He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 239

When Juniper got back to her apartment, she immediately applied the ointment. As her fingers grazed the bruised skin, she squeezed her eyes shut, fighting desperately to ignore the crushing waves of humiliation.

The cool relief numbed the worst of the ache. She curled up on the sofa, pulling her knees tightly to her chest in a deeply protective stance.

The memory of Lydia's taunts echoed in her mind, leaving her feeling utterly powerless.

Her phone suddenly shattered the silence. When she answered the call, Brooks's voice came through the speaker.

For a man who had accomplished absolutely nothing in his life, losing the use of his legs was the equivalent of his entire world ending.

He had spent years believing it was just a tragic stroke of bad luck. Never in his wildest nightmares did he imagine Nelson was behind it.

Nelson!

When the truth was delivered to his hospital bed, the sheer force of his rage sent him tumbling onto the floor. His legs screamed in agony, his body drenched in cold sweat.

He hated Nelson with every fiber of his being, yet he was completely paralyzed to do anything about it.

He violently slammed his fists against the hospital floor, his teeth grinding together as tears streamed down his face.

"Nelson! Nelson!"

He clenched his jaw so hard he thought his teeth would shatter. Beside him, his newborn baby wailed loudly.

Beatrice rushed back into the room and immediately dropped to her knees to help him up. "What happened? Why did you fall?"

"Mom! It was Nelson! Nelson ordered his men to break my legs! He thought I pushed Josie into the pool that night, but I don't even know his kid! I was just standing by the water! I was just standing there doing absolutely nothing, and he destroyed my legs! He's doing this to punish our family because of how Juniper obsessed over him years ago!"

His heart bled with pure hatred. He had even been told that Juniper had spent last night sleeping with the man who ruined him.

Whenever he boasted about her, he held his head high, acting as if her glory belonged to him too.

They were family. He naturally rejoiced in her every achievement—until Nelson showed up. Nelson, who acted like he owned her, completely replacing Brooks in her life.

Brooks distinctly remembered one evening when he was eager to show off his sister to his friends. Juniper was late coming home, and Beatrice had told him to go fetch her. Everyone knew she was at the Saint estate because Nelson was supposedly tutoring her.

Brooks had sprinted down the dirt path all the way to the estate. He walked right into the yard, but as he neared the window, he heard Nelson's voice.

"Don't you feel humiliated having such a useless, uneducated loser for a brother? A grown man failing his English exams with thirty points. Even a pig could guess more answers right than that. Juniper, do you really want a brother like him? I think you should cut ties with trash like that before he drags you down. Given the way things work in this village, he'll probably end up selling you off for a dowry just so he can buy a house for himself. Isn't that how it usually goes?"

Brooks's blood had turned completely to ice. He wanted nothing more than to vault through that window and punch Nelson square in the jaw.

Who the hell did this arrogant prick think he was? And there was no way Juniper would ever look down on him. He took her out to play all the time! They caught fish and crabs in the creek, foraged for wild mushrooms in the mountains, and picked wild berries. At least, before Nelson showed up, Brooks was the one always keeping her company.