Deaf to Your Love

Everyone was waiting for Tristan to propose to mehis deaf first lovewith that rare pink diamond.

He had rehearsed the proposal hundreds of times. The entire world was convinced we would end up together.

But a sudden earthquake hit, and I vanished, losing all contact.

By the time I crawled my way back to survive, he had completely forgotten about me.

For his stepmothers daughter, he smashed the cake I spent all day baking. For her, he went crazy and cried.

"Listen, Sera. I dont care how much I loved you before. Right now, Melanie is my only girlfriend."

Heartbroken and exhausted, I decided to let go.

Yet, when I finally walked away, the cold, ruthless man knelt on the wet sand, grabbing my hand, begging.

"Dont leave me, Sera. Without you, Ill die."

My eyes held nothing but icy indifference. I let out a cold laugh.

"The moment you chose to abandon me, Tristan, you were already dead in my heart."

On Tristans birthday, he invited his friends to a private VIP club at the mountain peak.

By the time I arrived, there were no seats left.

One of his friends led me over to him. "Hey Tristan, where should Sera sit?"

Tristan glanced at me as I stood outside his luxury car.

He spoke carelessly.

"Let the deaf girl squeeze in with you guys. I have to go pick up Melanie."

"But man, were all driving convertibles and weve all got girls. She cant sit on our laps."

Tristan scoffed, irritation in his voice. "Then let her sit on your laps!"

Without another glance at me, he slammed the gas pedal of his silver Bugatti, leaving me in a cloud of dust.

Recalling the lip-reading of that conversation, my lips curved into a bitter smile.

They didnt know I could read lips perfectly.

I didnt know how long it took before I finally pushed the doors open to enter the club. The first thing I saw was Tristan gently wiping tears from Melanies face.

"Dont cry, Melanie. No one is going to drive you away from me. Youre the one who saved my life."

"I wont believe a word they say."

When Tristan spotted me, his eyes instantly narrowed into a harsh glare.

He had clearly had too much to drink, his face flushed red with alcohol.

I quietly retreated to a corner, pulling out a hangover cure from my bag, waiting. Because of my hearing loss, the world was blissfully quiet.

The old Tristan used to hate places like this. He used to love curling up in a quiet corner with me, reading books, avoiding the loud crowds.

Someone nudged me forward.

"Sera," Tristan called out.

I held out my hand to give him the medicine, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me close.

"Where is your hearing aid?"

His hand brushed against the device hanging behind my ear.

Understanding his silent demand, I quickly put it on. The very next second, Tristan grabbed the back of my neck and slammed my face straight into the customized birthday cake on the table.

The waiter gasped. The entire room fell dead silent.

The cake was beautiful. I had spent a whole day learning from a pastry chef just to make it for him.

"Aside from playing the victim and clinging to me like a pathetic beggar, what else can you do? Did you think making this stupid cake would make me love you again?"

"Keep dreaming."

The greasy frosting made it hard to breathe. After a sharp, painful buzz in my ears, the whispers and mocking laughter of the crowd flooded in.

Melanie had started crying earlier because someone whispered she had stolen her sisters man.

But it was the truth. She had taken advantage of Tristans amnesia to steal my place.

My heart went cold. "I was the one who saved you, Tristan! Not her!"

On the day of the earthquake, despite being severely injured and facing constant aftershocks, I dug through the ruins with my bare hands for a day and a night to pull him out. I stayed by his side without food or water until I passed out.

While I was unconscious, Vivian's daughter discovered Tristan had amnesia. She forged evidence to make herself the hero, and everyone in her family helped her spin the lie.

"Is it fun to lie like this? Tristan, you were abroad when it happened. How could you have saved me?"

"They fabricated everything to trick you. You can look up the records, Tristan! Don't believe her!"

Tristan sneered. "You are completely insane."

He turned his back on me. "Even if I am being tricked, Im happy to be."

I used to organize Tristan's birthdays every year. Tears pricked my eyes as I remembered the year we first met.

We were ten. He was an rebellious, unacknowledged illegitimate son. He was only dragged out of the slums because the primary heir of his family had died in an accident.

In that dangerous, hostile high-society circle, he was sensitive and cold to everyone. Except me. He was only gentle with me.

The year we officially started dating, he held a slightly ugly, homemade cake with trembling hands, his eyes red. He said, "Sera, let's spend every single birthday together from now on, okay?"

I smiled and asked, "What did you wish for?"

"To stay by Seras side forever. Until the end of time."

My thoughts snapped back to reality. Melanie looked terrified. "Tristan, don't be like this. Sera is only making up these lies because she can't let you go."

