Chapter 1On my 18th birthday, the new transfer student confessed to Cade in front of the entire school.
Garrett shut her down on the spot. "You're trash. Pass."
She grabbed my collar right there in front of everyone.
"So the mute freak is better than me? Fine. I'll ruin her."
His eyes went ice cold. "Touch her. See what happens."
After that, they went at each other nonstop.
She'd mess with me just to piss him off. He'd hit back.
Over and over. A whole damn show.
Until the day she cornered me in an alley with her crew, ripped my clothes off, and filmed it.
Cade lost it. Dragged her into the boys' bathroom, eyes bloodshot.
"Go ahead, film me! I don't give a shit!"
"You've seen everything, Cade. Touched it all. Last night in bed, remember?"
"You PROMISED I could do whatever I wanted to her this time!"
My ears started ringing.
For the first time in ten years...
I could hear again.
...
"Jules, I'm warning you—back the hell off! Or I'll make you sorry!"
His pathetic threat just made her laugh.
"Make me sorry? Like you do in bed?"
"God, you're such a bad boy, Cade."
"Does your precious Zelda know how bad you really are?"
Jules stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around him.
The bathroom went quiet except for her little gasps.
Finally, Jules chirped, "Fine. You win this round."
"But next time... what should I do to her?"
Cade's footsteps echoed. Then his voice, flat and cold: "Whatever."
I looked down. Everything blurred.
Hearing again? Turns out it's torture.
Cade reached out to pat my head like always.
I dodged.
His hand hung in mid-air. He signed: [Don't be scared.]
[I handled her. She won't try anything again.]
Same script. Heard it a thousand times.
But Jules never stopped.
His hands moved through the signs—practiced, familiar.
Ten years ago, an explosion killed my parents saving Cade Hartley.
I watched them burn. Got severe PTSD. Lost everything—sight, sound, speech.
The Hartley family threw money at doctors. I got my sight back.
Later, Cade learned sign language for me.
Back then? He meant every single word.
Now it's just one big joke.
All I could see was the hickey on his neck.
That perfect image I had of him? Dead and rotting.
My hands shook as I signed. [I'm calling the cops. Telling the principal.]
Tears streamed down.
Cade grabbed me as I turned away. No sympathy left in his eyes.
Just panic. For HER.
[I took care of it.]
[If Jules gets expelled again, she's done.]
[And blowing this up won't help YOU either.]
I watched him sign, heart sinking with every gesture.
When I didn't move, irritation flashed across his face.
[I'm doing this FOR you. Keeping Jules under control. Otherwise I'd have destroyed her already!]
[Stop being difficult. We have exams. Let's go.]
My nails dug deeply into my palms.
Cade. This was never for me.
This was for YOU. For Jules.
I followed him back like a puppet on strings.
Jules didn't show till the bell rang.
When she passed Cade's desk, her fingers trailed along his shirt.
Intimate. Gross.
Halfway through the exam, a note suddenly landed by my feet.
"Ma'am! Someone's cheating!"
My stomach dropped. I spun around.
Jules was smirking.
Our eyes met—mine and Cade's—right as the proctor walked over.
Chapter 2
The proctor walked over, looking pissed.
She picked up the note and shoved it in my face.
"Is this yours?"
I didn't answer.
"I'm asking you ONE more time—did you cheat?"
Her voice shot up.
She didn't know me. Didn't know I couldn't hear her. Couldn't speak.
She looked ready to explode. Pulled out her phone.
"Oh, that's our little princess," Jules announced. "Too good to admit she cheated!"
"Oh right—she's deaf AND mute..."
The whole class cracked up.
I wanted to disappear right then and there. I looked at Garrett.
He glared at Jules but said nothing.
Right. Just another move in their game.
By the time the principal Mrs. Rodriguez showed up, things had already blown up.
"Garrett, ask Zelda if the note is hers."
Garrett stood and signed the question.
I stared at him.
Before, he would've shut this down instantly. Told everyone I'd never cheat.
Now? He was playing along.
"She says it's—"
I grabbed his arm. Stopped him.
Then nodded in front of everyone.
Garrett frowned. [Why are you saying you did something you didn't do?]
I ignored him. Scribbled on my paper:
[Ma'am, I'm sorry. The note was mine.]
Mrs. Rodriguez's face went dark. She walked me out.
Even Jules looked shocked.
Garrett swayed like he'd been hit.
After the mess, my exam got voided.
But Ms. Rodriguez vouched for me, so no formal write-up.
She spent forever pleading my case in the office—talking about how good I was, how hardworking, how this wasn't like me.
"Maybe it's college stress. Please, just an apology letter..."
I stood in the hallway. Sunlight came through the windows, warm on my skin.
But I felt frozen.
Garrett. I'm ending your game. For good.
Noon before I could go back to class.
