I agreed to a marriage of convenience with my childhood frenemy, who happened to be deaf. We did the deed every single day. No feelings involved, just pure technique. When our five-year contract was up, I planned to terminate it immediately. But then, a memory flashed in my mind: him, unable to hear the blaring horn, almost getting hit by a car while trying to buy me a caramel apple. My heart instantly softened. Just as I was heading upstairs to talk to him, to see if he wanted to just keep living together like this, I heard his buddy joking with him in the hallway: "Bro, are you addicted to playing deaf?" Liam toyed with his hearing aid, leaning against the wall with a low, smirk-laced chuckle: "Only when I'm deaf can she feel completely free to be herself." Standing on the other side of the wall, my mind went totally blank. Wait. All those filthy, dirty things I whispered in bed... he heard all of them?! 1 Most people have a secret crush on their childhood friend. Not me. I had pure, unadulterated hatred for mine. I hated him for throwing a lit firecracker into a pile of dog crap when we were kids, blowing it all over me. I hated him for sticking gum in my hair in middle school. I hated him for ditching study hall in high school and making me take the fall. Other people's childhood friends are sweet and considerate. Mine felt like I ordered a luxury item, it went out of stock, and they sent me a random, annoying "free gift" that I couldn't get rid of. In all the years we hung out. There wasn't a single good memory. The bad memories could fill a dumpster. Thankfully, right after we graduated high school, he went to college abroad, allowing me to enjoy four peaceful years of university life. Who knew that right after I graduated college, I would run into the one person I least wanted to see from my youth? And then came the even more terrifying bad news: my family’s business went bankrupt, and my totally unreliable father decided to marry me off to secure funding. "My ears might never fully recover. Technically, I'll always be partially disabled. If you're not willing..." Sitting across the table, Liam kept his head down. Even his impeccable, expensive bespoke suit couldn't hide his insecurity. There was absolutely no trace of the arrogant, cocky boy from our youth. When I didn't say anything, Liam's knuckles turned white as he gripped the table. His eyes were filled with a heartbreaking vulnerability. "I understand. I'll tell Mr. Davis to call off the..." Wait! I suddenly snapped back to reality. I finally processed what he had just said. His ears were damaged? A jolt of electricity shot through me. I took a large step forward, right in front of him, and finally noticed the hearing aid hidden beneath his messy hair. "Chloe, is humiliating me fun for you?" Liam's eyes darkened, a hint of his familiar, teeth-gritting annoyance creeping back into his tone. "How did it happen?" I asked. Liam was momentarily stunned. "When I was studying abroad, I didn't know how to use an induction cooktop. It exploded and damaged my hearing." "..." "You..." "I'll marry you! I'll marry you!" I covered his mouth just as he was about to speak again. Staring into his wide, dumbfounded puppy-dog eyes, I tried desperately to suppress the wild joy erupting in my chest. Growing up, I could never win an argument against Liam. For every sentence I threw at him, his rapid-fire mouth would shoot back ten. Hell yeah! If I just took out his hearing aid, I could curse him out until the end of time! 2 "Liam, are you part dog or something?!" Clutching my red, swollen, and stinging lips, I viciously shoved against Liam's muscular chest. He didn't budge. Instead, he pressed in even closer. The pain made me cry out involuntarily. "Liam! Stop moving! "Get the hell off me!" Liam paused his movements, squinting as he read my lips. "Wifey, what are you babbling about? I can't understand you." Then he just kept going. "...I've had it with you! Put your damn hearing aid in!" I reached out toward the nightstand to grab his hearing aid. A large, burning hot hand forcefully covered mine, aggressively lacing his fingers through mine, and pinned my hand above my head. Liam's scorching breath washed over my neck. It sent a shiver down my spine. I looked up. The man lazily half-closed his eyes. His gaze was deep and dark, his voice husky: "Wifey, when we're doing this, you don't need to hear anything." 