Chapter 2

Simone set down her spoon and stood up, unwilling to listen to any more of the hypocritical lies.

Seeing her about to leave, Tom quickly got up as well, using sign language to ask what was wrong.

Simone shook her head and spoke softly.

"I'm tired. I want to go home and rest."

Without waiting for Tom's response, she walked straight out of the private room.

When she stepped onto the street, Simone looked up and immediately saw the massive electronic screen across the road on the office building. It was displaying a rolling proposal video.

"Simone Watson, marry me!" The bold letters stood prominently in the center of the screen.

Passersby noticed the message and expressed their admiration.

"Oh my God, I heard Mr. Francis’s girlfriend is deaf. So, to propose, he rented the electronic screen of the tallest building in the city, making sure she could clearly see his proposal. And after she accepted, he kept the video playing for an entire month so that everyone could celebrate their love."

"Mr. Francis must really love his girlfriend. He’s sure to be a great husband."

But as the person at the center of it all, Simone merely curled her lips in self-mockery.

A week ago, she would have reacted just like the passersby. She had believed in Tom’s love, convinced he would be a good husband.

Having grown up in an orphanage, Simone lost her hearing at the age of nine due to a high fever that went untreated. From then on, she became the target of bullying and pranks at the orphanage and school.

Amid the daily cruelty, she built an impenetrable wall in her heart, locking herself away from everyone.

It was in this state that Tom entered her life. He fell for her at first sight and began pursuing her relentlessly.

Having been mocked before, Simone avoided him at all costs. For every one of his ninety-nine confessions, she rejected him ninety-nine times.

Then, during an earthquake, Tom shielded her without hesitation. Even when a steel rod pierced through his shoulder blade, he kept his protective stance.

When he woke up in the hospital, still weak, the first thing he did upon seeing her was to sign, "I’m just glad you’re okay."

It was then that Simone learned he had taken a three-month sign language course just to communicate better with her.

In that moment, the walls she had built began to crack.

The steel rod left a permanent round brown scar on his shoulder. Every time she saw it, her heart would stir.

Over the next five years, Tom treated her with unwavering devotion, making her feel his sincerity.

Even when the Francis family vehemently opposed their relationship, he stood firm and proposed to her.

To hear him say "I do" at their wedding and to spare him from the conflict between his family and her, Simone took the risk of flying abroad for ear surgery, despite the possibility of dying on the operating table.

Perhaps fate was on her side, as the surgery was a success.

She planned to give Tom a surprise on their wedding day, keeping her restored hearing a secret. She often imagined his joy when he discovered it during the ceremony.

But on the very day she returned from abroad, she overheard Tom speaking on the phone with another woman—his assistant. Their flirtatious banter was casual and unrestrained.

That was when Simone learned the truth: he had been seeing this woman behind her back for a year. She had known nothing.

The pain in her chest was so overwhelming that she crouched down, hugging herself tightly.

The words Tom had spoken in the private room kept playing in her mind. Even as they were about to marry, he had no intention of ending his affair.

Did Tom think that because she couldn’t hear, he could deceive her for a lifetime without consequence?

The biting cold of the winter night seeped into her bones, clearing her mind.

She would show Tom that lies always come to light.

And she would never tolerate betrayal.