Chapter 1

My name was Lily Grant. At the class reunion, my hearing suddenly returned.

I tugged at my husband Adam Spencer's sleeve. He leaned in, pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, and signed.

"Tired? Let me finish up with my friends, and then we'll head home, okay?"

All these years, he'd exhausted himself searching for doctors to cure me.

I wanted to give him a surprise, so I nodded, trying to hide my excitement.

Adam turned to his friends and said, "I regret marrying her.

"The thought of spending my whole life with someone who can't hear or speak and having to use sign language to have a conversation disgusts me."

*****

I couldn't believe my ears. I stood there, completely stunned.

Adam didn't bat an eye. His voice was so calm, it was like he was talking about lunch.

He went on, "That night, I worked late into the night. When I finally got home, I realized I'd forgotten my keys. Anyone else would call their wife, but I can't.

"So I had to check into a hotel. By the time I got settled, the sun was already coming up, and I barely had a couple hours before I had to head back to work."

Adam's fingers slowly tightened around his glass, his knuckles turning white.

Adam said, "I don't know what marriage means to me anymore."

One of Adam's friends glanced at me, standing behind him, his eyes full of pity.

He said, "When that explosion happened in the lab, if Lily hadn't stepped in to protect you, you'd probably be the one..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone knew exactly what he meant.

"I wish I had been the one who got hurt back then." Adam's voice was cold. "Because she saved me and we dated for four years, I'm expected to marry her and be responsible for her for the rest of her life?

"No one ever cares about my feelings," Adam paused for a moment. "Except Emily Hart."

I knew who Emily was.

She was Adam's new intern.

She wasn't very experienced, so the whole project kept getting delayed, and Adam had to stay late at work almost every night.

I remembered him saying she was always messing things up.

Adam said, "When Emily found out about my situation, the first thing she did was tell me I should go after real love.

"She's so sweet, innocent, and bursting with energy. She's totally different from Lily, who's always so quiet and dull. It's only when I'm around her that I feel like a real person again. So I started dating Emily."

His words struck me like lightning.

I accidentally knocked over my cup, and Adam quickly reached over to wipe up the spill, his touch gentle, almost tender.

He bent down, his features slipping into the shadows.

Adam said, "I'm not about to divorce Lily. She's my wife, after all. It's a fling with Emily. When I get tired of it, I'll call it off. Lily will never find out about any of this."

*****

I kept quiet the whole way home.

The night air was cold, and Adam took off his jacket, draping it gently over my shoulders.

He immediately picked up on my mood and signed to me, "What's wrong, Lily? Did someone make you mad? Want me to go teach them a lesson?"

He gave me that familiar smile, his trademark sharp teeth showing like he always did.

For a moment, the man before me became the frightened boy from my memories.

The explosion was massive. Shrapnel pierced my throat, taking away my ability to speak right then and there.

I collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

Adam's face went ghostly pale, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

The ringing in my ears from the blast drowned out everything else.

Adam held me tightly, his lips moving as he spoke.

Even though he was right next to me, his voice was barely a whisper.

It took me ages to finally catch what he was saying.

Adam said, "Didn't you always want a family? I promise, if you make it through this, we'll get married."

I spent a long time recovering in the hospital, and Adam was there every single day, never missing a visit.

The doctor said a light diet would help me heal, so Adam made all my meals himself and patiently fed me, one spoonful at a time.

He was always worried I'd get bored in the hospital, so he never went to any parties. Whenever he had free time, he'd rush straight over to be with me.

Later, he learned sign language with me, helping me connect with the world again.

But after everything he did for me, the man who seemed so perfect claimed he'd been sick of me for ages, that he couldn't bear the idea of being stuck with me forever.

I turned to Adam, trying to keep my face steady, and signed with both hands, my heart pounding. "If you could turn back time, would you still pick me?"

Adam didn't hesitate and nodded.

He signed, "Of course. You're the person I love more than anyone else."

He pulled me close and kissed me softly on the cheek.

I stepped back half a pace, shaking off his hand.

"Adam, let's get a divorce," I signed.