3 After reaching an agreement at the restaurant that day. Liam and I went straight to the courthouse and got our marriage license. But I wasn't stupid. After all, it was a marriage of convenience. At the end of the day, it was a relationship built on mutual exploitation. Helping my family's business survive the crisis was enough. Did they really expect me to tie myself to this guy for the rest of my life?! I didn't even like him. The term was five years. Liam was under massive pressure from his parents to get married, and he needed a proper, understanding wife for public appearances. And out of all the candidates presented to him, I was the most suitable option. We both got what we needed. When the benefits dried up, we'd part ways. Liam readily agreed and signed the contract. On our wedding night. Lying on the massive, rose-petal-covered bed, a wave of delayed panic finally hit me. I hadn't thought this through completely. He needed a wife, and I needed the alliance. We were actually married. We weren't playing house. Were we... going to do that? While my mind raced, the sound of the shower in the bathroom gradually stopped. Liam walked out wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Steam billowed out behind him. He hadn't blow-dried his hair. It was wet, hanging over his forehead, water droplets still falling. They traced a path down his chest, disappearing into the V-line of his abs. Squinting for a closer look, Liam had a perfect swimmer's build. Broad shoulders, narrow waist. Before I could inspect any further, Liam started walking toward me. My heart tightened. Is he going to... I swallowed hard. Isn't this a little too fast? "Liam, I don't think I'm quite ready for—" As he walked past my side of the bed, I squeezed my eyes shut and death-gripped the edge of the blanket. A breeze brushed past. The touch I expected never landed on me. The closet door next to me opened. Liam pulled out a spare comforter and smiled at me. "I'm going to sleep in the guest room." ? He's disgusted by me? I looked down at myself. Sure, I wasn't Dolly Parton, but this was a massive insult! "Liam, do you think I'm too small?" A surge of pride-trampled anger erupted from the bottom of my heart. Liam didn't turn around. "What is that supposed to mean?! We both agreed to this marriage! It wasn't just my idea! "Are you looking down on me?! "I'm at least a C-cup, okay?! I'm not that small! "Hmph, you think you're so huge?!" I unleashed a furious barrage of words. And the guy didn't even turn his head. One more step, and he really would have disappeared into the next room. My eyes burned red with anger. I bounced right off the bed and tackled him from behind, landing squarely on his back. "Fulfill your marital obligations to me right now!" Liam looked completely bewildered as the towel around his waist was kicked off by my flailing legs. The moment my racing thoughts crashed into the mattress. I finally realized he wasn't intentionally ignoring me. The idiot simply wasn't wearing his hearing aid. 4 My marriage of convenience with Liam was much happier than I had imagined. We were old acquaintances, after all. Plus, by the time we got married, he had already taken over his family's company as the CEO, and he was so busy I barely saw him during the day. What he left me with was peace, quiet, and a limitless black AMEX. Liam finished the last bite of his oatmeal, stood up, adjusted his cufflinks, grabbed a file folder, and prepared to leave for the office. I looked up from my bowl of oatmeal. "You've been so busy lately." The clock on the wall showed it was only 8:00 AM. Usually, after we ate breakfast, he would sit and read the financial news for a bit, or chat with me before leaving. Liam loosened his tie slightly and walked to the door to put on his shoes. "Your dad has a project that he's pushing really hard on. I need to go keep an eye on it." Your dad... Whenever he said that, he meant my father. Doing the math, this was the fourth year we had spent together. And he was still working his ass off for my dad. I suddenly thought of the contract. Speaking without thinking, I blurted out: "Our arrangement is almost at the end of its term. You don't have to work so hard for him anymore." Liam's hand, resting on the door handle, froze. The air in the room grew heavy and silent. Even though our marriage started as a contract, five years is a long time to spend living with someone day in and day out. Saying that now made it sound like I was just going to kick him to the curb the second I finished using him. I was just about to explain that that wasn't what I meant, but Liam rushed to speak first: "I've just been too busy lately. We'll talk about it later. "Oh, right, I have to fly out of state for a business trip tonight. Text me if you need anything." Right before he left, I saw him awkwardly fiddle with his hearing aid. In that moment, it felt like a silver needle had been driven straight into my heart, causing a sharp, uncomfortable ache. He was feeling insecure again. Insecure about his hearing. Did he think I was disgusted by him because he was partially deaf? 5 In the beginning, I fully intended to cancel the contract the second the five years were up. But over the past four years, we had meshed perfectly in almost every way. As long as Liam wasn't out of town, we basically did the deed every single day. On normal, quiet days, Liam would accompany me shopping, take me to theme parks, and go on vacations with me. At first, I didn't really see him as a "husband." He was just the guy I grew up with. Hanging out together didn't feel awkward or unnatural. In fact, after being together for so long, I even started to struggle on the nights he wasn't