Half a month before her wedding, Mag was living a moment of pure expectation and emotion.

After losing her hearing to save Adam Watson, she felt even closer to him, but the absence of sound isolated her from some everyday experiences. However, when a high fever struck her, something magical happened: her ears, which had previously been deaf, began to recover their hearing.

This turnaround was like a gift from heaven for Mag. She believed it was a blessing that allowed her to hear again the voices she loved so much, especially Adam's.

Joy took over her, and she couldn't contain her happiness. With a radiant smile on her face, Mag left the mansion, feeling every sound around her in a renewed way—the wind in the leaves, the singing of the birds, and even the noise of the city.

She hailed a taxi in a hurry, wanting to get to the company where Adam worked quickly.

As the car drove through the busy streets, Mag could hardly contain her excitement. Her heart was beating fast with the expectation of meeting Adam again and sharing this incredible news with him.

It was as if the universe was conspiring in her favor, bringing back not only her hearing but also the hope and happiness she longed for so much for her wedding day.

Upon arriving at the company, Mag jumped out of the taxi and ran towards the entrance.

She could hardly wait to see him and tell him about her recovery—a sign that everything was aligning for the big day that was approaching!

Mag walked through the reception area, her heart pounding with anticipation. As she passed the secretary, she heard a "Madam?" and, remembering that Mag was deaf, the woman let her proceed.

The environment around her seemed to vibrate with a new energy, and Mag could hardly wait to find Adam.

As soon as she entered the elevator, her anxiety grew. Each floor she went up felt like an eternity. When the doors opened in the hallway of Adam's office, she hesitated for a moment, adrenaline rushing through her veins.

But upon hearing the first words of the man she loved, her world crumbled.

— Catherine Morgan, I've had enough of your moral blackmail. - Those words cut like a knife. Mag stood paralyzed, absorbing the pain of the betrayal. He continued: — The person I want to marry is you.

The echo of his declarations filled the air, and Mag felt as if the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.

It was then that Catherine picked up Adam's phone and called Mag. The vibrating sound rang like a deafening scream in her mind. With trembling hands, she swiped to answer, a dark foreboding overwhelming her. On the other end of the line, the tension was palpable; both were panting.

Adam was nervous, trying to hang up the call without success. But Catherine, with a malicious smile in her voice, raised the phone high and provoked:

— What are you afraid of? She's deaf anyway, and besides, isn't it more exciting this way? - Her words were poisonous and filled with contempt.

Mag heard the disgusting sounds of their pleasure on the phone and felt her heart shatter into ashes.

With a desperate impulse, she pressed the record button.

Mag recoiled, still stunned by the devastating revelations she had just heard. In her state of shock, she accidentally bumped into the table adorned with fresh flowers, the vibrant arrangement contrasting with the darkness that now enveloped her heart. The flowers swayed slightly, and their sweet perfume seemed like a cruel irony amid the pain that consumed her.

Adam's voice echoed from inside the office, cutting through the tense silence:

— Who's there?

The question made the world around her blur. Embarrassment and strangeness took over Mag, and she held her breath instinctively, as if that could make reality disappear.

The seconds dragged on as she tried to process what was happening. The environment around her seemed to spin, and her vision became blurred, as if she were looking through frosted glass. Each second of silence felt like an eternity; the echo of Adam's voice resonated in her mind, mixing with the sounds of betrayal still fresh in her ears.

After an agonizing moment, when she heard no more noise coming from inside, a new round of heavy and nervous breathing sounded. Mag felt her heart race. The pressure in her chest increased, and she fought against the tears that threatened to escape. Without knowing how, she took a step back and moved away from the door, as if she were running away from reality.

That feeling of loss and confusion accompanied her as she walked aimlessly through the corridors of the building. Mag didn't know how she managed to get back home again; each step was a challenge, and her mind was in turmoil.

Finally, upon arriving home, loneliness enveloped her like a heavy cloak. The silence was deafening.

When she turned on the light and saw the trail of bloody footprints on the door, she realized that, in her hurry to find Adam, she had forgotten to wear her shoes.

Numb, she removed the shards of glass from the soles of her feet, taking a piece of flesh with them, but it didn't hurt nearly as much as her heart.

Her fever had not yet subsided.

She lay down on the sofa in a trance, her tears gradually soaking the pillow.

She wanted all of this to be a dream.

That when she woke up, nothing had happened.

In half a month, she would still be Adam's fiancee, walking towards the wedding and the home she had dreamed of for ten years.

But the sound of a child crying upstairs and car horns honking outside told her it was all real.

She doesn't know how long it has been, but her feet began to burn.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Adam holding her feet, carefully removing the remaining shards of glass and applying medicine to my wounds.

Mag remembered it had been 10 years.

Taking care of her seemed to have become a routine for him, a habit she always hoped would be more than that.

