Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
My grandmother found me in a snowdrift when I was just a baby, completely deaf.
After Grandma Nora passed away, everyone in our factory housing complex treated me like an unwanted burden. Only Cole Vance was willing to marry me.
He didn't care about my disability. He even learned sign language just for me.
Not wanting to be a dead weight, I secretly spent months learning how to read lips.
The day I finally mastered it, I went to the local butcher shop and bought two pounds of prime pork belly, wanting to make Cole a hearty, warm dinner.
The moment I pushed the front door open, I froze.
Cole was holding Susie Bell, the local elementary school teacher, tightly against his chest. His lips were barely an inch from hers:
"Susie, the Vance family is sending a car for me in three days to claim my inheritance. As soon as I'm back in the city, I'm taking you with me to live like royalty."
Susie glanced over and saw me. The color instantly drained from her face. "Cole! The deaf girl is back! Did she see—"
Cole glanced over his shoulder at me and smirked, completely unfazed.
"What are you scared of? She can't hear a damn thing. She's the easiest fool in the world to trick."
A heartbeat later, Cole walked up to me with a warm, doting smile, his hands moving gracefully in sign language:
[Daisy, I missed you so much.]
Yet his lips were coldly spitting out the words:
"Useless deaf bitch. I'm finally done with you."
I stood there, paralyzed.
The fresh pork slipped from my fingers and hit the dusty floor. Tears burned behind my eyes.
Cole picked up the meat, brushing off the dirt as his hands moved gently:
[Why are you crying? Were you that moved when I said I missed you?]
I couldn't respond. The tears just kept spilling silently down my cheeks.
Seeing this, Cole felt even more smug. He turned back to Susie.
"See? Told you she's brainless. She hasn't got a clue."
With that, he shoved the dirty meat back into my hands and pushed me toward the kitchen.
[Go cook. I'm starving.]
[Ms. Bell happens to be here, so let's have her stay for dinner.]
I stood beside the stove, washing the dirty meat under cold running water, completely numb.
I refused to believe this was the same Cole who had promised to protect me.
Still, my eyes kept drifting toward the living room, locked onto their lips moving in quiet conversation.
"Cole, if you never loved that deaf girl, why did you marry her in the first place?"
Cole curled his lip in disgust.
"I had no choice. Old Man Vance refused to acknowledge me, so I was stuck working as a low-level factory mechanic here. Then I heard that Grandma Nora had saved up a fortune for her orphan girl. I figured marrying her would make my life a hell of a lot easier."
"Who knew luck would be on my side? The old woman dropped dead, and now my real father wants me back in the city to split the estate."
Cole paused, catching me looking at him.
His hands instantly flew up, signing with practiced sweetness:
[I love you, Daisy.]
Then, without missing a beat, he turned back to Susie's heavily powdered face and sneered:
"Who the hell would actually want a deaf cripple for a wife?"
"Just wait three more days, Susie. I'll take you to the city and spoil you rotten."
I somehow managed to finish cooking the meal in a complete daze.
A table full of hot food was laid out, but my stomach twisted in knots. I picked up my fork to take a piece of meat, but Susie's fork stabbed down first, snatching it away.
She looked at me, fluttering her eyelashes in open mockery.
I didn't want to cause a scene.
I reached for another slice, but Susie deliberately pinned my fork against the rim of the bowl.
I glared at her. Just as I was about to shove her fork away, Cole reached over.
He casually transferred the meat onto Susie's plate.
His hands signed a half-hearted excuse:
[Susie is fragile. Be nice and let her have it.]
While his mouth said out loud:
"Eat up, Susie. Wasting good meat on a deaf girl is pointless anyway."
I lost every ounce of appetite. I set my fork down and walked into the bedroom.
In the past, whenever I felt down, Cole would always follow me inside and hold me until I smiled. But tonight, he only shot a cold glance toward the door before continuing to laugh and chat with Susie.
It wasn't until dusk fell that he finally stepped into the bedroom, signing a brief sentence:
[It's dark outside. I'm walking Susie home.]
From the front yard, Susie's shrill voice drifted in:
"Hurry up, Cole! The movie starts in fifteen minutes!"
Cole didn't wait to see if I understood, nor did he care that my eyes were swollen from crying. He turned and walked out.
A suffocating weight crushed my chest.
In three years of marriage, Cole had never once taken me to the movies. Because I was deaf, he always said going to a theater was a waste of time.
The moment the front gate clicked shut, I collapsed onto the bed.
