Chapter 2
Adam clearly hadn't expected me to sign that.
He looked a bit stunned for a moment, but quickly regained his composure.
Adam signed, "What nonsense are you talking about, Lily? Is it because I spent too much time chatting with my friends today? Sorry, it won't happen again."
I shook my head.
"No, that's not it. It's... being with me is exhausting for you," I signed.
This time, Adam fell silent for three seconds.
"It's fine. I want to stay by your side," Adam signed.
The shrill ringtone suddenly cut through our conversation.
"It's the office. Probably something urgent," Adam signed as he answered the call.
Emily was on the line.
"Adam, have you missed me? How about tonight?" Her voice was dripping with innuendo, and it pierced right through me.
Adam glanced at me, lowered his voice, and said, "Tonight might not work. Something's off with Lily."
Emily replied with a sigh, "When has she ever been fine? You're always pampering her, but she still gets sick, still gets moody. Nothing ever changes."
Adam fell silent.
The explosion had hit the mute button on my life.
My health took a nosedive, and the slightest chill would send my fever skyrocketing.
Between the physical pain and the emotional turmoil, I became hypersensitive, lashing out at the slightest thing.
I found myself drawn to smashing things, savoring the sharp, satisfying sound of glass shattering.
Adam would get to work cleaning up the mess, then hand me a cup of warm milk like nothing ever happened.
Once I calmed down, guilt would wash over me, and I'd apologize.
But he'd sign, "It's what I'm here for. I'll stay with you until you're better."
Adam took a deep breath and asked, "Where are you?"
"Same place, room 2068," Emily replied with a playful laugh. "Hurry up, I'm dressed up as your favorite bunny girl in white stockings."
Adam smiled, his eyes holding a tenderness I'd never seen before.
"Alright, I'll teach you a lesson later," he said.
After hanging up, Adam gave me an apologetic smile.
"Hey, I've got to deal with something at work. You know the way, so you'll be okay heading back on your own, right?" he signed.
I stared at the man before me, as if I was looking at a stranger.
One moment, Adam swore up and down that I was the love of his life, and the next, he was already setting up a night with Emily.
Turned out that the eighteen-year-old boy I once knew had been washed away by time, gone without a trace.
Before I could respond, Adam hailed a cab and left.
The alley was less than 1640 feet from home, but with the streetlights busted, it felt way creepier than usual.
I didn't dare stick around, so I quickened my pace and headed out.
I heard the faint rustling of footsteps behind me.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder.
I spun around, startled, and found myself face-to-face with a chubby guy whose big ears and wide grin made him look almost cartoonish.
"Hey, pretty, what are you doing out here all alone so late?" he said.
Without thinking, I landed a punch right on his face and bolted.
The guy didn't come after me.
I sprinted all the way home and slammed the door shut behind me.
My heart was pounding, and my back was drenched in cold sweat.
As I was trying to calm down, my phone vibrated. Adam had sent me a message: [Babe, get some sleep. I'll be back soon.]
Attached was a photo of his office.
I opened the photo and immediately spotted a watermark in the bottom left corner.
The timestamp said it was taken two nights ago.
My heart sank.
While I was barely making it out of danger, he was probably busy stripping down and getting ready to jump into bed with someone else.
Maybe they were already all over each other by now.
Adam cheated on me, yet still played the part of the devoted husband.
"Disgusting," I muttered.
The words came out, no filter.
I tentatively opened my mouth, and like that, my voice was back.
Guess this was the universe throwing me a lifeline.
Now that I'd finally seen Adam's true colors, I had what I needed to build a new life for myself.