Voiceless Love

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When I went into the bathroom to hand Silas his soap, he was right in the middle of his shower.

My gaze swept over his wet skin, and I thought to myself: Damn, it's actually pink.

Silas froze.

The very next second, a heavy bar of soap came flying at my head, nearly knocking me out cold.

Silas came home late that evening.

I waited by the door, a picture-perfect smile on my face, and signed: Welcome home, darling.

Silas didn't even spare me a glance. He walked right past me like I was made of glass.

I glared at his broad back and cursed him in my head:

Are you blind?

Can't you see your own wife standing right here?

Suddenly, Silas stumbled.

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at me.

I instantly dropped my glare, flashed a sweet smile, and signed: Is something wrong?

His eyes darkened. He looked me up and down before muttering, "Nothing."

My name is Harper Bennett, the second daughter of the Bennett family.

Because I was born mute, I was the invisible child, the one completely ignored by my own parents.

Two months ago, the Sinclair family proposed a marriage alliance with us.

My dad originally wanted to marry off my older sister, Serena.

Serena had even put on a shy, blushing act, eagerly expressing her deep affection for the Sinclair heir.

But to everyone's absolute shock, Silas pointed a finger straight at the dark corner where I was hiding and said with a straight face, "I want to marry her."

I didn't even process what was happening.

When I finally turned my head, I caught Serena staring at me with pure, venomous hatred.

We slept in separate bedrooms on our wedding night, but I desperately wanted to cross that line.

At one in the morning, I snuck into Silas's room.

Turns out, the man wasn't asleep at all.

In the pitch black, his voice came out low and vicious, "Get out."

I jumped out of my skin and nearly collapsed onto the expensive rug.

Silas flipped on the bedside lamp.

Under the dim, warm light, his sharp, incredibly handsome features were half-hidden in the shadows.

I pointed at my own chest, playing dumb: Me?

Silas understood my sign language perfectly. He fired back, "Who else is in here?"

I stood up straight, squared my shoulders, and signed boldly:

I want to sleep with you.

"..."

Silas got out of bed, his massive hand suddenly shooting out to pinch my cheeks.

I froze, completely terrified to move.

His voice was ice-cold as it brushed against my ear:

"I only married you because you're quiet. There is no other reason. Know your place, and don't ever pull a stunt like this again."

My outward reaction: Oh no, I'm so scared.

My inner monologue: Hehe, totally doing that again.

Silas had completely misjudged me.

The "quiet and docile" personality was just an act. Deep down, I was a walking menace with a rebellious streak a mile wide.

The more he told me no, the more I wanted to push his buttons.

We were legally married. What the hell did "knowing my place" even mean?

Still, I knew I couldn't push my luck too fast. I had to practice my moves in my head first.

A week ago, I was daydreaming about him as usual, totally lost in my own spicy little fantasy. I didn't expect Silas to walk right past me at that exact moment.

Panic flared in my chest.

I pretended to trip, sending my head crashing straight into his rock-hard chest.

The impact practically knocked my soul out of my body.

Silas grabbed my arms to steady me. "Careful."

It was right around that time that I noticed Silas acting weird.

He became incredibly irritable and would glare at me for absolutely no reason.

And I swear I hadn't done anything wrong.

For example, when we were eating breakfast together.

I took a sneaky peek at him:

Those shirt buttons are fighting for their lives.

A man's chest is truly his best dowry.

Silas's eyelid twitched violently. "Stop eating breakfast with me from now on."

Or, another time, when I was helping him get dressed:

Wow, what a waist. Wonder how long he can actually last?

Two seconds max?

Silas's entire body went rigid. He violently shoved his arms back into his jacket. "Never come into my walk-in closet again."

...What a diva.

Like I actually want to serve you anyway.

I kept a gentle, innocent expression on my face and signed: I understand.

I turned around to leave, but Silas grabbed my shoulder and pinned me against the wall.

He tilted my chin up, forcing me to look him in the eye. My reflection stared back at me in his deep, narrow eyes.

"Harper."

He said my name.

"Even though we are husband and wife, you need to learn some boundaries."

I blinked slowly, giving him my best doe-eyed look.

But inside, I was screaming:

Oh, I definitely want to measure your boundaries.

