The Unloved Deaf-mute Girlfriend

The grand party dazzled with shimmering lights and a massive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, like stars illuminating the night sky. The opulence was breathtaking. The center of attention was my boyfriend, Keveon. Today marked his thirtieth birthday, and he was eager to announce to the world that his hearing and speech impairment had been cured. No longer would he be seen as a deaf-mute. He had arranged for me to stay in an upstairs private room, offering a bird's-eye view of the entire venue. The attendees were all from the business elite, either wealthy or influential, and it took the butler and maids a full two hours to collect all the gifts. I quietly remained in the room, watching him shine on stage, genuinely happy for him. A golden child like him was never meant to have any flaws. After the party ended, he introduced me to his old friends, teaching them on the spot to sign "Hello, sis" to me, and they all did so in unison. Keveon turned to me with a tender smile, while his friends teased us, making me blush and hide behind him with a laugh. Keveon had been in high spirits, enjoying himself thoroughly, drinking one glass after another, and soon being pulled away to sing. In that moment, Keveon was the man of the hour, basking in his newfound glory, embracing his rebirth. The disdainful glances of the past had transformed into admiration and flattery. My Keveon had finally emerged from the shadows. Soon, he sat beside me, signing, "Tora, are you worn out from all the fun?" I shook my head, signing excitedly, "Keveon, I have something important to tell you." He kissed me casually, replying, "Go ahead." Just as I was about to speak, his friends pulled him away, saying, "Kev, leaving already? The night's still young!" In the world of the deaf, one can only guess what others are saying by reading lips, so I quickly shook my head and signed, "No rush, enjoy yourselves. We can talk at home." He ruffled my hair, "Tora, you're the best." Even without signing, his simple words were crystal clear, causing me to blush and look down. His smile widened, and his friends teased, "You two are sweet as honey! Now that Kev's all better, when's the wedding?" As the words left his lips, the friends around us paused, setting aside their drinks and turning their attention our way. Kev's grip on my hand tightened, his body stiffening as if he were bracing for impact. He tried to shield his words from me, but I caught them all the same. "Tora has been amazing, truly. For five years, she's been there for me, caring for me in every way. But, she was born with hearing and speech impairments. It's just... it's a bit of a social burden to have her with me." He sighed deeply, squeezing my hand even tighter, and continued, "Instead of facing this embarrassment, I wish she would just vanish after I recover. That way, I can always remember her fondly." His friends seemed taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances, their eyes slowly shifting to me, now filled with sympathy. But all I felt was a cold dread seeping into my veins, turning my blood to ice. I stood there, dumbfounded, staring at Kev. Thinking I couldn't hear, he looked puzzled and pulled me into a comforting embrace. But I pushed him away, disbelief plastered across my face, and bolted as if the ground were crumbling beneath me. Kev didn't follow. I stumbled back home, utterly shattered, collapsing onto the floor. We first met because of a car crash. A drunk driver had careened into our cars, leaving chaos in his wake. I wasn't born unable to speak; the trauma from the crash left me temporarily mute. But Kev... he lost his voice forever, unable to hear, becoming a deaf-mute. The doctors said the chances of recovery were slim. Kev had several breakdowns, the worst when he slipped past the nurses to the rooftop, ready to end it all. By sheer chance, I was there, savoring the wind's cool caress. I fought to pull him back from the edge, but he, with a twisted expression, picked up a stone and scrawled on the ground, "Why did you save me? I'm just a broken man." Perhaps it was pity that brought tears to my eyes as I clung to his hand, using a stone to write back, "I'm like you, a victim of the same crash. I was born deaf-mute. Don’t give up. The doctors say there’s a chance." He looked at me, half-believing, his face pale, eyes bloodshot. My heart ached for him, and I wrote again, "Please, trust me." I gently let go of his hand, tugged at his sleeve, and with my other hand, signed in my still-awkward way, "Come back with me." From that day on, he let only me into his world. Perhaps it was our shared suffering that bound us together, silently weaving an unspoken bond.We moved into the same hospital room, and before meals, he would gently tug at my bedsheet, using the sign language he had just learned to ask, "What do you want to eat later? I want to have the same as you." His face was still pale, but his expression was childlike. I would always smile, pat his hand, and say, "Alright, you wait for me." Gradually, this became our routine. If I went for treatment, he wouldn't eat all day, causing a fuss with the nurses, worried I might disappear. The day before we were discharged, he asked a young nurse to buy a ton of roses, lining the path I would take when leaving the hospital. He was terrified, his whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind, yet he still signed to me with unwavering determination, "I hope your future path is filled with flowers. If not, I'll plant them for you myself." My eyes welled up, and I fought to keep my tears at bay, mustering the courage to pat his hand and ask, "Will you be my boyfriend?" He nodded eagerly, his face flushing crimson with excitement. After we were discharged, we moved in together. I was afraid of him having an emotional breakdown, so I stayed up all night watching over him. When he was in a good mood, he would make a couple of small dishes for me, and after dinner, we would snuggle on the couch, using hand gestures to paint our dreams of the future. I spun a tale, telling him he was the lucky one, unlike me, who was born into silence. I told him that once he was cured, we would get a puppy and live happily with the two of us and a dog. So even after I recovered, I continued pretending to be deaf, keeping up the act for five years. But in the end, he saw me as a source of shame. They say the first thing a blind person does when they regain sight is to discard their cane. At that moment, this became a reality for me and Kev. Kev's special ringtone pierced the silence, followed by a lengthy message, "Tora, with so many friends around today, you just pushed me away and left everyone there... Take a few days to cool off. I won't be coming home for now. Call me if you need anything." I felt a cold indifference settle over me. He wasn't worried about the dangers I might face as a deaf person, even though he had experienced that helplessness himself. Perhaps he desperately needed to let loose. For five years, the housekeeper handled all the company's affairs for him. The scorn and icy receptions he endured over the years had suffocated him. But was his first act of liberation to cast me aside? His first words after being cured were, "Tora, I will never let you down." Not long after, he updated his social media with photos of those same friends, but there was one unfamiliar girl among them... She was smiling, holding a wine glass to toast with Kev, her other arm affectionately linked with his. I tormented myself, zooming in on the photo over and over, witnessing Kev's unrestrained laughter, as if he had finally cast off the chains I represented.Kev had set his social media to only show posts from the last month, as if he was desperately trying to scrub away our past, treating me like a stain on his life. The girl was breathtakingly beautiful, an accomplished woman with not a single flaw. I discovered through her social media that she was the second daughter of the Young family—a perfect match for him. The odd one out was painfully obvious—me... Feeling feverish, I collapsed onto the carpet, slipping into a fitful sleep. In my haze, I dreamt of the second winter I spent with Kev. By then, we had turned into hermits, only daring to step outside under layers of heavy disguise. One morning, he shook me awake with excitement, signing, "Do you know what I dreamed of last night? I dreamed of fireworks, and I think I heard them..." He continued describing the dream, but my mind wandered. I resolved to bring his dream to life with a real fireworks display. It was as if fireworks were the only thing that made him feel truly alive. On a day when he was on the brink of another breakdown, I set off fireworks for him. I had planned it for a long time. It was the only time he went out without a disguise since his illness. As he watched the sky light up, tears welled in his eyes. He turned to me, dancing and embracing me with joy. It had been ages since I'd seen him that happy. Seeing him so childlike and joyous, I signed back, "I love you. Everything's going to be okay." His expression suddenly turned serious, and he signed with determination, "Tora, I, Kev, will never let you down." I blushed fiercely, my cheeks burning. He always knew how to make ripples in the waters of my heart... The beautiful scene before me shattered like glass. I reached out to grasp it, but couldn't catch even a fragment. I awoke crying, wanting to call out to Kev, but momentarily forgot I could speak. Only endless darkness and solitude answered me. My phone still displayed Kev's social media post. Words failed to capture the heaviness in my heart. It was heavy, like stones pressing down, suffocating me, making me wish for death... A chill seeped through me, likely from the lingering fever. I scheduled a doctor's appointment for the next morning and stumbled back to my bedroom... The next morning, I instinctively turned to find Kev's presence. He hadn't returned, gone the entire night. I mustered a bitter smile, pulled myself together, and headed to the hospital... In the hospital corridor, Kev's social media updated again. He was at the beach in a neighboring city with friends, running against the wind, laughing freely, his arm around the girl from last night. I recognized most of his friends from his stories, but this girl was a complete mystery. I wanted to scream, but felt utterly deflated, like a balloon slowly losing air... Kev's eyes sparkled with joy and freedom, devoid of any concern for me, consumed only by the thrill of a new beginning... Meanwhile, my test results came back—it turned out to be a brain tumor. At this moment, we found ourselves at polar opposites, as if we were living in two separate worlds...