He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 6

After hanging up, her chest heaved as a profound sense of exhaustion washed over her body.

Unsurprisingly, a fever hit that night, leaving her cheeks burning hot.

She rolled over, clutching her blanket, and coughed weakly into the fabric. Before long, the covers were soaked with her tears.

Forcing herself up, she grabbed an ibuprofen tablet from the nightstand and swallowed it dry.

The familiar dream swallowed her again—a dream bathed in the bright sunshine of their youth, intertwined with the damp struggles of growing up.

He had carried her on his back along that rugged mountain path, and hearing her muffled sobs from behind, he had reassured her, "It's going to be another two hours before it gets dark. What are you crying for? It's not like I'm going to dump you here."

She had always so desperately wanted to be the one who was firmly chosen.

But in the end, he was the one who dumped her.

The fever didn't break until seven the next morning.

When she arrived at work, her head was still pounding. She was called straight into the boss's office. She had known her boss since college; his family owned several auction houses.

Juniper had failed to get her diploma back then and wasted a year back in her hometown. When she finally returned to Capital City, she was hired at the auction house. She had worked part-time for him throughout college, and Caleb Xavier had always been decent to her.

Caleb was currently on a phone call.

Hanging up, he looked at Juniper. "We secured a major VIP client today. Pack up all the top-tier items we've got locked in the vault."

She nodded. As she climbed into the car, a hacking cough took hold of her.

"Not feeling well?"

"It's just a slight cold. Cough, cough."

Just as she was in the middle of a miserable coughing fit, the front door of the sprawling estate opened, and seeing the person standing there froze her in her tracks.

Lydia looked far too flawless, radiating effortless elegance.

Someone ushered them inside.

The grand, subtly luxurious foyer, the highly trained staff, and the immaculate hostess—it was a scene Juniper had only ever seen in her dreams.

But Lydia had possessed it all from the moment she was born.

Juniper had to constantly pause and restart.

When the doorbell rang, Lydia raised a hand to cut Juniper off and went to open the door herself.

A child's bright voice drifted in from the hallway. "Mommy! Daddy took me to ride the ponies today!"

Nelson's voice followed, laced with unmistakable fondness. "That was only because a certain stubborn little girl refused to take no for an answer."

He was dressed casually today in a simple white shirt and black trousers, his sleeves rolled up to reveal the lean muscles of his forearms. Stripped of his usual sharp corporate edge, he looked just as vibrant and carefree as the boy from her memories.

Juniper averted her eyes, quietly holding the next jade bangle in her gloved hands, waiting to continue.

But Lydia seemed to have completely forgotten they were even there.

It wasn't until Nelson asked, "Do we have guests?" that she finally remembered.

She had left Juniper and Caleb sitting there in dead silence for a full ten minutes. "Oh, right. Didn't you ask me to pick out a bracelet for your mother? I just didn't expect Juniper to be the one making the sales pitch. It was quite a surprise."

Juniper's fingers instinctively curled inward. She finally realized why she hated Lydia so much. Even though Lydia had never overtly attacked her, the woman's every word and gesture made Juniper feel profoundly inferior, as if her legitimate, hard-earned job was something utterly shameful in their eyes.