The smugness in Melanie's eyes was barely hidden. She looked at my ruined, pathetic state, unable to suppress her joy.

"Sera, I know you lost your hearing because you saved me when we were younger. But my family gave you a massive financial settlement for that. Let me make this clear: I will never marry you."

Wiping the frosting from my face, I let out a hollow laugh.

Seeing my miserable state, he scoffed. "Clean yourself up and get out."

In the restroom, I used wet wipes to frantically clean the cream off my clothes.

It wouldnt come out.

This dress was a gift from Tristan.

After I accepted his confession, he had wrapped me in his arms, clumsy but incredibly gentle.

"White suits my Sera best."

I used to protect this dress with everything I had. But now, the person who ruined it was Tristan himself.

Melanie walked in to wash her hands, her face smug with provocation.

"How does it feel to have your face smashed into your own cake?"

"Save your breath, Sera. If he wanted to remember you, he would have by now. Im the one who saved him during the earthquake. His life belongs to me."

I lowered my gaze.

"I guess if you tell a lie enough times, you actually start believing it."

I had saved Tristans life more times than I could count.

When he was depressed and starving himself, when he tried to end his life with a shard of glass, when his family's enemies targeted him and tried to drown him in the river... I was the one who pulled him through the darkest times of his life.

Melanie shook the water off her hands. "He will never remember you. Stop wasting your energy. No one cares about you anywaynot Dad, and definitely not Tristan."

"Just admit it, Sera. Youre just a pathetic, unlovable loser."

My father, Arthur, knew exactly how deeply Tristan and I had loved each other. Yet, in the face of this lie, he chose to side with Melanie.

"Your sister said shed kill herself if she couldn't be with Tristan! Shes young and foolish, but are you senseless too?"

To the public, he was always the righteous, fair businessman. I never expected him to say something so heartless to me.

"How do you expect me to be sensible? Ive given up everything she wanted. Am I supposed to hand over the man I love to her too?"

In the middle of the night, Tristan suddenly decided to take everyone to a nearby private island for an overnight trip.

They grilled, watched the stars, and admired the bioluminescent bay, leaving me completely ignored in the corner.

A woman walked over to me, her tone demanding. "Sera, Tristan said he lost his watch. He wants you to go find it."

"His watch?"

"Yeah. It probably fell in the woods over there."

She looked me up and down with deep disdain. "He also said, if you can't find it, you don't ever have to show your face in front of him again."

I looked at the pitch-black, silent woods. "Okay."

But by the time I found the watch and walked back, everyone was gone.

Only a small blanket was left behind, weighted down by a note with Tristan's handwriting.

[Sera, stay on this island and think about what you did.]

When I was finally brought back to the city, I ran a high fever for three straight days.

My assistant, Hazel, fed me medicine with a long face, her eyes wide as she frantically signed to me.

"Its not worth it! You almost died for him so many times, and your health is completely ruined. Even if he lost his memory, he has no right to treat you like this!"

"Why do you insist on staying by his side? I dont get it."

I reached out and touched her ear, feeling the edge of her hearing aid.

"I dont get it either. But he will remember. He has to."

I drifted into a hazy sleep until a phone call woke me up.

"Sera."

The line was silent for two seconds. "Starlight Hotel, Room 1309. Bring my watch over. And buy some cold medicine on your way."

He was sick?

It was pouring rain outside. After waiting fifteen minutes without any Uber picking up my request, I grabbed an umbrella and ran out. Half an hour later, dripping wet, I knocked on Tristans hotel door.

He opened the door wearing a bathrobe, leaning against the frame while smoking. His collar was open, revealing red scratch marks on his chest.

Tristan looked down at me coldly, then turned to the person behind him with a smirk. "See, Melanie? I told you shed run over even in a storm. You lost the bet."

Looking at Tristan, every cell in my body went numb with cold.

"Here is your medicine and your watch. Im not feeling well, so I'm leaving."

Melanie called out to me.

"Were sisters, after all. Im so sorry we made you run errands in this weather. Come in and dry off."

There wasnt a shred of apology in her voice.

Tristan frowned at my dripping wet figure. "If she tells you to come in, come in."

"Wait a second. Why are you bringing your bag inside? If anything goes missing, Tristan and I won't be able to explain it."

What could I possibly steal? I let out a mocking laugh.

But when I finished drying off and walked out of the bathroom, I saw Tristan playing with the voice recorder from my bag.

"Sera, I didn't realize you were this sick. You actually sneakily recorded my voice?"

He pressed play.

"Sera, goodnight."

"I love you."

"Ill always miss you."

