Three years into our marriage, Chris Davis doted on me deeply.

But I accidentally discovered that he had been cheating on me for two years.

In front of that woman, everything he said showed his disdain towards me.

"Who would marry a cripple?"

"She's like a dead fish in bed."

"She's just a deaf person who makes me want to throw up now."

Later, I took the initiative to file for divorce.

But he went crazy.

Kneeling in front of me, every word was filled with regret...

1.

When I was half asleep, I heard a sharp ringing sound.

It lasted only a few seconds before being cut off.

But the caller was determined not to give up until I answered.

The ringing continued.

After a while, I heard Chris softly calling my name.

"Hailey, are you asleep?"

I kept my eyes closed and didn't respond.

Then he gently lifted the blanket, got up, and walked out of the bedroom.

When the door slammed shut, I realized how urgent his departure was.

So I hesitated only briefly.

I immediately got out of bed, got in the car, and followed him, wanting to see what was going on.

When I saw a woman in sexy pajamas wrap her arms around Chris's neck, I froze.

It was Jasmine Wood, Chris's secretary.

During the second year of our marriage, Jasmine appeared by his side.

She followed him everywhere for business negotiations.

They fought side by side, and their relationship was beyond that of an employer and employee.

But now...

Jasmine smiled coyly at Chris.

"Mr. Davis, do I look good today?"

Chris clearly enjoyed it, pulling her waist and cocking his brows with a smile.

"Of course, you look good, my dear."

Jasmine teased, "Then why didn't you answer my call? Were you..."

Chris pinched her nose, looking impatient. "What are you thinking?"

"She's like a dead fish in bed. Who would marry a cripple? I've really had enough of it all these years. She's just a deaf person who makes me want to throw up now."

Satisfied with his answer, Jasmine smiled brightly.

She climbed onto Chris's shoulder, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his lips.

The two embraced and entered the villa.

I stood where I was for a full two hours.

A chill gradually spread throughout my body.

2.

I returned home in a daze.

My mind replayed Chris's words over and over.

A deaf person who made him wan to throw up.

But he forgot that my ears were injured to save him.

When I was eleven, my dad forced my mom to sign the divorce agreement.

His first love came back to find him after her divorce, and he immediately chose to abandon us.

To make a living, my mom was hired as a nanny by the Davis family.

That was how I met Chris.

Three years later, my mom overdosed on sleeping pills in our cramped rental apartment.

Once again, I was abandoned by my family.

It was Chris who brought me back home.

He held my hand and promised to always protect me.

Wherever he was, that was my home.

Love grew wildly from the depths of my heart.

But my insecurity made me carefully hide my love for him.

That was until that accident.

In the early days of his startup, Chris was young and reckless, unaware of how to adapt.

He offended countless people.

After a dinner party, he was cornered by thugs from the rival company in an alley.

I rushed forward without hesitation to protect him.

The blow landed on my ear.

My eardrum perforated.

I almost permanently lost my hearing. After that, I had to wear a hearing aid from then on.

In the hospital room, Chris's white shirt was stained with my blood.

His eyes were red as he held my hand, veins bulging.

After a long pause, he finally said softly, "Hailey, let's get married, okay?"

When a person was in the deepest pain, they couldn’t refuse the light offered by others.

At that moment, the entire world blurred.

Only the gentle boy in front of me was magnified infinitely.

The warmth in his eyes and the love he expressed dispelled my panic over losing my hearing.

But now, I finally understood.

This was the cruelest part of Chris.

He loved you, but it seemed he didn’t love you that much.

He would always give you a carrot after the stick.

He would make your mood go up and down, but unable to escape his grasp.

3.

At dawn, the door to the house opened.

Chris probably didn't expect me to be waiting for him.

When his gaze met mine, he froze for a few seconds before coming back to his senses.

He frowned slightly, picked me up around the waist, and walked into the bedroom.

"Why are you up so early?"

I caught a strange sweet scent on him and slowly brushed his hands away.

"Chris, where did you go yesterday?"

He paused for a moment before explaining, "Something came up that needed handling. You were asleep, so I didn't wake you. It was quite late when I finished, so I just slept in the office."

He smiled and pinched my cheek, his tone affectionate. "Did you miss me, Hailey?"

I looked at him calmly.

After a long pause, I took off my wedding ring and gently placed it in his palm.

"Chris, let's get a divorce."

The air froze for a moment, and Chris's expression changed.

Emotion flickered in his eyes, and the hand holding the ring tightened into a fist.

"Hailey, this joke isn't funny at all."

I touched the cold hearing aid behind my ear.

I never regretted taking that blow for him.

I loved him, and I accepted it willingly.

But last night's words, "a deaf person who made him sick", felt like a sharp knife stabbing into my heart.

I closed my eyes wearily, struggling to suppress my trembling voice.

"Chris, I saw everything."

Meeting Chris's somewhat confused gaze,

I stared into his eyes, recalling word by word. "Something came up, what was it? Was it that you had to go to Jasmine's house to spend a joyful night with her?"

4.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Time seemed to stand still.

I tried to find something in Chris's eyes.

Even a hint of guilt would suffice.

But there was none.

I only caught a fleeting glimpse of panic deep in his eyes.

Perhaps he was just flustered, because I saw him not because he did something wrong.

"A soulless deaf person really isn't worthy of you, Mr. Davis."

Recalling those words a night later caused my heart to ache.

Chris's face turned pale.

He struggled to call my name. "Hailey..."

