He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 245

The forceful shove made Juniper stumble back a step, leaving the door wide open and exposing the entire room to view.

The interior was warmly decorated, completely at odds with the rundown exterior. One glance at the setup made it clear that someone was living a quiet, earnest life here.

An elderly man was sitting on the sofa, casually fanning himself, while a partially repaired table sat nearby with a hammer resting next to it.

The old man looked surprised. "Who might you be?"

Nadine rolled her eyes, her gaze darting around the small space. "So, the men are all hiding, huh? Let's see where you managed to stash them!"

She barged right in, acting entirely convinced there were men hidden away. She checked the kitchen first, then the bedroom, and finally the bathroom.

The apartment was small and cramped. It took only a few seconds to sweep the entire place.

Frowning, Nadine pulled back the curtains to inspect the window. "Did they know I was coming and jump out?"

But the building's layout was unique. The window overlooked a steep drop into a deep river. Given the heavy rainstorms over the past few days, the water was violently churning. Nobody in their right mind would try to escape that way.

The elderly woman looked anxious and turned to Juniper. "Juniper, who are these people?"

Juniper casually picked up the hammer, hammered the final nail into the table leg, and let out a sigh of relief. "It should be sturdy now."

Beatrice, finally catching her breath, stepped forward anxiously. "Juniper, what are you doing here?"

"This old lady just bought a few vintage brooches from our studio," Juniper explained mildly, grabbing a tissue to wipe her sweat. "Since we're in the same city, I decided to deliver them personally. I noticed the table leg was loose, and since she and her husband are getting older and don't have the strength to fix it, I figured I'd help out."

Beatrice let out a massive sigh of relief, patting her chest. "So that's what it was. Thank goodness."

She shot a blaming glare at Nadine. "What kind of friends do you have, spreading such vile lies about Juniper?"

Although the apartment was technically on the first floor, the sharp elevation drop meant the window opened up to a sheer drop above raging river rapids. Anyone with half a brain could see there was no way someone had secretly escaped.

The moment the words left her mouth, a vicious slap struck her across the face.

Nadine was stunned. She clamped a hand over her stinging cheek. "Did you hit the wrong person?"

The very next second, Brooks's hands clamped down tightly around her throat.

The sheer strength of a grown man was overwhelming. Nadine felt the air cut off instantly. Her face turned purple as she choked, unable to breathe.

She desperately clawed and slapped at his hands, but his grip was like iron.

Beatrice nearly fainted from the shock. She rushed forward, trying to pry Brooks's fingers apart. "What are you doing?! This is your wife! The wife who just gave you a son! Juniper, hurry up and help me! Your brother is going to strangle her to death!"

Juniper stood quietly off to the side, her demeanor entirely unbothered, her voice icy cold. "She deserves it. Nadine took fifty thousand dollars from someone just to trick Brooks into taking that job. That's how his legs were destroyed. On top of that, she has over a hundred thousand dollars sitting in her bank account—all income she's secretly taken from others over the years. As for what exactly she did to earn it, I have no idea."