Deafened By His Hateful Words

For eight years, I gave up my family fortune and my hearing to help my boyfriend, Emiliano Reed, become a rock star. I was his muse, his guardian angel, the silent partner in his success.

Then, a miracle happened: my hearing returned. Just in time to catch him with a college student, and hear him call me a "burden" and a "charity case."

The betrayal didn't end there. When his new girl wrecked the vintage car my late father gave me, I confronted her at the police station. Emiliano rushed in, not to defend me, but to protect her. He shoved me so hard I hit the floor, and the world went silent again. My hearing was gone, for a second time, because of him.

"Are you deaf?" he roared at me, furious that I wouldn't just forgive him. "I gave you everything! It was exhausting, suffocating!"

I looked at the man I had sacrificed everything for, the man who had just destroyed me all over again. He had no idea I'd heard every single, hateful word.

"No, Emiliano," I said, my voice clear and steady. "The question is, are you deaf? Or are you just a coward?"

Chapter 1

Adell POV:

The world shattered not with a bang, but with a pop-up ad for a B-list celebrity gossip site on my phone.

My mother, Christian White, had warned me. Her voice, sharp as a diamond, had cut through the lavish air of our Fifth Avenue penthouse eight years ago. "Adell, this musician, Emiliano Reed, he's a dreamer. Dreamers break hearts, and they certainly don't build empires." She had stood by the grand piano, her silk robe shimmering, a picture of polished disapproval.

But I was young, foolish, and fiercely in love. Emiliano had fire in his eyes, a guitar slung over his shoulder, and a melody that promised a life far richer than any inheritance. I' d packed a single suitcase then, leaving behind the gilded cage and the woman who saw love as a transaction. I chased the music, the grit, the raw, beautiful chaos of a life with him.

I remembered the studio fire like it was yesterday, though eight years had blurred so much else. The acrid smell of burning wires, Emiliano frantically trying to save his new mixer, the crackle of sparks. "Get back!" he had screamed, but I saw the equipment falling, heavy and hot. I pushed him clear, felt the searing pain as a speaker fell, crushing my left ear. The world went silent on that side, a dull, cottony void that became my permanent companion. "My brave girl," he'd whispered in the emergency room, his eyes moist with a gratitude that felt like a promise. "I owe you everything, Adell. My life, my music, my future. You're my muse, my guardian angel."