Chapter 3

The woman was none other than Sarah, one of the people at today's party.

Jack's voice was hoarse, thick with lust.

"Relax, she ditches her hearing aid when she sleeps, so she won't catch on."

"Besides, don't you think this is a total rush? She's right there in the next room, flat on her back. And get this—later on, I'm gonna tell her every last dirty detail of what we're up to right now. Just the thought of it gets me totally jacked..."

I couldn't bear to listen anymore; I stumbled back to the bedroom.

An hour later, the mattress behind me dipped.

It was Jack. He was back.

Just like he did every single day, the first thing he did after getting into bed was to reach out from behind, pull me into his arms, rest his head on my shoulder, and whisper something.

Before, I couldn't hear him; I could only feel his breath, warm against my ear.

But today, I heard every single word, crystal clear.

"Emma, you have no clue how amazing Sarah was. Seriously, my hips are toast."

"You’re great in every other way—so sweet, always do as you're told. Just a little too...vanilla in the bed. But hey, don't sweat it. To me, no matter how many chicks I'm banging on the side, you're still prime wife material..."

I lay perfectly still, but tears silently escaped the corners of my eyes, trickling down my temples and into my hair.The next day when I woke up, the bed was empty. I walked out of the bedroom; Jack was on the phone by the dining table, where an exquisite breakfast was laid out.

The moment he saw me, Jack's face broke into that familiar, gentle smile, and he gestured for me to sit down and eat.

But despite that warm smile and the fancy breakfast, what Jack was saying on the phone was:

"You know what? I actually really like Sarah. That woman is amazing in bed. There's a fireworks show by the river tonight, let's go together. Sarah's worth putting in the effort for."

"And I've thought of another wild idea, you guys should all come watch the show."

I pretended I couldn't hear a thing, just stuffing buttered toast into my mouth, piece after piece.

After he hung up, Jack signed to me that he'd accidentally knocked off my hearing aid this morning, it cracked when it fell, and he'd sent it out for repair.

I shook my head to show it was okay, and Jack continued to sign.

"There's a fireworks show by the river tonight, a lot of our friends are going, let's go too. Don't you just love fireworks?"

Remembering Dad said he was coming to pick me up tonight, I shook my head, pointed to my ear, and indicated that since I couldn't hear, I didn't want to go.

But then Jack gently wiped the breadcrumbs from the corner of my mouth, smiled, and signed:

"Forgotten?""I told you, I'll protect you, and I'll always be your ears."

Jack’s gaze was filled with tenderness, pretty much the same as it had been for the past six years.

I didn't want him to notice anything was wrong with me, and I didn't want any hitches with Dad picking me up later, so I just gave a flustered nod.

Night fell right on schedule, and by the time Jack and I got to the riverbank, a bunch of his friends were already there, having staked out the prime viewing spot.

Most of those friends were people I'd seen last night, and it didn't take me long to pick Sarah out of the crowd.

The instant she saw me, the scorn and jealousy in her eyes were totally obvious.

I let out a bitter little laugh, wondering if Jack had always been such a damn good actor, or if I was just that dumb for not catching on to something so blatant.

The fireworks show started soon.

The instant fireworks exploded across the sky, the crowd around us gasped in awe, but my heart just twisted painfully.

The fireworks were spectacular, but once they faded, all that was left was a white haze in the night sky and the sharp tang of gunpowder.

Just as I was lost in the spectacle of the fireworks, Jack's voice suddenly cut through the air.

"Sarah! I love you!"

"Sarah! Will you be my girlfriend?!"