My Deaf Boyfriend Heard Her, Not Me

As the roller coaster climbed to its highest peak, I quietly opened my eyes. I wanted to hold my boyfriend Ethan's hand.

Instead, I saw his fingers intertwined with my best friend Maya's.

Ethan was gently rubbing the back of Maya's hand with his thumb. It was his way of comforting someone.

Ethan, I'm scared, I whispered.

He didn't look at me. Instead, he gripped Maya's hand even tighter.

Ethan had a hearing impairment. His left ear couldn't hear clearly.

Yet, every time the three of us went out, he always had Maya on his right side. He would lean in, listening closely, answering her every word.

Meanwhile, I stood on his left, feeling as if we were a world apart.

The roller coaster plunged. I closed my eyes, my heart crashing down as fast as the ride.

Ethan, you have no idea.

Today is not just my twenty-fifth birthday. It's also the day you lose me forever.

The roller coaster slowly rolled back to the platform.

Only then did their hands quietly slip apart.

Maya was practically bouncing, her face flushed red. "My heart was beating at 150 back there. That was insane."

Ethan smiled warmly at her. "Mine too."

The two of them laughed and chatted like they always did, talking about how thrilling the ride had been.

But listening to them only sent a chill down my spine.

Suddenly, Maya looked at me. "Chloe, what about you? I didn't even hear you scream."

"I..."

I froze, not sure what to say.

Then, Maya sneezed. It was a very soft sound, but Ethan heard it instantly.

He quickly pulled off his jacket and draped it over Maya's shoulders, fussing over her.

"I told you not to wear a short skirt on a roller coaster. Now you're freezing!"

"I don't care! It was fun!"

Maya stared straight at Ethan, giving him a barely noticeable arch of her brow.

In the next second, I saw the blush creep up from Ethan's cheeks to his ears. His Adam's apple bobbed nervously.

Maybe it was the lingering weightlessness from the ride, or maybe it was the sharp, stabbing pain of betrayal.

The scene before me made my head spin. I felt physically sick.

"Ethan, my blood sugar is crashing... I feel dizzy."

I crouched down in pain, reaching my hand out to Ethan.

There was no response.

When I looked up again, Ethan and Maya were already thirty feet ahead of me.

Under the bright sun, his shadow stretched long, leaning closer and closer to my best friend, leaving me far behind.

A park staff member helped me up and handed me an energy drink.

"Are you okay, sweetie? Make sure to take care of yourself if you're here alone. Hope you have a wonderful day! Happy birthday!"

I gave her a bitter smile and touched the birthday badge pinned to my chest.

Today was my twenty-fifth birthday. Since entering the park, countless strangers had wished me a happy birthday.

Yet, the two people closest to me hadn't even uttered a single "happy birthday."

My phone buzzed. Ethan had sent me a pin on Snapchat:

"Come here quick! We have a surprise for you!"

My fingers trembled. After a long hesitation, perhaps still holding onto a tiny shred of hope, I typed back, "Okay."

When I arrived at the location, there were a dozen couples standing on a stage. Ethan and Maya were among them.

The sign next to them read: *The Perfect Match Couple's Trivia Challenge.*

Couples? Perfect match?

I stared blankly. The host was already asking the first question:

"What date does her period start every month?"

"The 18th!"

Ethan and Maya answered in perfect unison.

"Was it love at first sight, or a slow burn?"

"Love at first sight!" Again, they gave the exact same answer.

...

After a few more questions, only three couples remained on stage.

The host asked the final question:

"What was she wearing the very first time you met?"

"A blue and white sundress. It looked like the summer sky," Ethan said, his eyes filled with warmth as he looked tenderly at Maya.

Maya blushed and nodded. "And he was wearing a sweaty black basketball jersey. He had just finished a game and smelled terrible!"

Ethan laughed.

The host laughed.

The audience laughed.

But I couldn't laugh. My heart felt like it was being shredded by a knife.

The first time they met was when I had fainted from a severe hypoglycemic attack and cracked my ribs.

Standing by my hospital bed, Maya had scolded Ethan:

"What kind of boyfriend are you? If you can't take care of my Chloe, I'll never forgive you!"

Back then, Ethan had held my hand tightly, apologizing over and over with eyes full of guilt.

For a whole month, they both took care of me at my bedside, bringing me water, food, and medicine.

At that time, despite the physical pain, my heart felt incredibly full and happy.

But it turned out... they had fallen in love at first sight right by my sickbed?

It turned out my pain was just a stepping stone for their romance?

A girl standing next to me nudged my elbow, pulling me back to reality.

"Are you here alone too? Man, I'm so jealous of that couple on stage. You can literally see the love in that guy's eyes!"

"So sweet! I wish I could find a boyfriend who looks at me like that."

I looked at my boyfriend and my best friend on stage, forcing a pale smile.

"Yeah, it's sweet. If only that guy weren't my boyfriend."

"Wait, what?" The girl's eyes widened. "He's your boyfriend?! How are you keeping your cool?!"