The audio cut off. Tristan gripped the recorder tightly. "Did you seriously think you could wake up my memory with these fake, edited clips?"

"They aren't fake," I explained quietly.

Tristan had recorded those secretly. He had to fly abroad for a week for a major bidding project, but that day happened to be our 100-day anniversary.

Back then, I was studying for my master's degree and often stayed up late organizing notes. He had secretly used my recorder to leave those three sentences.

During the year he was missing, there were so many nights I couldn't get through. I survived by listening to that recording on loop.

Tristan turned to me. "Listen. I dont care how much I loved you before. Right now, Melanie is my only girlfriend."

Right in front of my face, he deleted the files, completely wiping the memory card.

That was the last recording of his voice I had. The rest had already been destroyed by Melanie.

I wasnt willing to accept this. I couldn't accept that the boy who once looked at me with nothing but absolute devotion had completely forgotten and discarded me. I couldn't accept standing by and doing nothing while he loved someone else.

Everyone told me to let it go. But...

"Tristan, did you really forget everything? Did you forget when we were ten, I had a high fever and you carried me on your back for a mile just to hail a cab to the hospital?"

"Did you forget how we skipped classes to climb walls just to see a concert? Did you forget how you kept practicing your speech to propose to me..."

Melanies expression grew increasingly panicked. She clutched Tristans arm, looking at his tense face.

"Tristan... if you remember, will you stop wanting me?"

Tristan's face suddenly went cold. "Enough! I don't want to remember any of it!"

The next second, a painful yank pulled at my ear. My hearing aid was ripped away and clamped in Tristan's hand.

My eyes widened in panic. "What are you doing? Tristan, give it back!"

Tristan walked to the window and threw it out.

"I don't want to hear another word from you."

I scrambled to the window, leaning out so far to catch it that I almost fell.

Tristan reacted instantly, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me back, yelling in anger, "Sera! Are you insane?! Do you want to die?!"

Melanie was visibly startled by my reaction.

"Maybe I am insane," I whispered.

Tristan froze. "You can hear me?"

Suppressing the bitter ache in my chest, I spoke coldly, "I can read lips. Everything you say, I know."

I pushed him away and ran downstairs to find the hearing aid.

This hearing aid was a gift from Tristan.

He once said, "Sera, let me be your ears."

He also said, "Once all the family drama is over, well get married."

I held the shattered pieces of the hearing aid in my palm and sobbed uncontrollably in the rain.

I went to the hospital alone to get fitted for a new hearing aid. I sat quietly in the corner of the hallway, watching people pass by.

In the past, whenever I came to the hospital, Tristan was always by my side.

He would handle all the paperwork, treating me like a fragile princess.

I unlocked my phone and saw Melanies Instagram post.

[So happy @Tristan]

I hesitated for a second before clicking on the video.

On the screen, Tristan was wearing a tailored suit, kneeling on a red carpet, holding a diamond ring as he proposed to Melanie.

"Melanie, from the moment you saved my life, I knew I belonged to you. I will use all my love to make you happy. Will you marry me?"

Melanie covered her mouth in tears of joy. "Yes! I do!"

As she nodded, Tristan let out two tears, pulled her up, and kissed her.

The heartwarming scene did nothing to warm my frozen heart.

My vision went black, and I collapsed in the hospital hallway. The only person who rushed over to take care of me was Hazel.

Hazel signed to me with teary eyes, "Rest up. I put your phone on silent. Just sleep. Everything will be better tomorrow."

I drifted into a restless sleep until a loud bang woke me up.

Hazel was violently pushed to the floor by Tristan. He stormed toward my bed.

Before I could react, his hands wrapped tightly around my throat. His fingers turned white from the sheer force, his veins bulging. It felt like he wanted to crush my neck.

As suffocation took over my brain, Hazel scrambled up, using her small body to frantically pull Tristan away.

She was mute, unable to scream. She could only watch in terror as my pale face turned purple.

"Tell me! Where did you hide Melanie?! Shes your sister!"

Desperate, Hazel grabbed a vase from the nightstand and smashed it over Tristan's head.

A drop of blood fell onto my cheek. Tristan snapped out of his frantic state, his grip on my throat loosening, though his red handprints remained bruised on my skin.

Tristan clutched his bleeding forehead, looking tortured. "Sera... Melanie is missing. Ive searched the entire city and I can't find her."

He pulled out Melanies phone. "The last text she sent was to you."

[Sera, Tristan proposed to me. I thought about it all night, and I feel so guilty. Im giving him back to you. You must take good care of him like we agreed. I won't ever show my face to you guys again.]

"What agreement? What did you agree with her?"

