Chapter 1

A neck injury caused my vocal cords to close up, leaving me suddenly unable to speak.

To help find a cure, my husband, Carter, threw himself into research and medical studies.

The day he returned from a medical exchange program at another hospital, I prepared a surprise for him.

But then, I heard a high-pitched female voice leaking from his Bluetooth AirPods:

"I want a kiss! Come on, kiss me!"

"Why aren't you talking? Are you scared because your wife is right next to you?"

In that exact moment, it hit me.

Our marriage was completely over.

The second I took his coat and turned around to hang it on the rack, a third voice filled the quiet room.

"I want a kiss! Come on, kiss me!"

"Why aren't you talking? Are you scared because your wife is right next to you?"

My hands froze mid-air, and the smile on my face instantly stiffened.

It took me several seconds just to process what I was hearing.

When I finally turned around, Carter had already lowered his head.

His handsome fingers were tapping rapidly across his phone screen, sending out a flurry of Snapchat notifications.

The moment he stopped typing, that whiny female voice leaked through his AirPods again:

"Giggle... Tell me, would your wife be pissed if she knew we were on FaceTime right now?"

This time, I knew for a sure. It wasn’t a hallucination.

The voice was coming from my husband, Carter.

He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that his AirPods were bleeding sound.

He was also completely unaware of how wide and stupid his grin looked, practically stretching from ear to ear.

And worst of all, he had completely forgotten that his wife of three years was standing right in front of him.

He was flirting with another woman right in front of my face, without a single care in the world.

I dug my fingernails deep into my palms, my mind a chaotic blur.

I couldn't tell if I was just reacting slowly, or if I secretly wanted to let the pain sink in deeper.

Either way, I just stood there, quietly watching him. I had no intention of warning him or interrupting.

I wondered what text he had just sent her.

On the other end, the woman's voice turned into a whiny pout:

"I know, I know. Once your wife can talk again, we'll stop."

"But what if she stays a mute forever? Living with a mute must be so boring! Didn't you say you love my voice? I can make some sounds for you right now."

Those suggestive, graphic words sent a sudden wave of nausea straight to my stomach.

Disgusting images of the two of them together flashed through my mind.

My eyes darkened, and a fierce anger flared up inside me.

But to my surprise, Carter chose that exact moment to look up.

Meeting my gaze, he froze for a second.

Then, in his usual gentle tone, he asked, "What's wrong, Sophia? Not happy to see me?"

I didn't miss the flicker of guilt that crossed his face, even if it vanished in a split second.

So, when he reached his hand out toward me, my body reacted on pure instinct. I flinched and stepped back, avoiding his touch.

Carter froze, finally sensing that something was off.

"A patient's family had an emergency," he explained quickly. "I had to reply to their message."

"I'm sorry, Sophia. I brought you a special gift. Forgive me, okay?"

His voice was soft and coaxing, showing none of the impatience he might have had in the past.

If this had been before, my heart would have melted instantly.

But right now, all I could think was: *What a great actor.*

If his AirPods hadn't leaked those voices, I would never have guessed that he was sweet-talking me while actively keeping another woman on the line.

What disgusted me even more was the exact moment he placed the gift box in my hands.

The leaked audio piped up again: "If your wife doesn't like it, don't blame me! You're the one who made me pick it out!"

My hands shook, and the gift slipped, crashing onto the floor.

I didn't even bother to bend down and pick it up.

I felt like I had been dumped into a freezing winter blizzard, cold seeping deep into my bones.

But Carter, acting as if nothing had happened, calmly picked up the box.

Without a hint of annoyance in his voice, he asked, "Why so clumsy today? Are you feeling sick somewhere?"

I shook my head, keeping my mouth shut.

The next second, he said, "Don't worry. This new trial drug from the study is amazing. You'll be speaking in no time."

But he had no idea. I could already speak.

I had planned to give him the big surprise tonight.

Now, I realized there was absolutely no point.