After a long silence, I whispered:

"He won't be for much longer."

The two on stage finally saw me.

Maya waved enthusiastically, jogging over to me. She stuffed the giant plushie she had won into my arms.

"Chloe! Happy birthday! This is for you!"

"Don't you dare get jealous! I only pretended to be Ethan's girlfriend so I could win this prize for you!"

For me? Again?

I looked down at the plushie. It had a wide, goofy smile, as if mocking my stupidity.

They continued to walk ahead of me side-by-side, naturally leaving the spot on Ethan's left for me.

I stepped forward, grabbing the edge of Ethan's jacket, and said softly, "Let's break up."

"What?" Ethan didn't hear me. He leaned down, tilting his left ear toward my face.

"I said, let's break up!" I raised my voice.

But Ethan still looked clueless.

Just as I was about to say it a third time, Maya piped up, "The fireworks are about to start! We won't get a good spot if we don't hurry!"

Ethan immediately stood up straight, grabbed Maya's hand, and started running.

I was left standing there alone in the dark, my words choked up in my throat. No one cared.

In the distance, under the viewing platform, I saw Ethan lift Maya up onto his back.

Brilliant fireworks exploded across the night sky, illuminating the entire park.

It was so bright that I clearly saw Maya lean into Ethan's right ear and kiss him.

At that moment, the crowd around me cheered, but my world went completely silent.

I placed my hand over my chest. There was no physical wound, yet it felt like a giant, gaping hole.

The cold wind rushed right through it.

It freezing.

I turned around, walked against the crowd, and headed toward the exit.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from my mom.

"Happy birthday, Chloe! How is your day going? Did Ethan give you a big surprise?"

When we first started dating, twenty-year-old Ethan had promised my mom that he would propose to me before I turned twenty-five.

Today was my twenty-fifth birthday. There were no flowers, no ring, only a complete, humiliating betrayal.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I typed and erased, typed and erased. In the end, I only sent a few words:

"Mom, I don't want to get married anymore. I want to come home."

On the Uber ride back, I stared blankly out the window at the passing city lights. I wondered how I would explain this to my mom.

Should I tell her about his left ear that could never hear me? Or their tightly locked hands? Or their perfect score in the couple's trivia? Or that kiss under the fireworks?

Finally, my mom replied with two simple sentences:

"Chloe, whatever you decide, I supports you."

"I clean your room every single day. My baby girl is welcome home anytime."

The tears I had been holding back finally spilled over. I covered my face with both hands and sobbed.

I returned to the apartment Ethan and I had shared for the past year.

This was supposed to be our future home, but the curtains were a dark, gloomy black, a color I absolutely hated.

The floor was covered in cold grey tiles, not the warm hardwood I had begged for.

Even the paintings on the walls were dark, gothic art pieces that made me uneasy.

I had brought up how depressing the apartment felt multiple times, asking if we could change the color scheme or at least the decor.

Ethan had never answered me. He didn't even look up.

Maybe he didn't hear me.

Or maybe he heard, but simply didn't care.

I didn't turn on the lights. In the dark, I wrote a quick resignation letter to my boss, bought a one-way ticket back to my hometown, turned off my phone, and went to bed.

At 4:00 AM, the front door slammed open.

The moment Ethan walked into the bedroom, he flipped on the overhead light.

The harsh white light pierced my eyes like a knife.

"Chloe, why did you just run off without saying anything? Do you have any idea how worried Maya and I were?"

I squinted against the light, my voice hoarse. "So worried that you only came home at dawn?"

Ethan paused, his defensive tone wavering.

"That... that's because we were looking for you everywhere. Maya was crying so hard. I had to calm her down before I could come back."

I let out a bitter laugh and held up my phone. "By calming her down like this?"

On the screen was an Instagram post of Maya wrapping her arms around Ethan's neck from behind, whispering intimately against his cheek.

The room went dead silent for a few seconds.

Ethan cleared his throat, a flash of guilt crossing his eyes.

"Maya is petite, and the crowd was blocking her view of the fireworks. I just gave her a piggyback ride. Are you seriously jealous of your own best friend?"

"Just" a piggyback ride?

I wanted to ask him: Was giving her your jacket "just" a gesture? Was holding her hand "just" an accident? Was that kiss "just" a friendly act?

How many "friendly" things had you two done behind my back?

But in the end, I just turned over, facing the wall. "Whatever you say. Do whatever you want from now on."

The next morning, his side of the bed was empty.

A warm glass of milk sat on the nightstand.

I got up and saw Ethan busy in the kitchen.

"You're up! Come eat breakfast. I made your favorite pancakes."

I sat at the dining table, looking at the eggs and pancakes.

It felt as if everything from yesterday was just a bad dream.

As if... he still loved me.

Ethan walked over with a bright smile, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket.

"Chloe, we don't need to do those cheesy, dramatic speeches."

He slid a beautiful diamond ring onto my ring finger.

Before yesterday, I had dreamed of this moment thousands of times.