there to hold me while I slept. Like right now. Lying alone in a massive, empty bed. Staring at the empty chat log on my phone. I felt an inexplicable, restless anxiety. He had explicitly said to text him if I needed anything before he left this morning. It had been three hours since I sent a message, and there was dead silence on his end. Dammit. Did he get hit by a car or something?! A chill ran through my entire body, and I literally shot up in bed, terrified. During Christmas last year, Liam and I didn't go back to either of our parents' houses. Instead, we just had a simple, quiet dinner at home, the two of us. After eating, we wrapped ourselves in one long, oversized scarf and went for a walk down the street. I saw a street vendor selling caramel apples and threw a fit, demanding one. Liam pulled his head out from under the scarf, re-wrapped me tightly so I wouldn't get cold, told me to stay put, and walked over to buy it. It was just across one street. Who could have known that a car's brakes would fail? Liam wasn't wearing his hearing aid. As he walked back toward me, he was even smiling and waving the caramel apple at me. If Liam hadn't jogged the last few steps... I wouldn't even dare imagine the consequences. He hadn't realized how close danger had come to him at all, just smiling like an absolute idiot. He shoved the caramel apple into my hand, saying he had bought one of every flavor they had, so I could eat until I was full. Even my own father was too lazy to buy me a caramel apple when I asked. But Liam? He only regretted that he couldn't pluck the stars from the sky and hand them to me. I don't know if I was just traumatized by the sudden accident that day, or if Liam's smile under the streetlights was just too beautiful. But my heart had secretly skipped a beat. The Liam of today is a good man. Even if the teenage version of him was an absolute terror. Buzz, buzz— The phone vibrating pulled me back from my thoughts. Liam: [Just finished a meeting. What's up?] The heart that had been lodged in my throat fell back into its rightful place in my chest. I suddenly felt like there were some things... I needed to tell him face-to-face. 6 By the time I landed in Seattle. It was already the morning of the next day. There hadn't been any red-eye flights available. I had to take the earliest morning flight I could get. After getting off the plane, I got the exact address from Liam's assistant and rushed over without stopping for a breath. When I see him in a little while, what should I say? Just keeping living together like this... actually seems pretty great. Liam is a solid choice for a life partner. We know everything about each other. So what if his ears don't work perfectly? Whether we "like" each other or not, in families like ours, that usually isn't a high priority anyway. I think I'd be pretty willing... to spend the rest of my life with him. His abs are great to touch. His face is fun to squish. His lips are highly kissable. And, if I take out his hearing aid, I can curse him out without any consequences. What other man would just take me swearing at him like a mute? I think only a guy like Liam could meet all my requirements. I suddenly regretted being so overly cautious back then. I wasn't even sure if Liam would be willing to tear up the contract and stay with me. I finally gathered the courage to walk into the office building. I pulled my phone out of my trench coat pocket, preparing to call Liam. A familiar voice drifted from the stairwell behind me: "Bro, are you addicted to playing deaf?" What playing deaf? I froze in my tracks, turning my head slightly. A familiar face came into view. It was Liam's best friend. I had met him before when Liam brought me to a charity gala. Liam had his back to me. He was toying with the hearing aid he had just removed from his ear. Half of his face was hidden in the shadows, but his tone carried a distinct smile: "Only when I'm deaf can she feel completely free to be herself." "But your hearing fully recovered months ago. You can't keep this from her for the rest of your life, can you?" "We'll see how it goes." "Alright, man. But you should probably tell her sooner rather than later. You're husband and wife, after all. Keeping secrets is never a good thing." ... A massive ringing exploded in my brain. I didn't hear whatever was said next. It sounded like they had a meeting to get to; the two men walked away side-by-side. I hid inside the fire exit stairwell, trying to process those few sentences. Liam's hearing was fine. The reason he hid it from me was so I could "feel free to be myself." He didn't like wearing his hearing aid at home. I always assumed he just found it too noisy and took it off to focus on his work. Who could have known his hearing had actually been recovering this whole time! I always assumed he couldn't hear, so I constantly acted like an absolute lunatic around the house. Did that mean he heard me when I was ripping massive farts in the living room?! And even more terrifyingly— All those filthy, dirty things I