My boyfriend, known as the Silent Boy, has a condition that only one surgery in the world can cure, and it comes with a price tag of a million dollars. I’ve been saving every penny, working tirelessly to pay for it, and I was almost there. But one day at work, I overheard him speaking with a chilling voice: “Just one line to get a woman to spend a million dollars on me, and I’ve won my challenge.” “Crash!” The fruit platter I was holding slipped from my hands, shattering on the floor. The Silent Boy I yearned for turned to look at me. “Emma, what are you doing here?” Declan was shocked to see me, barely able to murmur my name. Hearing his voice made my heart miss a beat, and I felt a numbing pain throughout my body. With tears in my eyes, my voice trembling, I asked: “So… Declan, you’re not mute? You’ve been able to talk all along, haven’t you?!” My question left Declan flustered. He scrambled to explain: “Emma, I didn’t mean to, I just… just…” He stammered for a long time but couldn’t even manage a lie. I felt a deeper chill inside. I clutched my chest, feeling like a part of my heart was being carved out. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to stay calm. After composing myself, I looked at him, eyes red, and demanded: “Declan, do you realize how much I’ve sacrificed to help you get treated?” “I sold the house my parents left me, pawned all my jewelry, and worked five jobs a month. I didn’t spend a single penny on myself, saving everything to help you get treated so I could hear your voice.” “And now… you tell me you could always speak? This was just a game for you, a Rich Kid’s amusement?!” The more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt, and I broke down, screaming at him: “What is real?! Declan, tell me, what is real?!” After my outburst, my voice weakened, and I almost collapsed from exhaustion. Declan reached out to steady me, his fingers brushing against my hands, which were rough and calloused from endless work. Perhaps thinking of all the hardships I endured for him, guilt reddened his eyes too. He pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. “Emma, I’m sorry, I owe you. I’ll make it up to you, and I promise to treat you twice as well in the future.” This was his usual way of comforting me. When we lived together in that cramped rented apartment, whenever I was upset and vented at him, he’d hold me like this, gently patting my back. I thought it was because he couldn’t speak and wanted to comfort me and make me feel safe. Now I realize he just found me annoying and was brushing me off. This time, it didn’t work on me. I pushed him away, eyes red, staring at him. “Declan, did you enjoy playing with me?” Faced with my question, Declan seemed at a loss too. He looked down in silence for a long time before speaking: “I’ll compensate you, with two million dollars. Don’t worry, I won’t treat you poorly.” “Heh.” Hearing his words, I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. So… in his eyes, I was just a woman who could be dismissed with money.
I couldn’t help but recall our past. Declan was hard to care for. He would rather go hungry than eat cheap takeout with me. So, to take good care of him, I would buy groceries at the farmers’ market every day after work and cook for him. I wouldn’t let him eat bargain food; I always got the best organic vegetables. At first, my cooking wasn’t great, and he’d barely eat a few bites. Seeing this pained me, so I learned his preferences and honed my cooking skills. During meals, I’d always give him the food he liked first. Back then, seeing him eat just one more bite made me so happy. Now, as I looked down at the fruit platter shattered on the ground. In this upscale club, this ordinary fruit platter cost 1888, which was five months of my living expenses. I had to deliver hundreds of orders and make countless crafts to earn that. Looking at his expensive attire, every piece costly. Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but sigh: “Declan, you really went through a lot to deceive me, huh.” Faced with my sarcasm, Declan had no words, only shamefully lowering his head. As we were at an impasse, a delicate hand climbed onto Declan’s shoulder, whining: “Declan, who’s this? Why are you talking so long?” Both Declan and I froze. Declan instinctively straightened up. I felt a chilling coldness from head to toe. I knew that woman’s face all too well. Celeste! How could it be her?! Celeste clearly recognized me too. Unlike my embarrassment, she boldly walked up and kissed Declan’s cheek. As she kissed him, Declan froze, not rejecting her closeness. Celeste intimately clung to Declan’s arm, looking at me with amusement. “Emma, long time no see.” “I never thought I’d see you in such a sorry state. Tsk tsk tsk, even looking at you feels dirty, hahaha.” Then she looked at the frozen Declan, her pale fingers caressing his neck. Her voice was filled with pride: “Declan listens to me the most. As long as I say east, he’ll never go west.” “Last year, Declan chased me and confessed. I casually said if he could make you spend a million on him, playing you like a fool, I’d be with him.” “I never thought he’d actually do it, even pretending to be mute, hahaha.” Saying this, Celeste looked at me mockingly. “Emma, you really do pity every mute person, hahaha.” “No matter how many years pass, your fake compassion is still so annoying!” Hearing Celeste’s words, my face turned pale. I clenched my fists, my heart aching. Even in a warm private room, I felt only cold and pain. Celeste’s face was twisted with the same delight as when she used to bully me. She still hated me, hated me so much that even after Jasper had been gone for so long, she had to find someone to impersonate him to deceive me. Tears fell as I looked at the dazed Declan, shaking my head in despair. He’s not him, no matter how much he looks like him, he’s not him. My heart turned cold, as if I lost all strength, and I turned to leave.