Due to the lack of oxygen, my vision was blurry. "I don't know where she is."

His hands tightened again. "Stop lying! Who else would want her gone besides you?"

"So... that's the kind of cheap, malicious person I am to you."

Seeing the last spark of light fade from my eyes, Tristan froze for a split second.

"Ill say it one last time. I didn't kidnap anyone."

Tristan was on the verge of losing his mind.

Outside, the storm raged on. In the quiet hospital room, a sharp ringtone broke the silence.

"Tristan! We found Melanie's location using her GPS. She's at the edge of the cliff! Hurry, she's going to jump!"

Tristan glared at me, then dragged me out of the hospital bed.

"Youre coming with me to explain everything."

Hazel tried to block him, typing frantically on her phone, but Tristan completely ignored her.

He brutally ripped the IV needle out of the back of my hand, making me gasp in pain.

I was thrown into his car. Before I could even buckle my seatbelt, he slammed on the gas. He drove like a maniac through the storm, nearly hitting several cars.

With a loud screech, the car skidded on the wet road and crashed into a tree. Terrified, I reached out to check on Tristan's condition.

But he ignored me, restarted the engine with bloodshot eyes, and fought the steering wheel.

It wasn't the first time I'd seen him look this desperate. But this time, it wasn't for me.

"Melanie, you have to be okay..."

The scent of blood filled the car. Five minutes later, we finally arrived at the edge of the cliff along the highway.

The rain poured down, soaking Melanies dress in mud.

"Melanie! Don't do anything stupid! I swear I only love you!" Tristan screamed.

She sobbed loudly. "Don't come near me! I can't live with this guilt and my love for you. Please forgive me for being selfish!"

Tristan shoved me toward her. "Sera! Tell her! Tell her youll announce to the media that we broke up mutually!"

Our love story had been highly publicized by the media, and our engagement was public knowledge.

I turned to look at him, but his eyes were completely fixed on Melanie.

He roared at me, entirely blind to the last shred of hope dying in my eyes.

"Say it!"

I slowly slid the engagement ring off my finger and threw it off the cliff.

"I will make it clear to the media."

He had placed that ring on my finger himself, telling me I could never take it off until our wedding day.

"Melanie, did you hear that? She said it herself!" Tristan yelled.

It felt like my heart had been tossed into boiling oil, then instantly frozen in ice.

Melanies tense shoulders relaxed slightly. But suddenly, the wet mud beneath her feet gave way, and she slipped over the edge.

She screamed, grabbing a loose pine branch. Tristan rushed forward to catch her, but his right shoulder had been dislocated during our car crash earlier.

"Tristan, don't let go! I don't want to die! Pull me up!"

Melanie clung to his injured arm. Tristan's face contorted in agony, but he squeezed his eyes shut. "Don't worry, I've got you. Hold on!"

The rain made everything slippery, and their grip was sliding.

I ran forward and grabbed Melanie's other arm. "Hold on! Well pull you up!"

With a hard tug, we managed to pull her back onto safe ground.

But just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a violent force slammed into my chest, shoving me backward.

With a sharp gasp, I lost my balance and tumbled off the cliff.

At the brink of death, my hands instinctively clawed at the wet rocks. Three of my fingernails ripped completely off, exposing raw flesh and mud. The agonizing pain snapped me into absolute clarity.

Tristan hadn't expected me to fall.

"Sera! Hold on! I'm coming down to get you!"

He held onto a thin tree trunk, reaching his hand down to me.

Melanie stood frozen above. "Tristan, don't go down! What if you fall too? Let's just call the rescue team!"

"Sera, don't blame me... I didn't mean to push you."

She stood there watching us, the rain washing over our faces. Tristans head throbbed with a sharp pain.

"Sera... grab my hand!"

I looked at Tristan's pale face. Slowly, my bloody fingers slipped from his grip. I didn't have the strength to hold on anymore.

"Tristan, this time, I'm letting go."

Hearing my words, a look of sheer terror flashed in his eyes.

Maybe he finally remembered. He remembered a girl who had once held onto his hand over a suspension bridge, holding on even when her lips were bitten raw and her hands were covered in blood.

That day, Tristan had looked at my bleeding hands and screamed, "Sera, let go! If you don't, youll fall with me!"

"I won't!"

That day, his family's enemies had staged a car crash to eliminate him. We had crawled out of the wreckage, nearly falling hundreds of feet into the river below.

"I don't have any warmth or energy left to wait for you to remember anymore."

Even if he got his memory back, he was no longer the Tristan who loved me.

"Sera! Hold on to me!"

"Tristan," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "I really don't want you anymore."

