayal, amplified. My body felt heavy, rooted to the spot,

lse vibrated through the pavement, through my shoes, up into my chest. I pushed

his head bent close to hers. An ugly, raw sound scraped its way out of my

lub. My head throbbed, and the newly returned hearing in my left ear was

his bandmates slurred, nudging another man. "The 'de

s a long time to play nursemaid. Besides, Adell was always so... quiet. You k

'my hero' stuff, the constant gratitude. It's draining." He laughed, a bitter, dismissive sound that tore through me. "And the sex? Like doing a favor for

the one I' d damaged protecting him, was now perfectly capable of hearing every c

dent. The whole 'she saved my life' narrative. Can't just ditch her. Not yet. The wedding's still on for show. But th

celebratory bubbles. And then, without thinking, I grabbed it. My arm swung, propelled by a force I didn't recognize. The glass sailed through the air, glinting

wide, confusion morp

mouthed, his

ll

t too much to bear. Tears, hot and uncontrollable, streamed down my face. My body convulsed wit

o tenderly signed promises of forever, now moved with an almost frantic urgency. He formed

y from the prying eyes and the blaring music, to control the narrative, to contain the d

d and cold, pierced through my raw vulnerability. "Let her go, Emiliano! She' s always so dramatic

t, her voice dripping with venom. "Always the victim. Always needing you to make h

He didn't defend me. He didn't even try. His silen

with brutal clarity. "Always so fragile. So easily broken. It got... suffocating." He looked at Keis

me, that my love was so absolute, I would forgive anyt

ying in the chaos. The buzzing in my ears finally subsided, replaced by a quiet, dete

slightly but my gaze unwavering. "And I'm not

music a surreal backdrop to my internal earthquake. I walked out of the club, not lookin

can always come home, Adell. But understand, there will be conditions." Her condition always revolved around my future, my choices. She had warned me about codepende

dismissing her wisdom as cold calculation. She wasn'

I opened my contacts and found my mother's number. It had been years since I'd called her

it's back. In both ears." The miraculous return of my hearing, the one positive thing to emerge

eath on the other end. "The arranged introduction. I' ll marry whoever you choose, as lo

pain was still a raw wound, but beneath it, a tiny spark of resilience flickered. I was done being the

y love, my hearing, poured into a man who saw me as a burden, a charity case. The weight of that realization settled on me, heavy and cold. But

a message forming for Emiliano. "I

iano

nst my skull, echoing the chaos of last night. I' d spent the night frantically calling Adell, leaving increasingly desp

my bed, oblivious to the storm raging in my mind. Her presence felt... wrong, a discordant note in the sympho

text message. My

devastating. "It' s over.

at the screen, reading and rereading the words, as if they would change, as if they would

ing it shatter into a hundred pieces. The impact barely registered. My mind was reeling. Over?

nd grand dreams. Adell had been there through it all. My rock. My muse. My... burden. That w

ed her. "I owe you everything." And I had meant it. I swore I did. But over time, the gratitude had curdled into resentment. Her quiet

ome distraction from the agony in my chest. "Damn it, Adell!" I

realization hit me with the force of a tidal wave. She was gone. And I had no one to blame but my

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