Different Kind of Forever

"Don't talk about this in front of Milton."

No one cared. They just burst out laughing.

Hughie shouted, "Mommy, don't worry. Daddy won't notice. He can't hear!"

The laughter inside kept going, while I stood frozen outside, unable to move.

Right then, a server tapped me on the shoulder from behind.

"Sir, anything I can help you with?"

The moment he spoke, the noise inside the private room stopped dead, and everyone turned to look at me.

Penelope's face went pale with panic. She quickly pulled her hand away from Darren's waist, her eyes darting around.

She signed to ask why I had come back and explained that Darren was just a close friend.

But she didn't notice that her lipstick had already smeared all over Darren's lips, and Darren's hand was still resting on her waist.

He looked at me, his eyes carrying a faint trace of mockery and arrogance.

Even though I had already decided to leave, seeing this still hurt so badly that I could barely breathe.

I forced a smile and said, "I came back to drop off your keys. Have fun."

I set the keys on the table. Without paying attention to the voices behind me, I walked straight out.

Walking down the street, watching the constant flow of cars and the flashing lights along the road, I only felt cold.

I couldn't see where I was headed, and I couldn't hear a thing around me.

It felt just like five years ago, when Penelope and I had just gotten together and gone on a trip to Redstone Flats.

We got lost out there and walked for a full day and night.

It was completely silent, not a sound anywhere.

Back then, I held Penelope's hand, and she signed that if we died together, it wouldn't be a bad ending for our love.

She always told me love should last until death.

But now, our love was already dead, and we had finally reached the end.

-

After I got home, my whole body went limp, and I collapsed onto the bed.

My mind was blank as I stared at the ceiling.

When I first met Penelope, it was at a job fair. The moment I saw her, I fell for her completely. From that day on, I pursued her so openly that everyone knew about it.

She was the company's famous ice queen. No matter who confessed, she turned them all down.

Until I came.

I kept approaching her every day, starting conversations, asking her out to eat, sticking it out relentlessly for three years.

No matter how many times she rejected me, my feelings never changed.

Then one night, a fired employee got drunk and caused trouble, blocking her outside the office building.

Everyone scattered, but I stood in front of her. I was beaten until I was bloody and lost consciousness before they finally left.

Because of that, I lost my hearing forever.

That was when Penelope truly fell for me. She held my bloodied body tightly, her voice shaking with fear.

"Milton, let's get married."

After we got together, my love never faded. Hers was even stronger than mine.

But after Hughie was born, he always resented that I was deaf. Penelope had no choice but to teach him sign language day and night so I could communicate with him better.

The sound of the door unlocking pulled me back from my memories. I turned to the side and pretended to be asleep.

Not long after, I felt movement behind me.

Penelope's hands began to wander over me, her warm, damp breath brushing against my neck.

I knew this was how she acted when she wanted intimacy.

A few weeks ago, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from responding.

But now, all I felt was nausea and disgust.