I have aphasia. My parents, ashamed of my inability to speak, pressured me into marrying Aria, my brother Brandon’s vegetative fiancée, to save him from a difficult situation. For three years, I devoted myself to her care. Miraculously, Aria awoke. But the first thing she did was demand a divorce. She believed Brandon was the one who had cared for her all these years, declaring that she would marry no one but him. Later, I overheard her best friend trying to explain that I was the one who had taken care of her for three years. Aria just laughed nonchalantly. “I already knew,” she said. “But my husband can’t be a mute.” My heart shattered completely. I sought a hypnotist to erase my memories and treat my aphasia. When I woke up, I gazed at the woman by my hospital bed and asked, confused, “Who are you?” The woman’s face instantly paled with panic… Aria had been in a coma for three years. The first person she saw upon waking was me, but her eyes were filled with disappointment. I didn’t notice the sorrow in her gaze, my heart swelling with joy as I helped her sit up. I immediately shared the good news in our group chat. Soon, the hospital room was packed with people. And I, her husband who had cared for Aria for three years, was pushed into a corner, utterly ignored. Brandon arrived late, dressed in a sharp blue suit, looking as if he’d just come from a party. Aria immediately clutched Brandon’s hand, her eyes rimmed red. “Honey,” she whispered, “you’ve worked so hard these past three years.” At her words, everyone in the room froze. The very air seemed to solidify. I stood awkwardly to the side, unable to utter a single word to defend myself. All because I suffered from aphasia. Her friend, sensing the tension, spoke up hesitantly. “Aria, Leo is your husband.” Aria’s brow furrowed instantly, her gaze turning icy as she looked at me, as if I had somehow intruded upon her relationship with Brandon. I had always known Brandon was the one she loved. They were supposed to marry, but a car accident left her in a vegetative state. Brandon, unwilling to endure the hardship, ran to our parents, crying. When I heard it was Aria, I agreed to their plea to marry her in Brandon’s place. I never imagined that three years of my devoted care would lead to this. I quickly grabbed my phone, ready to type out an explanation, but Brandon slammed his hand down on my device. “Leo, Aria just woke up. She probably can’t process so much information at once. You should step out for a bit.” The others in the room, sensing the strained atmosphere, quickly found excuses to leave. The moment the door closed, Brandon tearfully embraced Aria, as if he had suffered some monumental injustice. “Aria, you’re finally awake. I’ve waited for you for three years…” My heart lurched violently, and my hand gripping the doorknob trembled slightly. I don’t know how much time passed before Brandon opened the hospital room door, a few clear tears still clinging to his eyelashes. I walked into the room, filled with a sense of dread, just as a glass vase shattered at my feet. “Leo, you certainly went to great lengths to marry me!” “You’re disgusting, using such underhanded tactics!” Splintered glass shards cut my calf, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. Aria and I had grown up together. She was the only one who didn’t dismiss me for my aphasia, the only one who encouraged me to seek treatment. But after she met Brandon, she was drawn to him. The girl who once promised to marry me, her heart slowly drifted away. Now, she saw me as a despicable intruder in their relationship. I anxiously gestured in sign language, then remembered she couldn’t understand, and shakily picked up my phone, trying to type an explanation. Brandon smirked, then raised his hand and swatted my phone, sending it crashing to the floor, where its screen immediately went dark. “Leo, please, just let us be together!” I stood there, stunned. Besides sign language, my phone was my only means of communication. And now, I couldn’t even defend myself. I shook my head desperately, but this world was cruel, and even more so to someone who couldn’t speak.