My body felt like it was on fire, scratched and pierced by branches as I fell.

When I finally opened my eyes again, the world was silent and dark. I couldn't hear... and I couldn't see.

Until someone gently placed a brand new hearing aid behind my ear and pulled me into a warm embrace.

The mans hot chest pressed against my back. He leaned close to my neck, his breath warm. "Sera, you lost the bet."

"Now, will you finally look at me?"

He intertwined his fingers with mine, his cool lips gently pressing against my scarred, battered fingers.

A shiver ran down my spine.

"Do you want me to destroy them for you?" Julians voice was dark, devoid of any warmth, yet laced with a dangerous, possessive affection.

"Ill be your loyal dog, Sera. Only yours."

Fortunately, my blindness was temporary. By the time I filed a lawsuit against Melanie for attempted murder, Arthur arrived at the hospital with Vivian and Melanie in tow.

But they werent here to check on my health.

The moment Arthur walked in, he slapped me across the face. "Sera! How dare you sue your own sister? Are you trying to make our family the laughingstock of the city?"

I had long stopped expecting any warmth from him.

"Really? Since when does a sister push her own sister off a cliff?"

I threw my phone onto the bed, playing the video.

In the recording, Melanie hadn't slipped and accidentally pushed me. She had clearly waited for the perfect moment to shove me down.

I had to thank Tristans dashcam for recording everything so clearly.

It was just a pity that my vision hadn't fully recovered yet, so I couldn't see their terrified, pale faces.

Melanies smug face contorted with fear. "How... how is this possible? I thought I deleted..."

Arthur turned to Melanie in disbelief.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

He quickly slipped back into his role of the stern, righteous father. Melanie, realizing the deleted video had somehow ended up in my hands, lost her mind. She grabbed my phone and smashed it on the floor, screaming hysterically,

"This video is fake! Sera, youre framing me just because you want to ruin my life!"

Even now, she was still acting. I truly admired her acting skills.

"Whether the video is fake or not, the police forensics team will decide. And by the way, that wasn't the only copy."

"Melanie, Im giving you one chance to apologize. Once you miss it, you're done."

Vivian knew her daughter well. Realizing Melanie was guilty, she panicked.

She raised her hand and slapped Melanie hard. "Kneel down and apologize to your sister!"

Melanie clutched her bruised cheek, stomping her foot as she fled the room.

"Sera, don't even dream of getting an apology from me!"

By the time Vivian ran out to chase her, Melanie had already vanished.

Vivian turned back to me with a tight, fake smile. "Sera, your sister is just immature. I've already punished her for you."

A light slap on the cheek counted as punishment?

"Oh, is that a punishment? I thought you would punish her the way you used to punish me, Vivian."

When I was six, I tried to save a stray cat Melanie was torturing. In the process, I accidentally stepped on a few of Vivians precious roses.

When she found out, she whipped my legs with a thick steel ruler until they were black and blue, leaving me unable to stand. Then, she locked me in a dark, cramped closet for two days without food.

No matter how much I screamed and cried, she never softened.

If a maid hadn't remembered to let me out, I would have died in there.

And now, a single slap was supposed to make us even? How cheap did she think my life was?

"Look at me now. Im half dead. Do you really think a slap is enough?"

Vivians face darkened, but she couldn't snap back. "Then what do you want?"

I tilted my head and smiled. "Well, I haven't decided yet. Actually... I don't really want to forgive her. How about you kneel down in her place, and maybe Ill think about it?"

As we stood in a tense standoff, Tristan suddenly pushed the door open and walked in.

"Sera, don't push people too far!"

I laughed out loud, my voice dripping with mockery. "I haven't even done anything yet, and you already think I'm pushing them too far, Tristan? If thats the case, tell Melanie to come here herself and beg for my mercy."

"Were sisters, after all. Right?" I whispered the last word, my casual attitude making Tristans blood boil.

"I was the one who made you go to the cliff, so I'll take responsibility for your injuries. But you fell because you lost your footing, you can't blame Melanie. Besides, you're alive and well now."

What a twisted logic.

"Who told you I fell because I lost my footing? And who told you I am 'alive and well'?"

"Look at my eyes. The doctor said they were almost blinded by the branches."

Right in front of him, I unpeeled the thick bandages wrapped around my hands.

Instantly, the horrific wounds were exposed. My finger bones were severely bruised, and the raw flesh, though scabbed over, looked terrifying. When I pulled back the hospital gown, my skin was covered in deep purple bruises, with a long, jagged scar stretching from my arm all the way to my collarbone.

Even Arthur frowned at the sight.

No woman would willingly ruin her own body like this.