Unable to hold it in any longer, I pulled the blanket over my head and wept until I couldn't breathe. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine he had married me not out of love, but for the modest inheritance Grandma Nora left behind.
A long time later, a knock came at the door.
Thinking Cole had come back to check on me, I rushed to open it.
Standing on my porch was an elegantly dressed middle-aged couple. Parked right behind them was a sleek, polished black sedan—far grander than anything the plant manager ever drove.
The woman took one look at me.
She broke down, lunging forward to pull me into a fierce embrace:
"My baby! Mom finally found you!"
"Come home with us. We're taking you back to the city to live the life you deserve!"I was completely bewildered as the couple guided me back into the living room.
Following right behind them was Mr. Evans, my instructor from the deaf academy.
He signed quickly, explaining the situation:
[When you went to the city hospital for your checkup last month, this couple saw you in the hallway. They thought you looked familiar and requested a DNA test. The lab confirmed you're their biological daughter.]
[That silver baby locket around your neck—it's engraved with your family crest, isn't it?]
Trembling, I pulled the tarnished silver locket from beneath my collar.
Seeing it, the couple held me again, weeping uncontrollably.
Tears streamed down my face as I looked toward the framed portrait of Grandma Nora on the wall.
[Grandma, I found my parents.]
In the picture, she smiled as warmly as ever, as if she had known this day would come all along.
My parents insisted on taking me back to the city right then and there, but I stepped back and signed a refusal.
Cole was here. I couldn't bring myself to leave him.
Even if he lied to me, even if his heart belonged to someone else, I still clung to the shreds of our past.
Seeing my hesitation, Mr. Evans couldn't stay silent any longer.
"Don't be a fool, Daisy! Cole filed a divorce petition with the factory HR office days ago. The entire neighborhood knows he's throwing you away!"
"Go with your parents, Daisy. Stop suffering for a man who treats you like trash."
I froze. A deafening roar filled my ears.
It took me a long time to lift my hands, my fingers shaking violently:
[If Cole truly doesn't want me in three days... I'll leave with you.]
Seeing how stubborn I was, Mr. Evans let out a heavy sigh and shook his head, pressing no further.
Having no other choice, my parents reluctantly agreed.
Before leaving, my mother stuffed a thick roll of hundred-dollar bills into my hands, whispering through tears that I should take care of myself and eat well.
It was well past midnight when Cole finally came home.
He dropped onto the bed beside me without sparing me a single glance.
In my pocket, I clutched the positive pregnancy test from the city clinic.
Moonlight spilled through the bedroom window, casting cold silver beams across the sheets.
I sat up and signed to him:
[Cole, I'm pregnant.]
[Can you stay? Don't leave in three days. Let's build a real life together. I've learned how to read lips now—I won't ever be a burden to you.]
Silence stretched across the room.
When I looked down, I realized Cole had rolled over the moment my hands started moving.
He was already sound asleep.
I reached out and shook his shoulder gently.
He violently slapped my hand away, muttering in irritation about how annoying I was.
The back of my hand stung, a bright red mark blooming on my pale skin.
I pulled my hand back, curled into a ball, and clutched the medical report against my chest, weeping silently until the sun came up.
The next morning, Cole pulled a legal document from his leather bag and shoved it in front of me.
My reading level was limited, so I leaned in to read the clauses carefully.
Cole immediately jammed a pen into my hand, flipped to the final page, and pointed at the signature line.
"Hurry up and sign! I'm going to be late for my shift!"
Catching the bold header that read "Divorce Decree," I looked up at him:
[What is this?]
Seeing me hesitate, Cole grew impatient. He gave me a rough nudge, his hands signing rapidly:
[Daisy, trust me. I would never deceive you! I love you!]
I signed my name.
Cole grinned with satisfaction, folded the paper, and tucked it securely into his inner coat pocket. He turned and grabbed his bicycle by the gate.
I caught the handlebars and signed:
[Wait for me to get my bag. The textile mill is too far away to walk.]
Cole roughly shoved me aside, glaring at me with utter contempt.
His lips moved:
"Get lost. I already promised Susie I'd ride her to school."
He knew I couldn't hear him, and he didn't even bother to sign.
I grabbed my shoulder bag and ran out into the street.
All I saw was Cole stopping down the road. Susie hopped onto the rear rack, her arms wrapping around his waist as they rode away, laughing together.
I tried to run after them.
The wheels spun faster and faster. My foot caught on an uneven cobblestone, and I crashed violently onto the gravel road, a muffled cry tearing from my throat.
On the bicycle, Cole looked back over his shoulder.