"You..." He trailed off, snapping his mouth shut.

He released me and turned his back. "Forget it. Just get out."

Tonight, Silas went straight to the shower right after coming home.

Determined to end my dry spell, I had already laid out all his usual toiletries.

Halfway through his shower, he realized his soap was missing. I was already standing guard by the door, ready for action.

Inside the bathroom, hot steam rolled through the air like a sauna.

And standing right there was a man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

Droplets of water slid down his pale, muscular chest.

Further down were eight perfectly sculpted abs.

Silas reached out a hand, his voice raspy. "Give it to me."

Thrilled, I quickly grabbed his hand instead.

His large palm was incredibly warm, the wet heat making my mouth go instantly dry.

He gripped my hand back, his thumb slowly sliding up my wrist.

I gulped hard:

It's happening! It's finally happening!

Wreck me! Destroy me! I am ready!

I'll be superwoman tonight!

Then Silas's voice floated down from above. "Give me the soap."

Son of a bitch.

I slapped the bar of soap into his palm.

Silas immediately tried to kick me out. "Leave."

But I didn't move an inch.

I literally couldn't take my eyes off his flawless skin.

I stared right at him, openly checking him out:

He's so pale. I bet it's pink.

Yep, definitely pink.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

I completely missed the dark, murderous aura radiating from him.

I kept fantasizing:

First we'll do it like this, then like that, and then...

Silas scowled.

He shifted slightly to cover himself and snapped:

"Are you leaving or not?"

My brain short-circuited. I pointed directly at his crotch and signed:

Could you swing it around for me to see?

Silas completely lost his mind.

Furious, he hurled the soap right at my head:

"Get out!"

Thank God for my quick reflexes, or that bar of soap would have been the end of me.

Because of that little comment, Silas avoided me like the plague for days.

This awkward tension dragged on until Bella Roth's lavish birthday gala.

I walked into the ballroom with my arm linked through Silas's.

He instantly commanded the room, getting swarmed by businessmen and socialites.

I was casually shoved to the sidelines.

Someone accidentally bumped their glass, spilling red wine all over my designer dress. A huge, dark stain bloomed across the fabric.

No one apologized.

I was so used to being treated like invisible trash that I barely even blinked.

I headed to the restroom alone to try and scrub the stain out.

Bella Roth, the birthday girl, was already in there.

Dressed in a blood-red gown, she glared at me with a vicious look that reminded me of a ghost from a cheap horror movie.

My stomach dropped.

Four or five girls caked in heavy makeup blocked the exit behind me. Someone shoved me hard in the back.

Bella walked toward me with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Harper, how have you been?"

"Does Mr. Sinclair actually like you?"

None of your damn business.

I turned to leave.

Bella grabbed my arm, pulled me back, and slapped me hard across the face.

"You mute bitch, you think you can ignore me?"

She grabbed a handful of my hair and slammed me backward into a stall door.

My ears rang violently, and my cheek burned like fire.

Bella leaned in close, whispering venomously:

"Don't think playing the pathetic victim will win his heart. He doesn't love you."

"He only married you to put on a show."

I parted my lips and mouthed the words slowly:

Dumb. Ass.

"What did you just say?"

Bella turned to her minions. "Shove her in there!"

The girls swarmed me, dragging me into a toilet stall and slamming the door shut.

A second later, a bucket of freezing water rained down on me from over the partition.

I was soaked to the bone, the water smelling faintly of sewage.

Shrill laughter echoed off the tiles. "Harper, just beg for mercy and we'll let you out."

"How is a mute supposed to beg?"

"She can get on her knees!"

"Hahaha!"

The laughter outside grew louder.

I didn't have my phone on me. I had to get myself out of this mess.

Fine. Game on.

I calmly wiped the filthy water from my eyes, hiked up my ruined dress, stepped onto the toilet tank, hoisted myself over the partition, and dropped down into the empty stall next door.

I had always wondered what it would be like to use a mop dipped in toilet water. Thanks for giving me the perfect opportunity, ladies.

I grabbed the dirty mop from the corner, soaked it straight into the toilet bowl, and swung it with everything I had.