And everyone knew my profession. I was a pianist. My hands were my life.

"You..." Tristan stammered, his voice caught in his throat.

"I didn't know you were hurt this badly... I thought..."

I ignored the guilt in his eyes. "Didn't you say I'm alive and well, so I shouldn't complain? Now you see exactly how 'well' I am."

"If I hadn't been lucky, you would be looking at a corpse right now. What right do you have to ask me to let it go, Tristan?" I looked up, my voice dead cold.

"Even if a wound heals, does it mean it was never cut open?"

"Im tired. If you aren't here to sincerely apologize, get out."

Tristan stood frozen, staring at me. Finally, he dragged a chair over to my bedside. "I misunderstood you, and I caused your injuries. To make it up to you, I will personally take care of you until you recover."

Tristan didn't look much better himself. His arm was in a cast, his head wrapped in gauze, and his face was extremely pale.

He tried to play the emotional card. "You said I used to love you a lot. What was I like back then?"

My lips trembled under the bandages, my eyes turning wet. "He would believe me unconditionally."

Tristan didn't stay long. A frantic phone call came in from Melanie.

"Tristan! Im standing downstairs, and several police officers just arrived to arrest me!"

"I'm so scared... where are you?"

Tristan hung up the phone with one hand. "Sera, I have to handle something. Wait for me to come back."

As his footsteps faded down the hall, I clutched the blanket and let out a cold, mocking laugh.

He promised to take care of me, yet without a second thought, he abandoned me again to run to Melanie.

"Sera, please forgive your sister," Arthur sighed deeply.

"Sure," I smiled brightly.

"Really?" Vivian asked with hope in her eyes.

"Tell her to throw herself off that same cliff. If she breaks an arm and gets her face ruined, Ill drop the charges immediately."

Vivian bit her lip, and with a loud thud, she fell to her knees before me.

It was a heavy, painful drop.

"You said you'd forgive her if I knelt. I beg you, Sera. Shes still young, she can't have a criminal record."

My face remained expressionless. "I said I'd think about it, Vivian. You actually knelt?"

Melanie, having evaded the police, ran back into the room. The moment she saw Vivian kneeling before me, her eyes turned red and she burst into tears.

"Mom! Don't kneel to her!"

The police officers quickly caught up. Vivian held onto Melanies hand, begging the officers, "Please, officer! My daughter is a good girl! She didn't do anything!"

Once the chaotic noise finally faded down the hallway, I leaned back against my pillow, exhausted.

Suddenly, someone pulled back my blanket and slid in beside me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, sharing his warmth with me.

"Sera, choose me. I will never betray you."

My heart felt incredibly complicated. "Julian, I don't love you."

"It doesn't matter," he whispered, twirling a strand of my hair around his fingers. "I can wait until you completely clear him out of your heart."

I had saved Julian under a bridge during my freshman year of college. Unlike Tristan, Julian was the legitimate heir of the powerful Julian family. But the fight for succession in his family was brutal. Our relationship was strangehe was always quiet, cold, and eccentric.

Later, on the day of my engagement to Tristan, he left the country. When I heard his name again, he had become a powerful figure no one dared to cross.

I never knew he held such deep, dark feelings for me.

He gently traced the soft palm of my hand. "Ill make them beg on their knees for your forgiveness."

"Ive already set everything up. Just wait for him to come crawling back."

The Melanie family was already in chaos because of Melanies arrest. Normally, they could have resolved this with some money, but because of pressure from the Julian family, every door was slammed in their face.

I ignored all the calls from Arthur and Vivian. Once my vision fully returned, I went to the hospital to schedule my cochlear implant surgery. Just as I reached the clinic door, Tristan called.

Hearing Tristans voice, Julians grip on my waist tightened.

He leaned against my shoulder, his breathing turning heavy and dark.

"Sera, can you please let your sister go?"

I shrugged, looking at Julian with a smile. Half of his face was shadowed in the dim light of the hallway, looking dangerously beautiful.

Even if I wanted to let her go, Julian wouldn't allow it.

I stared at my scarred hand, my tone dripping with mockery. "I already told you. Unless she throws herself off that cliff and rips off three of her own fingernails, I won't drop the charges."

"If theres nothing else, Im hanging up."

"Wait," Tristan inhaled sharply. "Sera, can you return the 5% of company shares I gave you?"

Return them? Why on earth would I?

I directly sent him a video clip.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

In the video, a younger Tristan smiled brightly at the camera. "Today, I am voluntarily transferring 5% of my company shares to my beloved Sera. I will never take them back."

In the video, my past self gasped. "How can you do that?"