My parents, who had somehow heard the news, rushed to the hospital. Hope flickered within me. I stopped them, gesturing wildly in sign language, pleading with them to explain for me. They could barely understand some simple signs. My mother nodded gently, but my father simply pushed me aside, pulling my mother into the room. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, my mother hesitantly began, “Leo, he…” Brandon, realizing what she was about to say, cut her off. “Mom, Leo just loves Aria too much. Don’t blame him.” My eyes widened in disbelief. I grabbed Brandon, signing furiously: You’re lying! You’re lying! He rubbed his wrist, clinging tightly to Aria, putting on a pitiful act. “I’m sorry, Leo. Don’t be angry, I won’t say any more.” I desperately signed towards my mother, my vision blurring: Tell her the truth! It’s not like this! My mother avoided my gaze. A wave of helplessness washed over me. Not a single day in the three years I’d cared for Aria felt as desperate as this one. My father’s face darkened. “Didn’t you force Brandon to step aside? You said Aria wouldn’t know anyway.” If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I wouldn’t have believed my own father could so shamelessly twist the truth. His words were like needles piercing my heart. It was Brandon who had scorned Aria, deeming her a “lost cause” and refusing to marry her. That’s when my parents had made me take his place. Aria scoffed. “Leo, it’s a good thing I woke up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have rested in peace even in death.” I bit down hard on my lip, the metallic taste of blood spreading in my mouth. So this was how pathetic I was in her eyes. My mother pulled me out of the room, her face full of apologies. “Don’t blame your father. We owe Brandon this.” Brandon’s parents had died saving mine, so my parents took him in and treated him like their own son. My parents felt indebted, so I had to give in to him on everything. If I ever refused, Brandon would cry and say, “If only my mom and dad were here.” When I developed aphasia, a time when I desperately needed companionship, Brandon convinced my parents to take him on an international trip. Three years ago, Brandon’s mocking words still echoed in my ears: “A mute and a vegetable, how perfectly matched!” My mother continued, “Now that Aria’s awake, she’s so proud, she’ll divorce you eventually. “Leaving a good impression now will only elevate Brandon’s standing in her heart, won’t it?” Tears splattered on the ground. I pounded my chest, trying to relieve the pain gripping my heart. But they owed Brandon’s parents, why did I have to pay the price? Aria moved quickly. She decided to divorce me in the morning and had the papers drawn up by the afternoon. Afraid I would cause trouble, she hired several bodyguards to watch me as I signed. I let out a bitter laugh and slowly wrote my name. Aria had saved my life once, and I had protected her for three years. Now, we were even.
The evening autumn breeze carried a hint of chill. After my phone was repaired, the first thing I did was text Dr. Hayes: I’d like to try the hypnosis therapy you mentioned last time. Dr. Hayes quickly replied: You will lose some memories after hypnosis. And we’ll need a family member to sign a consent form, ensuring someone can care for you during recovery. My gaze fell on the words “family member,” and a bitter smile touched my lips. I couldn’t even think of anyone who could sign for me. I scrolled through SnapChat endlessly, my finger hovering over one contact, hesitant to tap it. Unexpectedly, the avatar suddenly vibrated, and a message popped up: I’m back in the country today. Can we grab dinner? I quickly replied, setting a time and place. I stared out the window, my thoughts drifting far away. Maya was my sign language teacher’s daughter. Because I often went to her house for lessons, we naturally grew close. Three years ago, when she learned I was marrying a vegetative woman, she angrily smashed the birthday gift she planned to give me, saying it was a waste for her mother to teach me sign language. I signed back, spewing harsh words. Then she went to study abroad, and I thought we would never meet again. I never expected her to return. After several years, she had matured considerably. When she wasn’t smiling, an aura of “do not approach” radiated from her. I got straight to the point, signing my question: Can you… pretend to be my family and sign for me? Her expression stiffened. After hearing the full story, her hands clenched tightly, as if she was struggling to suppress something. “Are you sure about this?” I nodded gently. What use were those memories to me anyway? And once they were gone, I could speak again. “Okay.” It was evening when I returned to Aria’s house. My belongings were casually strewn in the villa’s hallway. Aria glanced at me indifferently. “Leo, don’t say I’m not being lenient. From now on, you’ll move into the guest room.” I nodded softly. She hadn’t expected me to be so calm and eyed me up and down. I would forget her soon anyway. What did it matter where I lived? Suddenly, a small dog, Cupcake, ran out from inside the house. My body tensed, and I instinctively grabbed Aria’s arm. She frowned in displeasure and harshly flung my hand away. “Leo, know your place.” Her strength was considerable. I wasn’t prepared and instantly tumbled to the floor, my wrist screaming in pain. I had been afraid of dogs since childhood, and the girl who once promised to protect me for life had now let go of my hand. A flicker of regret crossed her eyes, and she reached out to pull me up. I pretended not to see, and endured the pain as I pushed myself to my feet. Brandon emerged from the room and took Aria’s hand. “Cupcake doesn’t like being confined. Let’s move her to a bigger room.” Aria looked at him dotingly. “Okay, we’ll give Cupcake the guest room we just cleaned up. “Leo, you can move to the basement.” How ridiculous. In her eyes, I was worth less than their adopted stray dog. As I packed my things, I suddenly caught a strange scent. Following the smell, I found a large yellow stain on a red coat. This coat was a birthday gift from Aria. Because my birthday fell on the same day as Brandon’s parents’ memorial, my parents never allowed me to celebrate. Aria had secretly given me the coat, looking at me earnestly as she said, “Leo, I’ll spend every birthday with you from now on.” Promises, it seemed, only held true when love was present. I treasured this coat, never daring to wear it. It seemed I never would.
