His Lies, My Vengeance

My boyfriend, Ethan Thorne, had a severe hearing impairment.

To afford a cochlear implant for him, I worked multiple jobs, sometimes seven a day.

But I didn't mind. All that mattered was for him to be happy, to experience the beauty of the world.

Ethan's first reaction after getting the cochlear implant was to pull me into a passionate embrace, kissing me like there was no tomorrow. He swore he'd be with me for life.

Then, two years later, one night after we'd been intimate, I vaguely noticed a black artificial cochlear implant on the bedside table.

Ethan, tall and handsome, leaned by the window, a cigarette between his fingers, talking on FaceTime.

His friend's excited, sharp voice came from the other end:

"No way, are you really going to marry that cheap commodity? What about Scarlett? She's coming back in three days..."

Ethan's voice was hoarse from earlier, and he chuckled. "Don't say that. Ava is mine for now; I haven't gotten tired of her yet! Once Scarlett is back, I'll naturally marry her."

I closed my eyes, tears streaming into the pillow, my hands clenched tight.

So, the hearing impairment was fake. His love for me was fake. Even wanting to marry me was fake!

From the very beginning, I was just a passing amusement for him.

Two minutes later, Ethan stubbed out his cigarette and walked straight towards me, his fingers gently touching the corner of my eye.

His voice was deep and husky:

"Bad dream?"

It was a perfectly normal question, a sign of concern, but it sent shivers down my spine. With a surge of disgust, I slapped his hand away.

I abruptly opened my eyes and met his gaze:

"You lied to me. You don't have a hearing impairment at all. Why would you do this?!"

Unlike my breakdown, Ethan seemed to have been mentally prepared, as if he'd anticipated this day.

"What, you're not happy that I'm a normal person instead?"

Ethan glanced at the artificial cochlear implant on the table, scoffing lightly, as if it were just an irrelevant ornament.

"You were the one who got ahead of yourself. You were the one who wanted to make money to buy me a cochlear implant. You never asked for my opinion, not once."

"I've played along with you for two years. I've done more than enough. Now that we're dating properly, why dwell on these minor details?"

Minor details?

I found myself unable to understand the man in front of me, baffled by how he could lie to me and still be so utterly at peace with himself.

Back then, I felt so much pity for Ethan's hearing impairment. He rarely spoke much to others, and to help him regain his confidence, I worked myself to the bone.

During those most extreme months, I sometimes worked seven jobs a day, so busy I barely had time to drink water.

My best friend, Chloe Green, laughed at me, calling me a hopeless romantic, throwing my health away for a man.

I pouted, my eyes filled with concern, and shot back:

"You don't understand how difficult life can be for someone with a disability. I don't want to see Ethan excluded anymore. I want him to see and hear the beauty of this world!"

Later, I successfully bought him the latest cochlear implant. Ethan just smiled at it, then pulled me into his arms, kissing me passionately:

"Ava, you're so good to me. I'll never betray you in my life!"

Recalling the sweet two years we'd spent together, I felt as if hundreds of ants were crawling over me, a chilling sensation washing through my body.

Yet the culprit acted as if nothing was wrong, carelessly trampling on my genuine feelings.

"It's my fault for not explaining this misunderstanding sooner. You wouldn't break up with me over such a small thing, would you?"

I opened my mouth in a daze, unable to utter a single word.

Ethan was truly skilled at manipulating people. He knew the depth of my love, that I simply couldn't bear to break up.

Seeing my head bowed, my shoulders trembling slightly, a strange flicker of guilt passed through Ethan's eyes.

"Alright, it's all my fault. I won't lie to you again, okay?"

I was about to press him further about Scarlett from his call, but a frantic phone ring interrupted me.

Ethan's usually composed eyes instantly showed a hint of urgency, an excitement I had never seen before.

"Ethan..."

I called out his name, but Ethan quickly pulled on his clothes and rushed out the door, tossing over his shoulder:

"Work emergency. I won't be back for dinner!"

But I instantly saw through it, recognizing it as a clumsy excuse. His beloved, far away overseas, must have returned.