He didn't stop. He didn't even slow down. He just pedaled harder. Susie pressed her cheek against his back, whispering something in his ear, and both of them burst into mocking laughter at my pathetic state.
I stayed on the dirt, pressing my trembling palms against the ground as I dragged myself up.
My knees were shredded, and my palms were bleeding.
Yet I didn't shed a single tear.
Cole, I'm done loving you.Without a ride, it was late in the evening when I finally finished my shift and walked home.
I pushed open the front gate.
The lights were on, the front door hung wide open, drawers were pulled out, and clothes were strewn all over the floor as if we had been robbed.
Panic seized me, and I rushed inside.
Susie was digging through the antique wooden trunk Grandma Nora had given me as a wedding gift.
Cole was crouched beside the dresser, stuffing emergency cash, grocery vouchers, and savings books into his coat.
I lunged forward, grabbing Susie's arm.
A hoarse, distressed sound broke from my throat as my hands frantically signed:
[What are you doing?]
[Stop! Get out! That trunk was left to me by my grandmother!]
Susie violently shoved me off. I stumbled, slamming my hip against the corner of the heavy wooden table.
"Get your hands off me! I don't read your stupid signs!"
"Deaf freak, stop getting in the way of our money!"
I spun around to block Cole.
Cole grabbed my wrist, his grip bruising.
"Where's the rest of it? They said the old widow left you a fortune! Where the hell did you hide it?"
Tears of pain rolled down my face as I signed with one free hand:
[I spent it all on you.]
[Your trade certifications, the bribes to get you hired at the plant, your clothes, your food! You never brought home a single dollar in three years! I paid for everything out of my own pocket!]
Furious, Cole shoved me backward, slamming my back against the wall.
He was too blinded by greed to even wonder how I had understood his words without him signing.
"Goddamn it, you owed me that much! Who the hell would marry a deaf girl if not for the cash?"
"I don't believe it's all gone. Daisy, you better cough up every last cent!"
I slid down the wall, gasping for breath through silent sobs, shaking my head frantically.
There was nothing left. Nothing.
Suddenly, Susie squealed in delight from across the room.
"Look what I found inside the coat rack!"
Cole and I turned at the same time.
It was the thick stack of hundred-dollar bills my biological parents had left for me the night before.
Cole's eyes gleamed like a starving wolf's. He rushed over, counting the cash with trembling fingers before stuffing it into his pockets.
He glared down at me viciously.
"You dared to lie to me?"
"You had all this cash stashed away? You were planning to hoard it for yourself while playing the victim?"
I crawled toward him, desperate to explain that the money was from my parents for medical care, desperate to beg him not to throw away three years of life together.
"Cole, don't waste your breath on the deaf girl," Susie urged, checking her watch.
"Our train leaves at eight. Your uncle said he couldn't send a driver to this dump, so we have to get to the city on our own! Let's go before she makes us miss the train!"
Cole nodded, turning on his heel toward the door.
In sheer panic, I grabbed the pregnancy report hidden beneath the dresser and threw myself in front of him.
Crying hysterically, I signed:
[Look at this! Don't leave me!]
[Please, I have money now! We're having a—]
Before I could finish, Cole shoved me hard.
Seeing how miserable I looked, he signed with cruel impatience to shake me off:
[Get lost! I took all your money anyway—you don't have a dime!]
[Let me be blunt: I never loved you. I only touched you because of that dead widow's savings!]
He whipped out the paper I had signed that morning.
[I lied about this, too. You signed a divorce agreement. We're legally done!]
[Daisy, you're trash to me now!]
I shook my head violently, thrusting the crumpled ultrasound toward his face, praying that a single glance would make him change his mind.
Instead, Cole's greedy eyes locked onto the silver baby locket around my neck.
He reached down and yanked it violently.
The chain snapped, digging deep into the flesh of my neck and tearing open beads of blood.
"A silver piece like this is wasted on a cripple. I'm taking it."
I lunged to take it back.
Cole shoved me with both hands, his fingers signing a final insult:
[Back off, deaf freak!]
He turned and marched out, his heavy boot coming down directly onto my pregnancy report, grinding it into the dirt.
Susie cast me a smug, triumphant smirk and followed close behind.
"Cole, does your family really have a mansion in the capital? I've never ridden in a private car before..."
"Of course. Stick with me, Susie, and you'll never suffer a day in your life."
Their voices faded into the distance.
I tried to crawl toward the door on hands and knees, but my legs gave out. I crashed heavily onto the floor, my tailbone striking the stone hearth with a sickening crunch.