"Sera, you saved my life so many times. Without you, I wouldn't have anything I have today. If I ever betray you in the future, I hope I die a horrible death."

I had jumped into his arms in the video. "Don't make such horrible vows!"

"Then you can rest easy, because I will never make a mistake. I will only ever believe in my Sera."

The chat window went silent, showing [Typing...].

Tristan called back. "Ill buy the shares back from you. Name your price."

Name my price?

Could he ever afford the price of my youth, my energy, and the agonizing pain in my body and soul?

"Thirty billion dollars, Tristan. Are you buying?"

"Sera, you are completely out of your mind!"

The doctor inside called my name. Julian stood close, his large hands cupping my face. He pressed a soft kiss against my eyelashes. "Sweetheart, pay attention to me," his deep, magnetic voice whispered in my ear, warm and seductive.

"Do you want me to get you a pillow? Itll make the seat more comfortable."

I blinked, slightly dazed.

Since when was he this polite?

His voice was clearly heard by Tristan over the line. "Sera! What are you doing? Why is there a man with you?!"

Asking me this now? Isn't it a bit too late?

"Tristan, what I do with other men is none of your business. Don't you think your question is incredibly pathetic and inappropriate?"

I hung up immediately. Julian leaned down, pressing his lips against my collarbone.

"Sera, Im jealous."

I gently patted his head. "Julian, Im never looking back."

Tristan's family company was in complete chaos. A mysterious force was aggressively buying up board seats, aiming to overthrow Tristan as the majority shareholder. Coincidentally, my 5% shares were the key to tipping the scale.

Tristans father, Charles, who had already retired, had to step in to protect the company.

Over the phone, he tried to play nice. "Sera, Ive always approved of you and Tristan. In my heart, you are the only daughter-in-law of our family."

"Really? But hes the one who wanted to call off the engagement in front of the media."

Charles let out a dry laugh. "Hes just acting out. Once you two are married, he will realize who is truly good to him."

In the dimly lit room, Julian was gently applying ointment to my scars, his hand resting on my waist, tightening slightly.

He stared at me, a dark fire dancing in his eyes, laced with testing and laziness.

"Tell him... as long as Tristan marries you, you will hand over the 5% shares as a wedding gift."

Julian narrowed his eyes, gently pinching my chin.

Seeing how easily the situation had turned, Charless voice filled with joy over the phone.

"Deal."

He didn't care who Tristan married; he only cared about his own profits.

As expected, Tristan called me shortly after. His voice was hoarse and dripping with pain.

"Sera! I will never marry you! Don't even dream of it!"

"Im impressed you still have the energy to scream at me."

Tristan had grown up being beaten by his father, only rebelling once he became an adult.

In the past, I used to hate Charless harsh parenting. Whenever Tristan was beaten and locked up, I would sneak in to bring him medicine.

"The more you don't want to do something, the more Ill make you do it," I laughed softly. "Ill be waiting for you to beg me to marry you."

Because of Tristans constant delays, his familys company began to fracture from within.

I spent my days peacefully in my new apartment, watering flowers and reading books. Meanwhile, Tristan was running around frantically, trying to make up for the financial damage my 5% shares could cause.

Julian stayed by my side, making every day peaceful and sweet.

He personally dried my wet hair, lifting me up to sit on the counter.

"Sera, its time for him to come beg."

Under pressure from his father, Tristan finally agreed to marry me.

Charles arranged a private meeting for us.

Tristan glared at me, his eyes filled with a rage that wanted to tear me to pieces.

I took a sip of my tea. "Mr. Charles, Tristan doesn't seem very willing. Let's just forget it. I don't like forcing people."

Charles immediately stood up. "To marry a girl as beautiful and talented as you is his blessing! How could he be unwilling?"

Charles left the room to let us talk privately, giving Tristan a warning look before he closed the door.

"Tell me, what do you actually want?" Tristan smashed his teacup onto the table, his eyes burning with hatred.

"Didn't you say you loved me? Otherwise, I wouldn't have lied to you... and pushed you to this point."

Irritated by my words, Tristan stood up to leave.

"Go ahead. The moment you walk out that door, Ill dump my shares into the open market."

Tristan slammed his fist on the table in frustration. Before he could throw another tantrum, I spoke quietly, "Call Melanie. Tell her the good news about our wedding."

Tristans throat bobbed. He suppressed his rage, looking conflicted and miserable.

"You need to think this through."

When Melanie, who was still in the detention center, heard the news, she screamed and almost passed out.

I took the phone from Tristan's hand, listening to her hysterical cries with a cold smile.

"Melanie, this is how it feels to have what belongs to you stolen. Do you like it?"