I scoffed at myself, my heart aching with a dull pain.

Getting up, I tossed the artificial cochlear implant from the table into the trash. I looked up at the not-so-large apartment.

After Ethan and I officially started dating after graduation, he moved me into this place. It was close to the subway station, convenient for commuting.

Whenever I asked about the apartment's origins, Ethan would always vaguely explain:

"It was left by an elderly relative in my family."

But what elderly relative buys a newly renovated, European-style apartment in the city center? It clearly looked like it had been specifically designed by someone.

But at the time, my heart was completely consumed by Ethan, and I never noticed these oddities in our relationship.

No wonder Ethan, supposedly disabled, could effortlessly intern at a public company right after graduation, even without an interview.

No wonder Ethan rarely wore the artificial cochlear implant voluntarily. It wasn't that he didn't care for it; it was that he didn't need it at all.

It turned out his entire persona was fake. The hearing impairment was fake, the poor boy identity was fake, and even his love for me and his desire to marry me were fake!

I closed my eyes, trying to process the overwhelming grief, remembering his words during the call:

"Ava is mine for now; I haven't gotten tired of her yet!"

"Once Scarlett is back, I'll naturally marry her!"

Ethan Thorne, you certainly hid your true colors well!

At seven that evening, I packed all my belongings. Since I was determined to leave, I would do so cleanly.

My gaze lingered on every corner of the apartment: the couple's mugs we bought together, the matching slippers, the potted plant we spent two hours choosing...

Memories were like a cruel hand, squeezing my throat, making it hard to breathe.

Just then, the front door burst open, and Scarlett Davis's beautiful, striking face appeared before me:

"Who are you, and why are you in *our* home?"

*Our home*. Those two words hit me hard, and it took me a few seconds to process them.

Scarlett quickly let out a cold laugh, her perfectly manicured nail pointing directly at my cheek. "Oh, I remember now. You're the little side chick Ethan told me he'd marry just to spite me?"

"Looks like his taste is pretty mediocre!"

I ignored Scarlett's mockery, grabbed her provocatively pointing finger, and flung it away:

"I'm not his side chick. I'm the girlfriend he publicly acknowledged. You, on the other hand, are the one intruding here, aren't you?"

Hearing this, Scarlett immediately frowned, a hint of malice in her eyes.

She gave a small laugh, then deliberately twisted her ankle, crashing against the shoe cabinet with a pained yelp.

Ethan, carrying bags, walked in to this scene.

Scarlett leaned on the floor, holding her waist, her face contorted in pain, tears welling up in her eyes.

I instinctively tried to explain, but Ethan's hand flew out, slapping me across the face.

My lip stung terribly, feeling as if it might split open.

"Scarlett just got back from overseas, do you really have to be so cruel to her?!"

"Don't you know Scarlett injured her spine while dancing? She can't take any bumps. Are you trying to make her permanently disabled?!"

Ethan's words were incredibly harsh, making me sound like some heinous villain.

But he knew I would never intentionally harm anyone, yet he believed Scarlett's one-sided story.

"I didn't! I didn't even touch her!"

Scarlett immediately spoke up, cutting off my explanation, her voice innocent and pitiful:

"Perhaps your girlfriend doesn't welcome me here. I should just go stay somewhere else. I won't bother you two anymore..."

"And you don't need to worry about my work back home. I overstepped my bounds!"

Hearing this, Ethan's heart instantly tightened. He immediately pulled Scarlett into an embrace, comforting her, his eyes overflowing with tenderness:

"Scarlett, this apartment was ours together. It's your home too. How could you leave me, leave this place..."

Then, Ethan coldly looked at me, issuing a direct eviction notice:

"Ava Miller, you don't need to stay here anymore. Move to a hotel. I'll cover the expenses!"

I forced a smile. So, one word from Scarlett, and I no longer even had the right to live here.

Coincidentally, I had no intention of staying either!

I wiped the tears from my eyes, dragging my two suitcases towards the door.

As I passed, Ethan frowned and looked at me, seeming to want to say something.

But Scarlett's cry of pain interrupted him.