The second I walked in, Jules started. "Look who's back!"
"Bet she's getting written up now. Not so perfect anymore!"
"ENOUGH!"
Garrett shot up and came to my desk.
[It's okay, Zelda.]
[We're going abroad for college anyway. Won't matter.]
Comforting me. Like always, whenever Jules hurt me.
I used to fall for it.
Used to tell him to let it go.
Now I knew it was all part of the game.
I nodded.
Afternoon after the last test, I asked him: [Do you still want to go to college together?]
He didn't hesitate. [Of course. That's our plan.]
So smooth. I couldn't see any lies.
I nodded. Went to Ms. Rodriguez's office.
Asked for college application forms. Filled in Capital University.
[I thought you were going abroad with Garrett?]
I shook my head. [Not anymore.]
Garrett and I weren't on the same path anymore.
He'd fallen for someone loud and alive. Nothing like me.
I didn't want to admit it, but his heart had changed.
Maybe it changed the day Jules confessed.
Around the corner, her voice rang out.
"Come with me today!"
"Forget about that mute freak!"
Their footsteps faded.
I walked out.
Next second—bag over my head. Everything went black.
"Mmph!"
Someone yanked me hard, dragged me somewhere damp and cold. Then Jules's voice, all bright and cheerful:
"Go ahead, beat her ass! She can't hear a damn thing anyway!"
"And she can't even scream for help! HAHAHA!"
Chapter 3
Jules didn't hold back.
"This is all YOUR fault, you pathetic little freak. Always clinging to Garrett like some broken doll."
"You should've burned with your parents ten years ago!"
Nobody knew about that explosion. Except Garrett told her.
My eyes burned.
A rod cracked across my back. I heard my ribs snap.
Bucket after bucket of freezing, foul water poured over me.
Jules dragged me over and shoved my head—bag and all—into a toilet tank.
The stench made me dizzy. I thrashed, screamed, but they pinned me down.
"Garrett..."
His name came out garbled.
Footsteps outside.
Then his voice.
"Tonight. I'll come over."
"I'm warning you—Zelda's been off lately. Leave her alone!"
Cold. Detached.
But Jules wasn't scared. She laughed.
"You enjoy it just as much as I do, Garrett."
Garrett's eyes flicked toward me struggling behind Jules.
"Stop bullying people. This blows up, no one's saving you."
"That's what I have you for."
Jules jumped into his arms and kissed him.
Garrett left.
Cheers echoed. He glanced back one more time at my legs dangling over the tank.
"Let's go."
He pushed her off and walked out.
Jules skipped back to tell her friends to clean up.
"Ugh, Garrett's such a hypocrite. If he'd just said he'd hang out, I wouldn't have wasted time on her."
"Got my hands dirty for nothing!"
"I'm leaving. You guys finish up."
One girl laughed. "Any guy would pick you over a mute."
They all left.
All I could hear was dripping water. Like it was drilling through my chest.
I slid to the floor. Everything hurt like I'd been crushed.
Checked my phone. His message sat there like a knife.
[Zelda, head home without me tonight.]
My eyelids went heavy.
Next second, everything went black.
Felt like I was back in that explosion ten years ago.
Ten years flashed through my mind. All of Garrett's promises echoing.
"Zelda, I'll be your eyes, your ears, your voice. I'll show you the world."
"I'll be your translator."
"I'll protect you forever."
...
But now he'd broken every single one.
When I started coming to, voices drifted in.
His voice.
"How much longer do I owe her? I've given her TEN YEARS. Isn't that enough?"
"Do I have to spend my whole life babysitting a deaf-mute? Don't I deserve my own life?"
"Maybe I should've just died in that explosion!"
Everything just stopped.
My heart, my breath—everything.
I dug my nails into my palms. The pain was sharp. Real.
"How can you SAY that? What about Zelda's parents? They DIED saving you!"
"If Zelda heard you, it would DESTROY her!"
Mrs. Hartley's voice cracked.
"There's no 'if.' She can't hear. She'll be deaf forever."
A sharp SLAP.
"That girl—Jules—stay away from her!"
"Or I'm sending you abroad TOMORROW!"
Mr. Hartley hit him.
But threats, warnings, violence—none of it worked.
Garrett laughed bitterly.
"So what if I'm with her? She's the one who showed me life is supposed to be vibrant. Colorful."
"With you people, my world is GRAY!"
First time I'd heard Garrett fight with his parents.
First time I heard what he really thought.
Turns out these ten years were torture for him. Because of me.
Tears just came. Wouldn't stop.
That killed it. My heart—done. Dead.
The room went quiet.
I woke up the next day and checked myself out.
Mr. and Mrs. Hartley didn't mention Garrett.
And I didn't ask.
They wanted to go to the school, demand answers. I stopped them.
Some things, you handle yourself.
Jules. I'm coming for you.
