The Deaf Wife He Never Valued

Huddled on the cold park bench, my mind drifted back to how it all began with Ryder.

We first met at a college party.

That day, someone had "accidentally" splashed red wine all over my white dress. I stood frozen in the middle of the room, helpless and mortified.

As laughter swirled around me, Ryder stepped out from the throng. He tossed his jacket over my shoulders and then melted back into the crowd.

He was the heir to the Torres family, a star on campus, while I was just another face in the crowd. That was our only interaction.

For the next four years of college, I nursed a secret crush on him.

After graduation, just as I was ready to let it go, I stumbled upon him being cornered by thugs in a parking garage.

I don't know where the courage came from, but I rushed over and fought them off with pepper spray. But as I was checking if he was hurt, one of the thugs gunned his car straight for us.

Without a second thought, I shoved him out of the way. After a deafening crash, my world dissolved into a piercing ring. Shattered glass had perforated my left eardrum, causing permanent damage.

When I woke up, the doctor told me I was completely and irreversibly deaf in my left ear. I broke down, clawing at my ear until my nails came away bloody.

Ryder seized my hand, knelt on one knee, and slid a diamond ring onto my finger.

"Willow Hayes," he proposed solemnly, "I will be your left ear. I will take responsibility for you for the rest of my life."

I knew he didn't love me. This was just his conscience speaking.

But looking at the man I had adored for years, I decided to take the gamble.

I gambled that one day, my love could thaw his heart.

Ryder did keep his word. In five years of marriage, as the CEO of Torres Capital, he never had a public scandal.

But he always forgot to walk on my right side. He'd always speak with his back to me, then fly into a rage when I couldn't hear him.

Now that he had someone he truly loved, there was no need for me to cling to this arrangement any longer.

I lost. And I accepted it.

I picked up my phone and sent a message to my lawyer: "Please draft a divorce agreement for me."