The city night was truly cold. Dragging my two large suitcases, I shivered, sneezing several times in a row.

Ethan used to be so afraid of me getting cold. Whenever the weather changed, he wouldn't let me go out in the wind.

Now, Ethan hadn't even called once.

After checking into a hotel with my ID, I started looking for a new place to rent. Just then, I received an anonymous video.

In the video, Scarlett was tugging on Ethan's tie, their lips intertwined, her face flushed.

She suddenly picked up the black artificial cochlear implant from the trash can, as if she'd found something amusing, and laughed:

"Ethan Thorne, you're playing quite the game behind my back, pretending to be deaf?"

Ethan disdainfully glanced at the dirty cochlear implant, took it from her hand, and tossed it away, continuing to kiss her.

He responded softly to Scarlett's words:

"Just messing with her. Who told her to take it seriously... I find that thing disgusting!"

My breathing hitched instantly. I could only hear the frantic pounding of my heart.

So, the thousand-dollar cochlear implant I worked so hard to buy for him was, in his eyes, just a disgusting piece of trash!

I clutched my chest, trying to alleviate the discomfort, my breathing becoming labored.

Just then, my grandmother Rose called me, asking with a smile:

"My dear Ava, when are you and Ethan coming back? I have prepared some wine for you both!"

Since my parents died in a car accident, my grandmother Rose had become my only pillar of emotional support. I visited her several times a year.

It used to be just me; then, Ethan started coming with me.

I didn't know how to face Rose, so I remained silent for a moment.

Rose was still grinning from ear to ear, chattering away:

"Ethan said he's going to marry you this year! I'll make sure to take my medicine and stay healthy so I can take the bus to your wedding... Oh, my, it's not easy for an old country woman like me to come to the city!"

With every word Rose said, I felt more ashamed. I quickly hung up the phone, unable to face her anymore.

I blocked the anonymous account that sent the video and warned Scarlett:

**\[Ethan and I are over. You don't need to provoke me.\]**

That day, I remembered leaving something behind at Ethan's apartment and took a ride there to retrieve it.

I bumped right into Ethan as he was leaving.

Looking up, I saw several hickeys on his neck, clearly left by Scarlett.

Ethan frowned and grabbed my wrist, demanding to know why I hadn't replied to his messages these past few days.

I ignored him.

"My mom said we're having dinner at home this week to discuss wedding plans."

I laughed, looking at him, perplexed:

"Aren't you going to marry Scarlett Davis? Why are you telling me this? Do you need me to participate in your wedding too?"

Ethan looked down at me, annoyance flashing across his brow:

"My mom doesn't like Scarlett. I won't have a public wedding with her. Our engagement still stands; I won't go back on my word to you."

*Slap!*

I slapped him. His brazen words made me want to laugh in fury.

"Ethan Thorne, the moment you lied to me, we were over!"

"I'm not a tool for you and Scarlett to flirt with, nor am I a shield for your affair!"

"The engagement is off. I won't marry you. Let's go our separate ways from now on!"

Ethan gave me a strange look, then chuckled twice:

"Ava Miller, don't be so jealous. I'm not kidding. Besides my heart, I can give you everything else -- the title, the status!"

"Don't make a fuss. My mom has already had someone calculate the wedding date. It's next month!"

"You wouldn't want your only living relative to be disappointed, would you?"

It was another naked threat and manipulation. Ethan had calculated that I couldn't leave him and wouldn't bear to disappoint Rose.

I was practically boiling with rage, feeling utterly desperate.

Ethan used Rose's health as leverage, forcing me to continue playing the role of his loving fiance to reassure his mother.

"Ava, my dear, among all the girls Ethan knows, you're the one I trust the most. You two must get married smoothly and stay together for life!"

Mrs. Thorne's words exhausted me, but I felt powerless.

For the next month, Ethan treated me with the same meticulous care and tenderness as before, accompanying me to try on wedding dresses and engagement rings.

Looking at the sparkling diamond ring on my finger, I couldn't help but sneer:

"Ethan Thorne, your sincerity isn't worth a thing. Aren't you afraid Scarlett will go crazy if she finds out about all this?"

