Expired Love, Farewell Forever

On our wedding anniversary, my husband didn't come home.

At midnight, he posted on social media.

"Your body is like the waves, musical notes capturing the bay in a spring night."

The picture showed a pair of large hands gripping a slender waist. The hands were his, but the woman wasn't me.

The next day, that woman dropped him off at home. Because I couldn't hear, they flirted openly in front of me.

He didn't know that I could actually hear again. It was supposed to be a surprise for our anniversary.

I asked for a divorce, but he was certain I would beg him to take me back.

But I forgot about him completely, while he regretted everything.

He went crazy, rushing to kneel before me, pleading for a fresh start.

I pointed at my ear and said, "Who are you? I can't hear."

***

I couldn't sleep all night. I searched every corner of our house, trying to find any trace of Alan Jones' affair.

Unfortunately, nothing was found.

The man who once promised to love me forever was gone. He seemed to have rotted overnight.

I heard the garage door open. Wiping away tears, I ran to the window and looked down.

It was Alan's car, but a pretty young woman was driving.

After about fifteen minutes, they came out, walking side by side, laughing at the doorstep without a care in the world.

I couldn't hold back and rushed downstairs. Alan's eyes showed a flicker of annoyance when he saw my distressed state.

The girl paused for a moment, then realized who I was. She turned to Alan and smiled, "I've made sure you got home safe. Should I head off now?"

"Who is she?" My voice trembled.

Alan smoothed his cuff, showing no intention of introducing us. The girl answered on her own. "I'm Alan's schoolmate, Lucy Smith. You can call me Lucy, sister-in-law."

"She's deaf." Alan shook his head.

Back when Alan started his business, it wasn't going well. I quit my job at a Fortune 500 company to help him.

Once, in order to land a big deal, I drank a whole bottle of wine, collapsed in the bathroom, and ended up deaf. He was devastated, taking me to countless hospitals, but no treatment worked.

That deal, however, made him wealthy. A year ago, his company went public, and he told me I no longer needed to be involved in the business and should just rest at home.

Lucy pulled out her phone, typing a few lines and showing them to me. Now that she was closer, I could see her bare face—flawless even without makeup.

"Lucy, do you want to come up for coffee?" I heard my own voice rasp.

"Sister-in-law, I felt an instant connection with you. How about we grab a meal together next time?" She typed on her notepad.

"Lucy, take care on your way." Alan also called her Lucy, with a closeness that made my stomach churn.

"See you tonight, honey," Lucy stepped aside, winking at Alan.

"See you tonight, my love," Alan's gaze was filled with desire, crystal clear to me.

Suppressing my emotions, I tried to take Alan's arm. His face darkened, as if I was something filthy, and he yanked his arm away.

I stumbled, falling to the ground, scraping my knees and elbows on the gravel.

He shot a disgusted glance at me, turned around, and stepped into the elevator, pressing the close button.

I could no longer hold back the flood of tears. Blinking through them, I struggled to my feet and headed upstairs.

When he saw my tear-streaked face, his temper snapped too.

"I hate it when you cry all the time."

"Everything in this house, I earned it. What do you have to cry about?"

It was the first time I heard Alan yell at me. Maybe he had long lost patience, but I hadn't been able to hear it, nor had I wanted to.

"Last night, you were with Lucy, right? She's pretty. You've got good taste."

"I told you, I ran into her at a class reunion. Don't overthink it." Alan's tone calmed slightly as he half-heartedly signed.

But his words were different. "Yeah, she's beautiful. She reminds me of you. The old you."

I remind him of her? This mistress? Alan spoke as if it was a compliment.

After the accident, Alan feared I would spiral into depression. For me, he learned sign language, spent days with me at the hospital, and nights studying. His eyes were bloodshot from the strain.

He promised, "If you can never hear again, I'll be your ears for the rest of your life."

The rest of my life? It's only been five years. How could someone change so quickly?

"Alan, if you don't want this marriage, we can divorce. Why cheat on me?" I screamed at him.

"Gloria Smith, I should be asking you that. What right do you have to interrogate me?" The contempt in Alan's eyes was something I couldn't understand.

Maybe my confusion was too obvious. Alan ripped off his tie, irritably snatching my phone.

As soon as he unlocked it, he saw a screenshot of that social media post.

For a moment, panic flashed in his eyes. "Gloria, it's not what you think."

Realizing I couldn't hear him, he hurriedly typed. "Lost a dare at the reunion. I blocked you from seeing it because I didn't want you to misunderstand."

Because he claimed office relationships were bad for business, we'd kept our marriage a secret for five years. He'd never once posted about me on social media.

"I don't know who's stirring the pot, damn it." Alan cursed, completely oblivious to his own wrongdoing.

He didn't regret spending the night with another woman, only that he hadn't been careful enough to keep it from me.