Chapter 163: What Day Is It Today?

Cecilia silently endured; resistance felt futile. Nathaniel, leaning close, warned harshly, "If you dare meet him again, I'll make sure neither of you has an easy time!" He paused, his hand brushing against something damp. Crimson specks stained his fingertips. Turning Cecilia, he saw blood trickling from behind her ear, tracing a path down her cheek. He quickly removed her hearing aid.

"Why is your ear bleeding again?" he asked.

Cecilia couldn't hear him. She assumed hurtful words followed, words better left unheard.

"Do you have any medicine?" he asked.

Silence. Realizing her deafness, Nathaniel drove them to the hospital. The doctor treated Cecilia, but her hearing remained impaired for a time.

An eerie silence settled in the ward after the doctor left. Nathaniel prepared medicine-laced warm water, but Cecilia didn't respond. He texted: Drink the medicine!

Watching him, she reminisced about a night over a decade earlier. Teasing classmates had temporarily robbed her of hearing. Nathaniel, finding her deaf, had communicated via text. This felt strikingly similar, yet the Nathaniel before her was no longer the tender young man she remembered. Her eyes welled, and she whispered through pale lips, "That won't be necessary. It's just the same old issues. I won't get better."

Unease settled in Nathaniel's heart.

He continued typing: Who said so?

"The doctor," she replied.

He stopped typing, bringing the cup to her lips. His impatience differed sharply from his past self. Cecilia recalled a night his car had broken down; fear-stricken, he'd kept her company, chatting through his phone.

She drank the water, then curled into the blanket, ignoring him. Nathaniel went to the balcony, smoking cigarette after cigarette.

A nightmare jolted her awake. She dreamt of being violated in a car. Reaching for the blanket, she touched a firm arm. Nathaniel slept beside her. She withdrew her hand, creating distance.

He sensed her waking and pulled her close. "Can you hear me now?" he asked deeply.

Cecilia subtly arched her eyebrows, feigning ignorance. He kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her lips. She clenched her fists. His kiss lingered, ending with a caress of her cheek. He murmured, "What should I do with you?"

A sharp pain pierced her heart. Finally, she asked, "Do you know what day it is today?" She hoped for a flicker of memory.

Nathaniel was taken aback. "It's the 9th of July," he said. Then, "Hmm?" He rarely remembered dates beyond holidays and routine.

A bitter lump formed in Cecilia's throat. "Never mind," she murmured. Nathaniel felt increasingly perplexed by her, sensing a growing distance between them.