Honestly, even the Pope wasn't this generous with holy water. I baptized every single one of them.

The girls shrieked, their faces pale with horror as they scrambled away.

"Help! That's so gross!"

"Somebody stop her!"

"Harper, are you insane?!"

I smirked:

No shit, Sherlock.

You have to be crazy to deal with bitches like you.

After the gala ended, Bella tried to play the victim.

She ran crying to Silas, claiming I attacked her with a filthy mop.

"Mr. Sinclair, Harper just lost her mind and started hitting us!"

She held out her stained red dress. "Look at what she did to my clothes..."

I stared at her terrible acting and rolled my eyes:

Keep going. Keep crying.

It's a crime you don't have an Oscar yet.

Bella wiped away fake tears, playing the poor, innocent girl to perfection.

Before she could even finish her sob story, Silas walked right past her. He took off his custom suit jacket and draped it gently over my shivering shoulders.

He turned to Bella, his voice lethal.

"What exactly did you say to provoke her?"

Bella froze. "...What?"

Silas wrapped an arm around my waist, his tone absolute.

"Harper is quiet and incredibly level-headed. You must have said something completely out of line, otherwise she would never act like that."

"And look at her face. Are you trying to tell me she hit herself?"

"Apologize to her."

Seeing Silas defend me so fiercely, Bella realized she had lost.

Through gritted teeth, she muttered:

"I'm. Sorry. Harper."

10

I never expected Silas to stand up for me like that.

After Bella stormed off, I looked up at him with a soft smile and signed: Thank you.

Meanwhile, my mind was going wild:

God, I just want to pin you to a bed and thank you properly.

Silas: "..."

He reached out, his hand hovering over my cheek.

Clearly afraid of hurting me, his fingers simply rested near my bruised skin for a second.

"Does it hurt?"

I was fine a second ago, but the moment he asked, a huge wave of unfairness washed over me.

I bit my lip hard, fighting back tears:

Don't cry. Don't cry. It doesn't hurt at all.

It's not like I haven't been hit before.

Pain go away, pain go away.

I shook my head and signed: I'm fine. It doesn't hurt.

Silas gently smoothed my wet hair. "Let's go home."

It was the first time he had ever been that gentle with me.

11

That bucket of dirty water successfully gave me a fever.

But my mind was still sharp.

I was lying in bed, bored out of my mind, when Silas walked into my room. He pressed the back of his hand against my forehead. "Still burning up."

I gave him a seductive smile.

Get in bed with me, and I'll be even hotter.

Silas's expression instantly morphed into something indescribable.

He stood up.

Just as I thought he was going to walk out, he pulled back the covers and gently lay down right next to me.

Me: "???"

Pure survival instinct kicked in. I scrambled to the far edge of the mattress, creating distance between us.

Seeing me run away, his brows furrowed in annoyance.

"What are you hiding from?"

I nervously signed: What are you doing?

He didn't answer.

He just reached out, yanked me right back into the middle of the bed, and tucked the blankets tightly around me, like he was afraid I'd bolt again.

He ordered, "Close your eyes. Sleep."

I obediently shut my eyes, but my mind was racing:

What does this mean?

Is he trying to test-drive a girl with a 102-degree fever?

I'm totally going to die of a heart attack.

As much as I wanted to sleep with him, now that it was actually happening, I was terrified.

...

The room was completely silent.

I cracked one eye open just a sliver and saw Silas resting with his eyes closed.

The morning light hit his face, making his sharp features look clean and relaxed.

Just as I was staring at him in a daze, Silas suddenly opened his eyes. "Just go to sleep. I'm not going to do anything."

I let out a huge breath of relief and nodded like a good girl:

Oh, so we're literally just sleeping. Good thing he's not a total animal.

Silas tightened his arm around my waist.

Feeling safe, I finally drifted off to sleep.

12

Sometime in the middle of the night, my fever broke, leaving me drenched in cold sweat.

The sticky, uncomfortable feeling made me pull off my pajama top in my sleep.

I rolled over and crashed right into a warm chest.

That firm, smooth feeling...

Whoa. Abs.

I splayed both hands out and squeezed hard.

A second later, I heard Silas mutter in his sleep, "Be gentle..."

Holy shit!