As he wrapped the bandages around her feet, Mag looked at him.

He looked up and lowered his head, finishing bandaging her feet.

Adam, with a furrowed brow, seemed lost in his thoughts. He didn't ask about the origin of the injuries; instead, his voice sounded low and filled with frustration:

"Knowing you're deaf, why don't you just stay home?"

The words cut through the air like a blade, and Mag felt a chill down her spine. He then seemed to realize that she couldn't hear him. He frowned again, but this time with a coldness that chilled her heart:

"That's why I don't want to marry someone like you."

Those words reverberated in her mind like a distant, painful echo. Mag felt her heart clench inside her chest, as if it were being crushed under the weight of rejection.

She remembered her adolescence, when she was in high school and a group of children followed her, laughing and joking. She couldn't hear anything they said; everything was just whispers muffled by the silence around her. The feeling of isolation was almost palpable, and yet she kept walking, acting as if nothing was wrong.

But Adam, who came to pick her up, couldn't contain himself and ran to fight.

In the end, he was covered in bruises and carried her in his arms, worried.

She didn't understand and asked why he fought.

He said: "Because they called you deaf. Mag, you're not dead, you have ears.

I will be your ears."

He cried a lot that day.

It was on that day, for the first time, that she truly understood that the world of the deaf is so dark and cruel.

Now, in that vivid memory, Mag realized that she had built walls around herself to protect herself from pain. But each word from Adam was a crack in those walls, revealing the fragility of her self-esteem.

But she didn't care, because Adam had promised that he would always be hers.

So why did he break the agreement?

The tears could hardly be contained.

She squeezed her palm tightly.

Maybe her expression wasn't right.

He pursed his lips and quickly signed:

Does it hurt?

Before she could answer, his phone vibrated.

In front of her, he opened a voice message from Catherine.

"Mr. Watson, you're so bad you left my legs wobbly."

Catherine and Adam were college classmates.

After returning to the country, she became his secretary. They often exchanged voice messages.

Even if some were sent late at night, because of her trust in Adam, Mag always thought they were discussing work.

"Want to try something even worse?", Adam replied to her message, and the smile on his face never disappeared.

"Who are you talking to?"

Suddenly, Mag signed, and Adam was surprised.

But he quickly calmed down and signed:

"A client, there's a rush on some goods."

After signing, he immediately sent a voice message to the other person.

"I bought a set of lingerie for Mag, it looks good, I'll buy another next time and you can wear it for me."

Disgusting.

"I would never want to wear the same thing as that deaf girl"

Unable to bear listening to their vulgar conversation any longer, Mag limped towards the bedroom, hugging the family photo with her parents and curled up in bed, covering her ears with the blanket.

She let the overwhelming despair drown her.

But the door was too thin, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't block out the two laughing and video-calling outside.

Each word felt like torture.

This man is truly filthy.

I don't want him anymore.

Adam and Catherine hadn't exchanged many virtual words before the tall door of the living room opened, revealing a moment that Mag didn't want to witness.

Sitting on the bed, she felt the weight of loneliness settle in her chest. The clock on the wall struck midnight, and the awareness of what they were doing was like a sharp knife cutting through her heart.

The night breeze entered through the window, bringing with it temporary relief, gradually dissipating the fog that enveloped her emotions.

Mag looked at the bedside table, where the golden wedding invitation was carefully positioned. The embossed letters shone under the soft light, but for her, they were just a reminder of the pain to come.

With an impulse to seek comfort, Mag picked up the phone and dialed her adoptive parents' number. The ringtone sounded twice before someone answered:

"Mom, Dad, I want to visit you both, Grandpa and Grandma."

Their voices on the other end of the line were full of concern, as if they sensed the agitation in her tone:

"What happened? Did something go wrong?"

They quickly remembered that she couldn't hear, and silence took over the conversation, except for the sound of their fingers typing responses on their cell phones. She took a deep breath before answering:

"No, I just miss you."

The sincerity in her words made her voice tremble with suppressed sobs.

The connection with her adoptive parents was a safe haven amid the emotional storm she was facing. As she spoke, tears began to slide down her face. Longing invaded her heart like an overwhelming wave; she needed them more than ever in that moment of vulnerability. The call turned into a space where Mag could be authentic, without barriers or judgments.

Adam and Catherine were on the sofa, caught up in their own emotions, laughing and whispering intimate words. Their noise, laughter, and sighs echoed through the room, a symphony of moments and moans that they thought Mag couldn't hear.

It was as if they were in a world apart, completely oblivious to what she was going through, while loneliness settled in Mag's heart.

Her adoptive parents were working abroad and took her grandpa and grandma with them.

That year, when they learned of her parents' accident, they immediately returned to the country to take her with them.

But at first, Mag was struggling emotionally and only wanted to stay in the small house with the smell of her parents.