“Hey, Emma, are you running away again?” Celeste called out unwillingly. She continued to provoke me. “Emma, I knew it. As long as Declan pretended to be mute, you’d feel sorry for him. No matter what he wanted, even if it meant digging out your heart for him, you’d do it.” “Because you’ve never forgotten Jasper for a single day!” “Jasper, that dirty soul, only a fool like you would give your all to love him, while I can’t even stand looking at him!” Hearing Jasper’s name, I couldn’t control my emotions anymore. My eyes turned red, all my reason vanished. I rushed over, grabbing Celeste’s collar, crazily demanding: “Celeste! What right do you have to talk about him like that! I won’t allow it! I won’t allow it! Jasper is the cleanest person in the world! He’s the best, the kindest!” “He’s just disappeared, he must still be alive! Tell me! Where is he now! Where is he now! Tell me!!!!” My chest heaved violently, years of pent-up emotions exploding. I felt wetness at the corners of my eyes, not knowing if it was blood or tears. Declan was startled by my outburst and hurried to stop me. He said: “Emma, calm down. Hit me if you must. It’s my fault, not Celeste’s.” His words made my emotions even more intense. “Slap!” I slapped him across the face. “Hit you?! Yeah, I should hit you!” “Declan, did you have fun this year, huh? Can’t help but laugh when you think about it, huh? A Rich Kid pretending to be mute, playing me like a fool. Should I be grateful?” Declan stood still, his face swollen from my slap. “Emma, I’m sorry. You can hit or scold me.” “Bang!” I didn’t hold back, kicking him. Declan clutched his stomach, painfully kneeling. “Declan, stop pretending to be deep. I’ll never forgive you!” “Never!” “Hit you? Yeah, maybe I should!” “Declan, did you enjoy this past year, playing your little charade? Laughing at the thought? A wealthy heir pretending to be mute, making a fool out of me. Should I be grateful?” Declan stood there, his cheek red from my slap. “Emma, I’m sorry. You can hit me, shout at me, do whatever you need.” “Thud!” I didn’t hold back, kicking him hard. Declan doubled over, clutching his stomach in pain. “Declan, stop faking sincerity. I’ll never forgive you!” “Never!” “You can choose not to love me, deceive me, yell at me, but pretending to be mute to trick me is unforgivable! Jasper was the only beautiful thing in my life! He was the untouchable part of my heart! Why did you have to ruin that? Why?!” By the end, I was hysterical. Tears streamed down my face, perhaps because the boy who used to wipe them away was long gone… I never wanted to believe he left me, but I searched every corner of the world and couldn’t find a trace of him. In my despair, Declan appeared, pretending to be mute. I was like a drowning person clutching onto the last piece of driftwood. I gave him everything I had. Even if he only resembled Jasper a little, I was content. But it was all a lie… Just then, Celeste pushed me aside, her fingers gently brushing Declan’s face with concern. “Emma, are you insane?! How dare you hit Declan? Don’t you know he’s the heir of the Declan family?” “Just wait, I won’t let this go. You’ll be begging for our forgiveness!” Her threats didn’t faze me. After all, these rich people are experts at crushing those of us who have nothing. I’m tired of this life, wishing I could just die right now. Maybe in another world, I could find him. — “No… don’t…” “Let her go. I’m fine,” Declan said, struggling to lift his head, tears falling from his eyes. “Emma, I was wrong. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” I looked at him coldly. “Declan, hear me clearly. I never want to see you again!” With that, I turned and walked away. Declan kept his word. When I got home, I found two million dollars deposited into my account, undoubtedly from him. It was labeled as a “voluntary gift.” I scoffed and blocked all his accounts. I never want to have anything to do with him again. Back in my tiny rented apartment, surrounded by decay, I lost the will to live. I pulled out a teddy bear from the bottom of a box. It’s the only thing Jasper left behind before he went away. Since he left, I haven’t slept well. I keep running on that road in my dreams. I wish I could run faster, fast enough to keep him, fast enough not to miss him again. “Jasper, don’t go.” At those moments, I would hold the teddy bear tightly. Tighter, so it wouldn’t slip away from my grasp. When Declan came, I locked the bear deep in the box. I wanted to give myself a fresh start, a detox. I saw Declan, who invaded my world, as another Jasper. When I learned he also couldn’t speak, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. Instinctively, I wanted to save another him, to let him have the happiness Jasper never got. But I was wrong, Declan wasn’t him. He wouldn’t deceive me, wouldn’t let me cry… I clutched the bear, kneeling on the ground, crying. “Jasper, can I come find you? I’m so tired alone…” As I cried, I noticed something strange. One of the teddy bear’s eyes seemed to flicker with a red light. I squinted, removed that eye, and found a small USB drive hidden inside. I quickly got up, stumbled back to my room, grabbed my laptop, and plugged it in. The USB contained a video, an address, and a password. When I played the video, I saw the face I dreamed of, the twenty-year-old Jasper. With his slender fingers, he signed: “Emma, if you’re watching this, I’m probably gone. I’m sorry I lied, but I couldn’t leave with you.” “I hate him. He destroyed my life. I want him dead! I want to expose his crimes and make him pay!” “I know I might not succeed, but I have to try.” Jasper stood up, reached out to touch my head on the screen. “My dear Emma, even without me, you must be happy.” When he sat back down, I saw his eyes were red too, filled with reluctance. He continued signing: “Emma, I’ve saved some money for you. Enough for you to live well your entire life.” “This money… is clean…” “Forget me, Emma. Your life should be bright and brilliant.” The video abruptly ended, yet I was still lost in thought. 5 “Jasper!!!” I screamed his name, crying, hugging the screen, trying to see his face again. But no matter how many times I watched the video, ten, a hundred, a thousand times, he never came back. With the account password, I went to the bank to open the mysterious safety deposit box. As Jasper said, he left me enough money to live comfortably for life. Inside was also a letter that read: “Emma, take this money and leave City A. Never come back, and don’t investigate my cause of death. Forget me and start anew.” Staring at Jasper’s handwriting, tears fell, soaking the paper, smudging the ink. In an instant, I made up my mind. “I’m sorry, Jasper. This time, I can’t listen to you.” I know the road ahead is long and my abilities limited. But I’m not giving up.
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