A flicker of something crossed Ethan's eyes when he heard Scarlett's name. He brushed a strand of hair from my face and said indifferently:

"I'll calm Scarlett down. She won't get jealous like you. You just need to play the part of a happy bride!"

Sometimes, I truly hated Ethan's cruelty, yet occasionally, I would find myself uncontrollably drawn into this vortex of tenderness.

I couldn't tell if Ethan had ever felt a shred of genuine affection for me.

As the wedding day approached, Rose became noticeably more excited. She couldn't sleep at night, whispering to me on the phone:

"I'm old now. My only wish is to see you get married and have children. I'm so happy you found someone you love..."

"I've never seen you look so happy and content. Only Ethan, that boy, makes me feel truly at ease!"

Listening to Rose's rambling, I suddenly couldn't bear to tell her the truth.

It was just a wedding, I thought, a way to fulfill her last wish.

I thought naively, never expecting Scarlett Davis's breakdown and jealousy to be so fierce.

That day, as I left work, someone forcibly dragged me into the underground parking garage.

Scarlett slapped me twice across the face, raging uncontrollably:

"Ava Miller, you're truly shameless. Ethan doesn't love you at all, yet you still cling to him!"

"Do you think by stealing my place, you can become Mrs. Thorne?!"

"I'm telling you, I will never allow anyone to threaten my position. Just you wait, I absolutely won't let you off easy!"

Scarlett's words made my heart clench, and I couldn't help but retort mockingly:

"The one insisting on marrying me is Ethan. If you're so capable, why don't you make his whole family change their minds?"

"Oh, right. Mrs. Thorne doesn't think much of your fickle and untrustworthy nature!"

Scarlett's face turned red with fury, her eyes practically spitting fire. She clenched her fists and said viciously:

"Then just you wait and see!"

The day before the wedding, Scarlett sent me a strange set of numbers. They looked vaguely familiar.

By the time I tried to ask her about them, she had already blocked me.

On the wedding day, I felt something was off, a persistent unease in my heart.

Ethan was still playing the part of the perfect lover, just as before, putting the ring on my finger and kissing my lips in front of everyone.

For a moment, I actually thought we had returned to the past, back to when he still loved me.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated a few times. It was an unknown number, and on the other end, I heard Rose's voice.

Scarlett must have said something to Rose, because I heard Rose's hurried breathing, followed by sounds of them pushing and arguing.

I frowned and said "Hello," but no one replied. I just dismissed it as a minor interruption.

Suddenly, a panic erupted outside the wedding venue. Someone shouted:

"Someone fell from a height!"

My heart pounded erratically. I felt a dizzy spell and ran desperately to check.

Ethan also rushed over. However, the person lying on the ground, in excruciating pain, was Scarlett Davis.

What was going on?!

Ethan, looking distraught, rushed downstairs from the second floor, embracing Scarlett, his eyes bloodshot.

Scarlett cried out:

"Ethan, save me! Ava and her grandma conspired to kill me!"

Hearing Rose's voice, I frantically ran over. I saw her lying at the corner of the staircase, gasping for air, her face pale, with several scratches on her body.

"Ava..."

I strained to hear, but Rose's breathing was faint, almost in shock.

Crying, I shouted for help, calling out to Ethan:

"Ethan Thorne, quickly, call for a car! My grandmother is in critical condition!"

"Ethan Thorne, I beg you, please come and save my grandmother! I promise I'll be obedient forever!"

The only response was Ethan's voice, filled with utter disgust:

"Ava Miller, you and your grandma used schemes to make Scarlett fall and break her leg. I will make you pay for this!"

Ethan carried Scarlett and rushed to the hospital, ordering everyone present not to call an ambulance for me.

Holding my grandmother's gradually cooling body, I suddenly seemed to realize something.

A heartbreaking cry escaped me:

"Rose!"

Ethan's footsteps paused slightly ahead, then he scoffed.

"Ava Miller, your acting is too clumsy. I won't fall for it again!"