My eyes flew open. I bolted upright in panic.

Silas flinched, waking up instantly.

His arm automatically reached for my back. His voice was thick with sleep. "What's wrong?"

I was sitting there in absolutely nothing but my underwear, violently shivering.

Internally, I was shrieking: Ahhhhhh!

Silas hastily turned on the lamp to check on me.

I pushed him away, desperately wrapping the thick duvet around my body.

Silas leaned in close. "What happened? Does something hurt?"

I shook my head frantically, scooting further back against the headboard.

I pointed frantically at the door, telling him to leave.

Go! Get out! Just go!

Silas stared at me. A cold smirk pulled at his lips.

"You're kicking me out?"

"Where's all that courage you had when you told me to swing it?"

Tch...

Looking all pink and cute, but holding onto a grudge like a psycho.

My face was burning up, my head spinning.

I had no choice but to play the pity card.

I put on my most fragile, helpless expression and signed:

I'm really sick right now. It would be terrible if you caught my bug. You should probably sleep in your own room.

Silas stared at me in dead silence.

Why isn't he reacting?

Did he not understand my signs?

I slowly, deliberately signed it a second time.

"I understood you perfectly," he said.

Silas got out of bed and walked out the door. "I'm leaving, okay?"

Me: "?"

Why did he sound so incredibly offended?

13

My parents heard I was sick and made a special trip to the Sinclair estate to "visit."

After three minutes of fake pleasantries, they got right down to business: my marriage.

My mom grabbed my hand, putting on her most serious, motherly voice.

"Harper, are things okay between you and Mr. Sinclair?"

"If you two aren't happy, it's better to just get a divorce sooner rather than later."

My dad nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Exactly, exactly."

"Your sister has always loved Mr. Sinclair. She's far more suited for a position like this."

"Just come home. Stop embarrassing him."

These two were tag-teaming me, practically begging me to divorce my own husband.

Hmph.

I knew they didn't actually care about my health.

I shook my head firmly and signed my rejection:

I don't want a divorce.

I hadn't even slept with the man yet. Why the hell would I divorce him now?

Seeing me refuse, their masks immediately slipped.

My dad pointed a finger right in my face and started yelling:

"You don't want to?"

"You don't get a say in this marriage!"

"If Mr. Sinclair didn't have a thing for quiet girls, do you really think a mute like you would be living like this?!"

I held my ground: I'm not signing anything.

My dad gritted his teeth. "You little...!"

Realizing they couldn't bully me into it, they marched straight up to the study to talk to Silas.

I crept down the hallway and pressed my ear to the heavy oak door.

Inside, Silas stayed quiet for a very long time, making my anxiety spike.

He didn't exactly like me. What if he really wanted out?

Especially considering how often I sexually harassed him.

A minute later, Silas's voice finally cut through the tension.

He spoke calmly, firmly. "Harper and I are very happy together. Divorce is completely off the table."

14

His answer left me stunned.

Happy? Who was happy?

Did Silas actually enjoy me constantly bothering him?

My parents were still desperately trying to change his mind:

"Mr. Sinclair, please. Our youngest can't even speak. It damages your public image."

"And she's a troublemaker. We heard she offended the Roth family just the other day."

"I'm sure she herself feels unworthy of you."

"And besides..."

I didn't stick around to listen to the rest. I went back to my bedroom to wait for the fallout.

About half an hour later, Silas practically kicked my bedroom door open. His first words were: "Harper Bennett, you want a divorce?"

Huh?

Why is he so pissed?

Seeing him so worked up was fascinating. On a whim, I decided to mess with him:

Since you don't really like me, I don't want to hold you back.

Let's just part ways peacefully.

Internally, I was totally chill about it:

If we divorce, we divorce.

If I can't eat this piece of meat, I'll just find another restaurant.

Silas glared at me in silence for a solid minute before gritting out:

"You were desperate to get into my bed. You tried every trick in the book to get close to me, and now you're bored already?"

Yep.

I'm just a fickle girl who likes shiny new things.

I forced a single, dramatic tear to roll down my cheek and signed: I'm sorry.

Silas let out a dark, mocking laugh.

"Perfect."

He turned on his heel and stormed out. "Just you wait!"