My eyes stung, and I fought back tears.

This was my first time examining Chris from an observer's perspective.

His sadness and panic were genuine.

The little love in his heart might be real, but the disdain buried in his gaze was finally revealed.

So I remained confident with my decision. "I'll move out today and get the paperwork done as soon as possible."

Chris's expression stiffened.

The gentle mask he wore seemed ready to shatter.

"Stop joking around. Where else can you go beside here?"

As I spoke, I clearly saw a flash of contempt in Chris's eyes.

It disappeared after a split second.

5.

I looked up at Chris.

Suddenly, I felt how unfamiliar this man, whom I had loved for 12 years, had become.

Perhaps Chris had never hidden it very well.

He had long since grown to loathe me without realizing it.

Those feelings of disgust directed at me would sometimes slip out.

But my love had blinded me to the details of his indifference.

I loved him.

We had been together for 12 years.

I had thought his love was the same as mine, only growing stronger.

Naturally, I ignored the signs of his lack of love.

I lowered my gaze and walked straight into the bedroom to start packing my things.

Seeing I was serious, Chris suddenly kicked my suitcase.

His brows furrowed tightly, his voice laced with impatience.

"Stop this. I just made one mistake; I won't do it again."

I was so angry that I actually became calm.

I shook my head. "Chris, it's been 12 years. You should know me."

He hesitated, gripping my hand tightly.

His deep voice was tinged with a rasp.

"Hailey, I know I made a mistake, please forgive me this once."

I looked down at him, watching as sweat beaded on his forehead from tension.

After a moment of silence, I said softly, "I can't."

He stared at me, and seeing my resolute expression, his face darkened. "Hailey, can you not leave?"

I pushed him away and didn't look back.

Behind me came the sound of Chris's fist hitting the wall.

"Hailey, I hope you won’t regret this!"

6.

I just kept walking forward.

I only felt a dense, throbbing pain spreading from my chest outward.

Everything in front of me became blurry, and I suddenly lost consciousness.

When I woke up again, bright lights were blinding me, and the air was filled with a strong smell of disinfectant.

"Hailey, you're awake."

My best friend, Jane, was beside me, helping me sit up.

"How do you feel?"

I sensed a moment of hesitation in Jane's voice.

"What happened to me?"

Jane turned to me with a complicated look on her face and let out a heavy sigh.

"You're pregnant."

‘I'm pregnant? Fate really likes to play games with me,’ I thought.

Just when I discovered that Chris was cheating and decided to divorce him, I found out I was having his child.

"Hailey, did something happen between you and Chris? You fainted by the side of the road. If I hadn't happened to look for you, who knows what might have happened."

I slowly raised my head, my mind flooded with everything that had happened these past few days.

"He cheated."

Jane suddenly stood up, gritting her teeth and cursing, "What a bastard! I'm going to tear him apart!"

I reached out to stop her. "Jane, let it go. I don't want anything to do with him anymore. I'll head home first."

7

My documents and work files were still at his villa.

If I was cutting ties, I needed to do it thoroughly.

I couldn’t really keep the child.

Checking the time, Chris should still be at the office.

It would be convenient for me to pack my things and move out.

When I got back home, it had already been cleaned up, looking tidy and neat.

When Chris proposed to me, he bought this place as our future home.

Just as he said, he would make sure I lived a good life.

I looked around at everything familiar with a sense of loss.

Suddenly, I heard a long, lingering sound.

It was a mixture of pleasure and pain, yet familiar— a woman's scream— coming from the bedroom upstairs.

I could clearly hear my own heartbeat, each beat louder than the last.

It felt like something was exploding inside me.

A wave of immense panic enveloped me.

I stiffly made my way upstairs step by step.

On the familiar bed, there were two familiar figures.

"Isn't it thrilling to do it here?"

Jasmine was wrapped herself around Chris's arm, laughing seductively.

"Mr. Davis, open your eyes and look at me. Who do you prefer, me or her?"

The overhead light flashed, illuminating Chris's face filled with desire.

Jasmine straddled him, leaning down to kiss him softly.

"Am I better than her?"

A wave of nausea surged from my stomach.

I leaned against the doorframe and began to retch.

When I regained my composure, the room was deathly silent.

I lifted my head and locked gazes with Chris.

8

"Hailey..."

I clearly saw a flicker of panic in his eyes.

And a hint of an imperceptible thrill.

Expressionless, I took out my phone and recorded the scene.

"Hailey, what are you doing?" Jasmine shrieked, scrambling to her feet.

She hurriedly grabbed some clothes off the floor and lunged at me.

"Delete the photo!"

Her scent hit me as she drew closer,

and my emotions surged violently. I raised my hand and slapped her.

"Stay away from me!

Or don't blame me for sending the photo out."

Jasmine covered her face, glaring at me furiously but didn't dare to move.

"Hailey, just delete the photo."

Chris's obscure gaze was fixed on me.

I sneered. “What right have you got to ask me to do such a thing? Chris, do you still remember what you said to me here three years ago? You said that you will never let me down.”

Chris’s face was pale and his lips trembled, but no words came out.

I looked at his pale face and an indescribable sadness arose in my heart.

Loving someone was like creating a new belief. One would be protecting a deity that might fall at any moment.

When the belief collapsed, it would only leave you with ruins.

Jasmine walked towards me.

“We have done something we shouldn’t have, Hailey. We just had a little bit too much to drink. We didn’t expect things would turn out like this. We... we... just couldn’t control ourselves.”