He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 339

Professor York was startled. His instinctive reaction was to reach out and help her up, but he was completely paralyzed, save for his eyes.

He strained until his face turned red, but his body wouldn't obey. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, his voice trembling with emotion. "What are you doing?"

"Professor York, I've heard rumors. I heard that Mrs. York passed away. That she went to Oakley to look for me and never came back. And right after that, you suffered a stroke. Do you know the truth about what happened?"

The veins on Professor York's forehead bulged. His eyes turned red, and he seemed to be locked in a fierce internal struggle.

But after a moment, he forced himself back to calmness. "Remember what's important: you are alive. That is enough."

For years, Juniper had used that exact excuse to run away from her past. She had told herself the same thing: *As long as I'm alive, that's enough.* She had worked hard, made money, and tried to live a quiet life, convincing herself there was no need to fight against such powerful forces.

But what had she done wrong?

What had the people around her done wrong?

The price of her acting like a coward wasn't that her enemies let her go; it was that they targeted the people she loved instead.

She looked up, her red eyes filled with defiance. "If living means living like a beaten dog, I'd rather not live at all."

In Juniper's life, very few people had ever truly treated her well.

Nelson's grandmother had treated her like her own granddaughter. Professor York had intended to make her his final protégé, though their time as master and student was cut short.

She didn't know who else had carried the burden of her past while she had been living her cowardly, quiet life.

Her mother's death had taught her one thing: she couldn't retreat anymore.

"Teacher, you once told me that we must live with a backbone. A person cannot simply exist in indignity."

Those were Professor York's exact words.

Seeing her like this, he knew she must have suffered countless injustices over the years.

He couldn't even reach out to help her up. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his lips together. "Get up, Juniper. I will tell you everything."

She had sent that message so he wouldn't drown in guilt. She had gone to Oakley because he asked her to, and it had cost her her life.

*No regrets.*

She had no regrets about her choices, so he shouldn't feel guilty either. Everyone had their own fate.

But could he truly say he had no regrets?

He didn't know. He wanted Juniper to be safe, but he also wanted his wife to live.

That agonizing conflict had tortured him endlessly. During his paralysis, his mind had only grown sharper. He knew there was a massive, terrifying web of power operating in the shadows, a web his meager strength could never hope to tear apart.

All he could do was endure. He had no idea how long he would have to wait.

But now, with Juniper kneeling right in front of him, the dam of his suppressed emotions finally broke.

"Juniper, I asked around everywhere back then and finally found out you had gone back to Oakley. I sent your teacher's wife to check on you secretly, just to make sure you were okay. When she didn't return, I knew the forces behind this were completely beyond my ability to fight—and yours too. She lost her life, and I can't even bear to imagine what you went through. But you're right. A person cannot simply exist in indignity."