whispered in bed... did he hear all of them?! 7 As I was sprinting through the airport, ready to flee back home. Liam's call suddenly came through. "My assistant said you came looking for me?" Hiss. I almost forgot. I had contacted his assistant to ask for his location. I stopped dead in my tracks in the terminal, spouting absolute nonsense: "I was bored at home, so I flew up here for a little vacation." "...What a coincidence?" I gripped my phone tightly, staring intently at the tips of my shoes. Liam's face involuntarily floated into my mind again. This was exactly what I had come here to do in the first place. But those things I said in bed... He heard them. He heard them! Whatever. We're still legally husband and wife right now, anyway. Is it a crime for a wife to talk a little dirty to her husband? Is it illegal? Are the morality police going to come arrest me? I pumped myself up, took a deep breath, and spoke: "I'm at the airport. Come pick me up." I vastly overestimated my psychological resilience and the thickness of my skin. When Liam appeared in front of me, I couldn't stop myself from turning bright red. "Are you hot?" I looked up. The man was wearing the dark grey suit I had seen him in near the stairwell. His entire aura was expensive and relaxed. It seemed he had rushed over right after his meeting ended. He took the small suitcase from my hand, his other hand naturally taking mine, shielding me on the inside of the walkway. "I'm flying back tomorrow. I'll stay here for the night. Want to fly back together tomorrow?" He smiled as he looked at the crosswalk light, seemingly in a fantastic mood. I nodded. 8 Late at night. After taking a shower, I burrowed under Liam's covers. As expected, sleeping next to Liam was always the warmest. I hugged his waist and buried my face deeply into his chest muscles. It was that familiar citrus scent. Liam's natural scent. It smelled so good. Every time I buried my face in his chest, I slept so much sounder. I couldn't help but hug him tighter and take another deep breath. I was completely oblivious to the rising body temperature of the man next to me. By the time I realized what was happening, I was already pinned underneath him. The atmosphere was hazy. Our noses touched. Slightly ragged breathing tangled together. I mentioned this before, but Liam is an incredible kisser. From my forehead, to my eyes, the bridge of my nose, my lips, my collarbone... It was like a current of electricity, sending shiver after shiver through me. Restrained yet desperate. I opened my eyes, already dazed and clouded, wanting to pull him even closer. "Liam, I want you to..." Suddenly, I snapped back to reality. The leg I had hooked around his waist froze instantly. I suddenly remembered what he told his friend in the stairwell. Liam could hear. He could hear! I stared at the man who had his head buried in his work, acting as if he knew absolutely nothing. I bit my lip hard, forcing down the rest of the sentence I was about to say. What a manipulative jerk. He must have loved listening to me say all that stuff! If he's going to act, then two can play at that game. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing my tense body to relax, keeping my mouth clamped shut and refusing to make a sound. Liam worked away for a long time. He seemed to sense something was off, but couldn't blow his cover and reveal he could hear. He could only keep going. In a daze. He hooked my hand and pressed it against his stomach. The corners of his eyes were wet, looking like a pure yet feral male fox. I thought back to the things I used to say. "Hubby, you're amazing. "Hubby, right there. "Hubby, you're making me cry so hard I..." ENOUGH! I gritted my teeth, desperately holding onto my last shred of defense. Liam seemed to be engaged in a silent battle of wills with me. His wet, puppy-dog eyes stared at me intently, but his movements grew fiercer and fiercer. I honestly couldn't hold it in anymore. I opened my mouth. But the words took a sharp, aggressive turn: "Liam, has your technique gotten worse?" I clearly felt the man on top of me go rigid. But he had to keep moving, tilting his head with a look of pure innocence, staring at my mouth and asking me what I was saying. I held back a laugh. "I said, you're really bad at this." "..." The man was furious but couldn't dare speak. "Oh, right, you don't have your hearing aid in, so you can't hear me. "I really want to try a different guy. "I've been with you for too long, there's no novelty left. "Right now, I'm kind of into the 'golden retriever' type. Sweet, young, and full of energy." Liam's face grew darker and darker. He still had to pretend he didn't understand, asking me what I was babbling about. But before I could open my mouth to say anything else... He buried his face deep into the crook of my neck. He didn't want to hear it anymore. The puppy didn't like hearing those words. Tonight, a certain man who was playing deaf had his heart quietly shattered into a million pieces.
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