Later, she couldn't bear to leave Adam, so even though her grandparents repeatedly said they missed her, she didn't agree to go.

"I'm glad you realized, I'm glad you realized!" her adoptive father was agitated, but then he realized something was wrong.

"Mag, your ears"

"Yes, I can hear now."

After a brief exchange, she hung up the phone.

Her adoptive father booked a flight for her, and it happened to be on the day of the wedding.

Looking at the dozens of messages sent by her adoptive parents, her nose tingled.

Throughout all these years, she refused to reunite with her adoptive parents and grandparents for someone like Adam.

She was really too foolish.

Only late at night did Adam finally return to the room.

He climbed into bed, carrying a cold air and the scent of a strong perfume.

Since her parents had passed away, she felt especially insecure.

Only in his arms could she sleep peacefully.

But that night, she avoided the arm he habitually extended to her and, surprisingly, had a peaceful night's sleep.

The next morning, as soon as Mag woke up, her eyes fell on the black lace lingerie in the laundry basket. A knot formed in her stomach as she realized that this piece, which should symbolize love and affection, was actually a painful reminder that Adam had bought it thinking of Catherine.

Without hesitating, she picked up the lingerie and threw it in the trash, as if she wanted to get rid of that memory that hurt her.

Meanwhile, her doubts about the previous night began to haunt her. She wasn't sure if her attitude had made Adam more alert; what she knew was that, after half a year without having dinner together, he had prepared breakfast himself.

Looking at the seafood porridge on the table, she pushed it aside and silently checked the process for obtaining a visa.

Adam's phone kept vibrating with messages.

In the voice message, Catherine greeted him playfully, saying good morning, and complained that he hadn't been gentle with her the night before, making her waist ache so much that she needed him to massage it.

Adam didn't look at Mag, smiling as he pressed the voice message button.

"Was I not being gentle, or is it you, you little seductress who is never satisfied? Last time, Mag bought me a massage cream. I'll take it for you."

Mag looked at him.

With such a natural attitude, it was obvious that such scenes must have been repeated countless times over the years.

They talked for a while.

Then Adam noticed that Mag hadn't touched the food.

"Didn't you like it?" He signed.

Mag put down the spoon.

"An insect fell into it, so it's dirty."

"How disgusting." She signed back.

His hand, which was constantly responding to messages, finally stopped for a few seconds, and impatience flashed in his eyes.

"Why don't you just eat and die?" He muttered and frowned, throwing the porridge from the bowl into the trash.

Then he signed with his hands, asking if she wanted him to make a sandwich.

She shook her head.

Passing by the calendar, she saw the date to try on the wedding dress.

It had been a week already.

At the time, Mag didn't understand how any work could be more important than the dream of getting married.

But, as she browsed Catherine's social media, reality imposed itself painfully.

She saw Adam enjoying moments that should be shared between them: hiking, seaside walks, and dips in hot springs with his little assistant. The contrast was cruel and revealing.

Feeling a wave of frustration and heartache, Mag calmly tore off that sheet and threw it in the trash, as if she could get rid of that pain.

Then, she turned and went back to her room, her heart heavy.

The idea of what could have been now seemed like a distant echo, as she tried to find a way to move forward.

The sound of the ball of paper falling into the trash can made him finally realize that something was wrong.

He saw the door tightly closed.

Sensing that something was wrong, Adam went upstairs to the room.

Opening the door, he found Mag hanging up a call, and he froze in place, as if he had been struck by lightning.

Her look, a half-smile, didn't offer many answers.

"Are you on the phone?" he asked in signs, the concern plastered on his face.

Mag looked at him and, after a moment of hesitation, replied with a gesture:

"It was just a sales ad." Adam followed her gaze to the cell phone screen and saw 143 contacts marked as ads.

Immediate relief ran down his stiff back, and he decided not to dwell on the matter any further.

With a smile, he signed to her:

"Today, I'll accompany you to try on the wedding dress."

That phrase brought back memories of when they were just eighteen years old; Adam remembered staying with Mag in front of a wedding dress shop window, dreaming that one day she would be his most beautiful bride.

Mag, at fifteen, always smiled and nodded when Adam talked about it. Since then, all her birthday wishes were about marrying him.

Now, as she nodded again, there was renewed hope in her heart; perhaps this was the chance to fulfill the dream of the innocent Mag of eighteen years ago who once believed that their love could become a reality.

Mag began to reflect on the teenager who once believed she had found her Prince Charming. That dreamy girl, full of hopes and promises, now seemed so distant.

"It was time to say goodbye to her", Mag thought.

It was necessary to let that naive version go forever, so that she could finally face the reality that was before her.

With a deep sigh, she felt that she was ready to break free from that romantic image that held her back so much.

It was an act of courage, a recognition that she needed to move forward and find her own path, away from the fantasies of an idealized love.