But now, only a bitter ache spread through my chest, and my eyes welled with tears.

Ethan thought I was crying tears of joy. He pulled me into his arms, gently patting my back. "Silly Chloe, don't cry."

When I was twenty, my dad passed away, and my mom fell seriously ill. The sudden tragedy made me break down every single night.

It was Ethan who ran around, handling all the stressful arrangements for my family.

Every night back then, he would hold me just like this, whispering, "Silly Chloe, don't cry. I'm here. I will always, always be by your side."

Those memories wrapped around my heart like tight threads, suffocating me.

Finally, I couldn't help but whisper against his ear:

"Ethan, why did you fall out of love with me? What does Maya have that I don't? You loved me first..."

"Chloe, what did you say? I couldn't hear you."

Suddenly, his phone on the marble table lit up.

Ethan instantly released me and grabbed his phone. The screen illuminated the subtle smirk on his face.

We were less than five inches apart.

I saw it clearly.

The sender was saved as "Maya," with a heart emoji.

Her chat was pinned at the very top, highlighted in grey.

My chat was unpinned, buried underneath.

"I need to take care of something. Eat up," he said, walking into the study without looking back.

After a long time, I looked down and tried to spin the ring on my finger.

It was a bit too small.

It pinched my knuckle, hurting badly.

I tried multiple times, but I couldn't get it off.

Looking at my red, swollen finger, I gave up, slumped over the table, and cried.

It wasn't until I received the flight confirmation email that I finally pulled myself together.

I screenshotted the ticket, stood up, and started packing.

As I passed the study, I saw Ethan through the crack of the door. He was holding his phone to his right ear, looking incredibly focused, as if he didn't want to miss a single syllable of Maya's voice.

Once, when I was in a rush and couldn't type, I had sent Ethan a voice note.

That was the first time he had ever yelled at me.

"Chloe, you know my hearing is bad! Why are you sending me voice notes? Can you please be a little considerate?!"

He gave me the silent treatment for a whole week.

Since then, I never dared to send him a voice note again.

Yet here he was, playing Maya's voice notes over and over.

"How's the ring? Does Chloe like it?"

"See? I told you! Since Maya and I have the exact same ring size, having me try it on for her would be perfect!"

"So, how are you going to thank me?"

Ethan was clearly amused by her playful voice, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

"In a few days, I'll need you to try on the wedding dress and walk through the rehearsal with me. I'll thank you properly then."

Maya paused, then asked in a teasing tone:

"Ethan, are you marrying Chloe, or are you marrying me?"

Ethan didn't answer right away. After a long silence, he finally said:

"If it were you... at least I'd be genuinely happy."

My eyes stung fiercely. I pressed the back of my hand against my eyes, holding back the heat until it faded.

I turned away and stopped looking. I packed my documents and a few clothes into my suitcase.

Just as I zipped it shut, Ethan pushed the door open. He froze when he saw the suitcase.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. My company is sending me on a business trip," I said, keeping my head down.

Ethan hesitated, glancing out at the dark, stormy sky outside.

"I'll drive you."

I had no reason to refuse. "Okay."

As the car sped down the highway, Ethan turned on the radio. A smooth jazz song filled the car.

It was the same song Maya had shared on her Instagram feed a few days ago.

He was humming along perfectly with the melody.

When the song started playing for the ninth time, he looked straight ahead and said:

"When are you coming back? Text me your flight number."

"I'll pick you up. Then we need to start finalizing the wedding prep."

I didn't say anything, just kept twisting the tight ring on my finger.

Sensing my lack of enthusiasm, Ethan frowned.

"What's wrong with you lately? Weren't you the one begging to get married? Why are you suddenly so quiet?"

I took a breath and spoke calmly. "Ethan, we..."

Before I could finish, Maya's call flashed on the dashboard screen.

"Ethan! I just had a horrible nightmare, and the thunder woke me up. My chest feels so tight, and I can't breathe. Can you please come over and stay with me?"

"I'll be right there!" Ethan said instantly.

He hung up and immediately swung the steering wheel to take the next exit, heading in the opposite direction.

"Ethan, I'm going to miss my flight," I said.

He didn't hear me.

I raised my voice, yelling over the rain:

"Ethan! If her chest is tight, she needs to go to the ER! You are not a doctor!"

Ethan slammed on the brakes, pulling the car abruptly to the shoulder.

"And I'm not your personal chauffeur either."

"Get out."

His tone was cold and commanding.

Thunder rumbled outside, heavy rain slamming against the windshield.

At that exact moment, the tight ring finally slipped off my finger, falling into my palm with a soft clink.

I opened the passenger door and stepped out into the pouring rain.

The second I pulled my suitcase out of the trunk, he slammed on the gas.

The sudden splash of water made me stumble, and I fell right into the muddy puddle.

Looking at his taillights disappearing into the stormy night, I laughed.

Five years of love, ending in such a pathetic, messy way.

But it was good. It completely killed any lingering hope I had left.

Goodbye, Ethan. Let's never meet again.