On the day we went to try on wedding dresses, Tristan handed me a share transfer agreement. "Sign this now, and well get married."

His tone was incredibly cold, making me burst out laughing.

"You seem to have forgotten, Tristan. Im the one holding all the cards here."

Tristan frowned. "Then what do you want?"

I looked at the faint, pale ring mark on my finger, tilting my head. "Go find the engagement ring you made me throw off the cliff."

"The moment you bring it back is the moment I sign this contract."

I walked into the dressing room alone. I saw Julian standing inside, his long eyelashes casting a shadow over his dark, silent eyes.

I pulled the curtain shut. Julian stepped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist from behind.

"The wedding dress is beautiful. I wish youd only wear it for me."

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, the scars on my shoulders were hard to hide.

Julian suddenly leaned down and pressed a deep kiss against my scar.

I gasped, quickly covering my mouth with my hand.

At that moment, the sound of Tristans leather shoes echoed outside the dressing room.

"Sera, Ill go find the ring. You better keep your word."

Seeing my tense expression, Julian smirked. He pressed closer to my lower back, his breath warm against my ear. "Sera, do you like this?"

Overwhelmed by the sensation, I couldn't find the strength to answer Tristan. I bit my lip and glared at Julian.

Hearing no response, Tristan reached out to pull back the curtain.

"Are you in there?"

I couldn't take it anymore. I leaned forward and bit Julian's hand.

"Stop it!"

Julian let out a low chuckle, his handsome face filled with dark amusement.

"Im changing... Tristan, I want you to personally find that ring and bring it back to me."

I followed Tristan to the highway cliff. I watched him use climbing gear to go down the cliff again and again, searching through the mud and rocks only to return empty-handed.

Eventually, I got bored and left him there.

Later, the hospital contacted me saying Tristan had lost his footing, tumbled down the cliff, and stayed trapped there all night. Fortunately, he was rescued.

I walked into his hospital room at a leisurely pace. He was covered in bruises, his leg wrapped in a thick cast.

"Did you find it?"

Tristan coughed violently. "No. I couldn't find it."

I curled my lips into a sweet, innocent smile. "Of course you couldn't. I had my people retrieve it days ago."

"Sera! You played me!" He tried to sit up in anger, but I pressed him back down by his injured shoulder.

"Tristan, remember this feeling. This is what it feels like to be played. Does it feel good?"

His eyes were filled with a chaotic mix of emotions as he stared at me. He seemed to remember that rainy day on the cliff.

After a long silence, his lips parted. "Im sorry..."

I had waited so long for this apology. But now, it felt incredibly cheap.

"Throwing something away is so easy, Tristan. But trying to find it again? It's harder than climbing to heaven."

I loosened my grip on the lawsuit, allowing Melanie to be released on bail.

If she stayed locked up, the game wouldn't be fun anymore.

The moment Melanie was released, she threw a massive tantrum. She tried to go to Tristan's house multiple times, but Charles blocked her every single time.

She was furious but had no way to vent. The current situation was too tense, and her family didn't dare let her make a scene that would attract the media.

In desperation, Melanie staged a suicide attempt by pretending to take an overdose.

Of course, it was just a show. Unfortunately for her, it barely made a splash.

When I heard the news, I walked into her hospital room. The moment she saw me, she grabbed a flower vase and threw it straight at my head.

Arthur stood by her side, his face cold and disappointed. Looking at the chaotic state of the family, his patience had worn thin.

"Sera, look at what youve done to this family! Do you even respect me as your father?!"

Since he asked, I decided to be completely honest.

"Do you even deserve to be called my father? From the moment you helped Melanie steal everything I worked for, crushing my dreams into the dirt, you should have known our relationship was dead."

I had recently discovered through a private investigator that Melanie was only a year younger than me.

That meant while my mother was dying of cancer in her hospital bed, Arthur was already sleeping with Vivian.

When I was five, they moved into our house, taking over my mothers room and belongings.

Because Melanie was jealous of my talent in dancing when we were children, she staged a "car accident" that crushed my bones, ensuring I could never dance again. She had spent her entire life trying to eliminate me.

"I only called you 'Dad' out of respect for giving me life. But do you deserve it? This cold, rotten family makes me sick."

Arthur's blood pressure spiked, and he clutched the hospital bed, gasping for air.

"Ive already sent the legal severance agreement to the house. You better sign it."

I looked at him coldly.

"Otherwise, if any 'accidents' happen to you, I will fight with everything I have to take every single penny of your inheritance and spend it all."

"You better stay alive, because I have a massive gift waiting for you all."