Restore My Hearing and My Heart

At the party, my daughter deliberately raises a question to my husband. "Daddy, since Ms. Lloyd is having your baby, does that mean we'll be living with her in the future?"

He places the nicely cut steak onto my plate and answers softly, "Your mommy and I made a deal—whoever betrays first will disappear from the other's life. I can't afford for that to happen, darling, so this must stay a secret. Even when the baby is born, I will never let Mommy find out about them."

Then, he signs to me, "I'll always love you."

My eyes turn red-rimmed without him noticing.

Little does he know, my hearing was restored a week ago. He doesn't realize I've learned about the mistress he's been hiding either. And he definitely doesn't know I've secretly bought a ticket to volunteer-teach in the Seru Plateau.

All I have to do is wait for the paperwork to clear in seven days. Then, I'll disappear from his life for good.

I pushed away the plate of steak before me, refusing to play along with the act. Seeing me on my feet, my husband, Jackson Grant, immediately stood as well, asking me what had happened in sign language.

I shook my head. "It's getting late. I'm thinking of turning in for the night."

He insisted on following, but his best friends stopped him. "Quinn probably needs some rest. You know how fragile she can be. Why are you so eager to leave?"

"Yeah, dude. Cassidy is about to get here. It's been a whole day. Don't you miss her?"

My daughter, Bonnie, joined in, tugging at his sleeve. "Daddy, I miss Ms. Lloyd already. Can we not leave with Mommy?"

Panic bloomed across Jackson's face. Seeing there was no anomaly in my expression, he frowned and warned, "Don't say her name in front of Quinn."

"Why not? Mommy can't hear anyway," Bonnie countered.

Her words prompted me to pin Jackson back into his chair. "I can get home by myself just fine. You guys stay."

I turned on my heel and walked out of the establishment's private room, not giving him a chance to argue. I had barely taken a few steps forward when I saw Cassidy Lloyd striding into the restaurant.

I couldn't tell if she did it on purpose or not, but her shoulder slammed into mine, making me stumble.

Cassidy walked into the private room and scooped up Bonnie the moment she reached for her. "Bonnie, it's been an entire day. Did you miss me?"

"Of course!" Bonnie answered cheerfully.

Cassidy couldn't help smiling at the exchange. "In that case, give me a kiss."

Bonnie immediately cupped her face and planted a kiss on her cheek. Watching the two of them, one would think they were the real mother and daughter.

She set Bonnie down, then slipped into Jackson's arms, her expression full of playful sweetness. In his eyes, there was a softness I had never seen before.

Before he could say anything, Cassidy rose on her tiptoes and kissed him passionately.

"Alright, alright," one of his friends muttered, rolling his eyes. "It's been months, and you two are still this mushy."

None of his friends seemed bothered by it, while Bonnie looked like she had seen this a hundred times. I stared at all of them, feeling a sinking coldness in my bones. So, everyone knew they had been fooling around together, except for me.

As the teasing around the table amplified, Cassidy's lips curled with a triumphant smile. As if things weren't messy enough, the others started egging them on, asking when the last time they hooked up was.

Jackson lowered his head, embarrassed, while Cassidy looked thrilled. "Two days ago—in the room next to the main bedroom."

I whispered the same words at the same time as she did, our two voices overlapping, and the whole room exploded with excitement. Some laughed, some cheered on.

"Jackson, my boy, you finally grew a brain!"

"Yeah. With our status, who the hell stays loyal?"

"As long as you hide it well, you can enjoy life. Quinn is deaf. She'll never find out."