The Only Muse

I ignored Caleb and met the pair of eyes that were fixed on me. I smiled. "Sure."

My voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly enough for everyone to hear, including Caleb, whose hearing had just returned.

His expression instantly shifted. This time, he didn't hesitate and strode toward me, but Janessa suddenly dropped her glass.

The sharp crash cut through the room, followed by her soft cry. The sound was irritating.

Her intentions weren't subtle, but it worked.

Caleb turned without hesitation, grabbing both of her hands to check for injuries. He carefully wiped away her tears. His voice was low and gentle as he comforted her.

She made a small show of pulling back before leaning into him. Her voice was soft and fragile when she said, "Caleb, you should go after Carolyn. Don't upset her. It's just a small cut on my leg from the glass. I'll be fine."

The moment she said that, Caleb picked her up without another word. His tone was laced with urgency. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

I watched the scene unfold, feeling almost entertained. Back in high school, when I had been hurt by broken glass, he had comforted me the same way.

Janessa's soft, delicate demeanor was undeniably appealing, but Caleb had forgotten something again.

That kind of fragility wasn't enough to pull him out of the darkness.

Three years ago, when I gave up my chance to study abroad, my teacher had been furious.

He, the person who had always believed in me, walked away without a word. Disappointment was written all over his face, while I stood there with nothing but Caleb on my mind.

At 17 or 18, he had been reliable.

He was the one who drove away the bullies for me, the one who held me and comforted me, and the one who taught me how to stand up for myself.

But at 27, he had changed.

He became the man who clutched his ears helplessly as he shut himself off and hid in the dark, the man who drank himself senseless after a breakup and cried in my arms.

And when he found out I was leaving, he had hooked his pinky with mine and said in a fragile voice, "Carolyn, you're all I have left."

I couldn't walk away, so before we made anything official, I moved into his apartment and took care of his every need.

The first time I cooked for him, the knife sliced into my finger.

Still out of it, Caleb rushed over and pressed down on the wound. Tears streamed down his cheeks and landed on the back of my hand.

That was when I became sure he felt something for me.

So when he started slamming his head against the piano keys, I used my hand as a cushion without hesitation, even though I ended up bleeding from the impact.

It hurt, but the gesture broke through his defenses.

That day, after bandaging my hand with trembling fingers, he instantly packed away everything Janessa had left behind.

Those were items he treasured most. He never even let me touch them before.

I would've been lying if I said I wasn't happy about it.

He hated lip-reading, so I patiently stayed with him, practicing sign language over and over again. Even when he pushed me away, I still took quiet pride in the way we had built a language that belonged only to us.

For the past three years, the kindness Caleb showed me had been real.

After that injury, he held my hand, and his heart broke for me. "If hurting myself means hurting you too, then I'm willing to live for you."

When he broke down while learning sign language, he would cling to me. He would bury his face in my stomach and say, "I'm so lucky to have you."

The day we officially got together, he gave me a song.

Even someone who didn't understand music could hear how much love went into composing it, and that was when I fell for him completely.

He said the song was inspired by me and that he would die if I left him.

The entire Turner family was deeply grateful to me. Benedict even transferred a large number of shares to me as a show of sincerity, already treating me as his future daughter-in-law.

My childhood dream was finally coming through, and I wasn't ready to lose it.

That was why I had flirted with Anthony in front of everyone. Part of me had hoped to use him to pull Caleb back.

My thoughts were a mess. I kept trying to remind myself of all the ways he had loved me, but the first thing that came to mind was the image of him carrying Janessa out.