A split second later, a sharp, twisting agony ripped through my lower abdomen, like a butcher's blade tearing through my insides.
Black spots danced across my vision.
Unable to speak, all that tore from my throat were ragged, inhuman cries of sheer agony.
Down the alleyway, Cole's footsteps faltered.
He seemed to hear the desperate, guttural sound and hesitated, glancing back toward the courtyard.
Susie tugged firmly on his sleeve.
"Cole, ignore her."
"She's just making those hideous noises to guilt you into coming back. If you really feel bad, you can... you can just wire her a few bucks once you take over the Vance estate."
Cole frowned for a second.
"Yeah. Good point."
He nodded, letting Susie slip her arm through his, and walked away without looking back.
Inside the dark house, my ragged cries grew weaker and weaker until they faded into silence.After a rattling overnight train ride, Cole and Susie arrived at the Vance estate in the capital just as dawn broke.
It was still early.
When they knocked on the heavy iron gates, only a stone-faced security guard in uniform answered.
The guard went inside to make a phone call. When he returned, his expression was cold, but he gestured for them to follow him in.
Walking down the pristine driveway, Cole's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Paved roads, immaculate manicured lawns, polished marble foyers, and modern luxury at every turn.
Cole became even more convinced that dumping me was the smartest move he had ever made.
A wealthy heir couldn't possibly be seen with an embarrassing deaf wife from the sticks.
Yet the guard didn't lead them toward the grand main manor. Instead, he led them around the back, stopping in front of a drafty, dilapidated brick shed once used for maintenance tools.
"Major Vance's orders: you stay here."
"You came here uninvited. The family will not arrange a job for you. Find your own way."
Cole was completely stunned.
He grabbed the guard's arm in disbelief.
"Are you insane? I'm Richard Vance's son! You're putting me in a shack?"
"This place is worse than my factory housing back home!"
The guard shoved him away with ease, adjusting his collar.
"General Vance made it clear before his passing: the entire estate is under the command of his eldest grandson, Major Lucas Vance. As for Richard Vance... he was reassigned to a remote border garrison yesterday. He won't be back for three to five years."
"The Major said: if you don't like it, go back where you crawled from. The Vance family doesn't support freeloaders."
Cole panicked.
He started yelling at the top of his lungs, demanding to see his father and his cousin.
"Bullshit! I want to see my dad!"
"Lucas Vance is my cousin! How dare he treat me like this? I divorced my wife and quit my stable factory job just to come here!"
Susie joined in, shrieking hysterically:
"Exactly! I quit my teaching position!"
"If you throw us out now, we'll starve on the street!"
Their screaming made such a scene that the guard had no choice but to call the main house again.
The final verdict arrived almost instantly.
The guard returned, his face dark, flanked by two armed security officers.
"Major Vance isn't interested. And he made it clear: there is no room for you in this family."
"Get out before we throw you out for trespassing."
Cole tried to throw himself onto the ground to throw a tantrum, but the two guards grabbed him and Susie by their collars, tossing them and their bags straight out onto the street.
The heavy iron gates slammed shut in their faces.
Susie finally realized the harsh truth.
There was no wealth, no high-society luxury. The prestigious Vance family didn't give a damn about an illegitimate son!
Furious, she slapped Cole across the face and stormed off.
Cole stood on the sidewalk, dazed and terrified.
After hours of panic, a desperate thought struck him: he would go back to me.
The Vances didn't want him, but his little deaf wife always worshipped him!
As long as he went back and signed a few sweet apologies, I would melt right back into his arms.
When Cole finally made it back to our small town, the courtyard was dead silent.
He pushed the door open and stepped into the living room. On the wooden table sat the wrinkled ultrasound, covered in his dirty boot print.
Cole grabbed the paper, his eyes widening in shock.
"Pregnant?"
"I'm going to be a father! Daisy! Daisy, I'm home!"
He spun around, shouting my name through the empty rooms.
The noise drew Mrs. Jenkins from next door.
She walked to the gate, glaring at him with pure hatred.
Cole rushed over, his voice trembling with excitement:
"Mrs. Jenkins, have you seen Daisy? Look at this—she's pregnant! I'm going to be a dad! Where is she?"
Mrs. Jenkins spat right in his face.
"Rot in hell, you heartless bastard! The baby died the second you shoved her to the ground yesterday! That was an innocent life, you monster! Her real parents took her away last night to the capital to give her the best medical care in the country."
"Or did your greedy ass not know?"
"Daisy is the daughter of Mayor Sterling!"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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