When Aria saw the coat, a hint of emotion stirred within her, and she instructed the butler to take it for dry cleaning. But I simply tossed the coat into the trash, along with all the photos Aria and I had taken over the years. In the future, I wanted nothing to do with her. Aria stared at me and slowly spoke, “Brandon is kind-hearted for adopting Cupcake. If you dare make him sad, I won’t let you off easy.” It was utterly absurd, almost laughable. It seemed Aria had completely forgotten my fear of dogs. Perhaps Aria had given instructions, as not a single servant offered to help me. I endured the pain in my wrist and tidied up until evening, finally clearing away everything related to Aria. This was the first time I had stayed at home in three years. After Aria became a vegetable, I practically lived at the hospital. At first, people visited, but eventually, the Jiang family gave up on her. Most of the time, it was just her and me in the room. I was just starting to drift off to sleep when a bucket of cold water doused me awake. Aria looked down at me. “Leo, you’re getting lazier and lazier.” “You’re not the master of this house anymore. How dare you sleep in?” My head felt a bit hazy. I simply nodded to indicate I understood. I wiped the water from my face and got up to change. The villa servants were bustling about. The butler glanced at me and instructed me to polish the piano. It was only then that I remembered it was Brandon’s birthday. My fingers glided over the keys, and a beautiful melody poured out. Aria once said these hands were made for playing the piano. Yet now, they were used for polishing it. A self-deprecating smile touched my lips. Sweet words were only true at the moment they were spoken. Halfway through, I received a message from Dr. Hayes: Tomorrow morning at ten. I quickly replied with “Okay” and forwarded the message to Maya. Just the thought of being able to speak again lifted my spirits considerably. I thought this party had nothing to do with me, but then Aria pulled me into the dressing room. I took the gown she handed me, a little surprised. Her face was full of impatience. “Hurry and change. If you don’t attend, what will people say about Brandon?” It turned out she was only afraid of people talking about Brandon. I felt the large stains on the gown, my heart long numb. I remembered an hour ago, Brandon’s social media post with a photo: No worries if the outfit gets dirty, Aria will prepare two for me. Brandon stood by the cake, like an elegant prince, while I felt like a clown for their amusement. I tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible, sitting in a corner. But the whispers still reached my ears. “What’s on his clothes? So disgusting!” “He’s shameless, stealing Brandon’s fiancée.” “I heard he’s a mute.” The mockery was relentless. I clutched the hem of my clothes tightly. Brandon sat down at the piano, the spotlight illuminating him. All eyes were drawn to him. The music suddenly stopped. He cried out in alarm, “It hurts! How are there razor blades in the piano!” The butler pointed to me in the corner. “Only Mr. Leo touched the piano!” Aria glared at me, roughly dragging me to the piano. She slammed my hands onto the keys, and excruciating pain shot through my fingers, making it almost impossible to breathe. “Leo, this is the price for your mistakes.” Without another word, she disregarded my bleeding hands, picked up Brandon, and walked out the door. I clearly saw Brandon flash me a triumphant smile. Later, an ambulance took me to the hospital, but all the doctors there had been called to consult on Brandon’s case. Before I passed out from blood loss, I heard a nurse shout angrily, “If his hands don’t get immediate treatment, he’ll be permanently disabled!” Tears streamed down my face. I wished I had never met Aria. Meanwhile, a doctor recognized Aria and greeted her warmly. “How is your husband? He took care of you for three years; it’s about time his hardships ended.”
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