My Deaf Boyfriend Could Hear My BFF

My boyfriend, Ethan, has a severe hearing impairment in his left ear. He can barely hear anything on that side.

But whenever the three of us go out together, he always shields my best friend, Maya, on his right side.

He would lean down, hanging on her every word, responding to everything she says. Meanwhile, I, his actual girlfriend, am always pushed to his deaf left side.

For a long time, I thought he was just being nice to her because she was my friend. Until we went to a theme park and got on a roller coaster that rose a hundred feet into the air.

As the coaster slowly climbed to the highest peak, it paused, dangling us in midair. I was terrified.

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them slightly, reaching out to hold Ethan’s hand. "Ethan, I'm scared." He didn’t react at all.

In the next second, he turned around, pulled Maya tightly into his arms, and began whispering comforting words to her. The coaster plunged.

I closed my eyes, and my heart plummeted faster than the ride. Ethan, if your world has no room for my voice. Then this time, I won’t wait for you to turn around. ...

The roller coaster slowly glided back to the station, and the safety bars unlocked. My hands trembled so much I could barely unbuckle my harness. Ethan didn’t even look my way.

Instead, he immediately turned to his right, leaning down to help Maya with hers. Maya playfully nudged his shoulder. "It’s all your fault.

You squeezed my hand so hard it hurts." Ethan smiled dotingly, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Oh really?

Then who was the one screaming and crawling into my arms a second ago?" They laughed and joked like they always did, excited about how thrilling the ride was.

I sat there, feeling a cold shiver run down my spine. Suddenly, Maya looked at me. "Chloe, what about you?

I didn’t even hear you scream." "I..." I froze, struggling to find the words. "Achoo!" Maya sneezed. It was a tiny, quiet sound, but Ethan heard it instantly.

He snatched the jacket from my hands and draped it over Maya’s shoulders, nagging her. "I told you not to wear a short skirt on a roller coaster.

Now you’re freezing!" "I don't care! It was fun!" Maya stared straight into Ethan's eyes, her eyebrow arching in a barely noticeable tease.

In the next second, I saw a flush creep up Ethan’s neck all the way to his ears. His Adam's apple bobbed nervously.

Maybe it was the lingering weightlessness from the ride, or maybe it was the sharp, stabbing pain of betrayal. I felt dizzy.

My stomach churned, and I wanted to throw up. "Ethan, my head is spinning... my blood sugar is crashing..." Panting, I crouched on the ground and reached my hand out to Ethan.

There was no response. When I looked up again, the two of them were already thirty feet ahead of me. Under the bright sunlight, his long shadow merged with my best friend’s.

They walked closer and closer, leaving me further and further behind. A park staff member helped me up and handed me an energy drink. "Are you okay, sweetie?

Make sure to take care of yourself. Hope you have an amazing day! Happy Birthday!" I managed a bitter smile and touched the birthday button pinned to my chest.

Today was my twentyfifth birthday. Since entering the park, dozens of strangers had wished me a happy birthday.

Yet, the two people closest to me hadn’t said a single word of blessing. My phone buzzed. It was a Snapchat location pin from Ethan: [Get over here quick!

We have a surprise for you!] My fingers tightened around the phone. I hesitated for a long time. Maybe a tiny, foolish part of me still held onto a shred of hope.

I typed back: [Okay.] When I arrived at the location, a crowd had gathered around a stage where a dozen couples were standing. Ethan and Maya were among them.

The sign on the stage read: Couples' Trivia Challenge. Couples? Trivia? I stared blankly.

The host was asking the first question: "What is the first thing she does when she wakes up from a nightmare?" "Grabs my hand!" Ethan and Maya answered in perfect unison. "What is the most touching thing your partner has ever done for you?" "On the day my left ear went deaf, when I was at my absolute lowest," Ethan’s voice softened, his eyes looking incredibly tender, "she held me and told me that from then on, she would be my right ear." ...

After a few more questions, only three couples remained on stage.

The host asked the final question: "What is your favorite physical feature on your partner?" "The tiny beauty mark on her collarbone," Ethan said with a warm smile, looking lovingly at Maya.

Maya blushed and gave him a playful shove. "The scar on the back of his neck from playing basketball!" Ethan laughed. The host laughed. The crowd erupted in cheers.

Only I couldn't laugh. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart by a dull knife.

The first time they met was when I passed out from exhaustion and broke a rib. Standing by my hospital bed, Maya had scolded Ethan. "What kind of boyfriend are you?

If you can’t take care of my Chloe, I’m going to take her away from you!" Ethan had held my hand tightly, his eyes filled with guilt as he apologized over and over.

For the next month, they both bustled around my hospital bed, bringing me water, feeding me soup, and taking care of my every need.

Back then, even though my body ached, my heart felt so full of warmth. So... they had fallen in love at first sight back then? And I was the only fool kept in the dark.

A girl standing next to me nudged my elbow, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Are you here alone too? Gosh, I’m so jealous of that couple on stage!

You can literally see the love in his eyes when he looks at her!" "So sweet!

I wish I could find a guy who loves me that much." I stared at my boyfriend and my best friend on the stage, forcing a pale smile. "Yeah, it’s beautiful.

If only that guy wasn't my actual boyfriend." "Wait, what?" The girl’s eyes widened in horror. "He's your boyfriend?!

How are you not screaming at them?!" After a long silence, I whispered, "He won't be for much longer." Up on stage, they finally spotted me.

Maya waved excitedly, jogging down the steps to hand me a giant plushie they had won. "Chloe! Happy birthday! This is for you!" "Don't get jealous, okay?

I only pretended to be Ethan's girlfriend so I could win this cute toy for you!" Another thing she did "for me." I looked down at the plushie.

Its stitched mouth was grinning, as if mocking my stupidity. They started walking ahead of me again, naturally leaving the left side open for me.

I stepped forward, grabbing the hem of Ethan's shirt. I said quietly, "Let's break up." "What?" Ethan didn’t hear me.

He leaned down, presenting his deaf left ear to me. "I said, let's break up!" I raised my voice. But Ethan still looked completely blank.

Before I could say it a third time, Maya called out softly, "The fireworks are starting!

If we don't hurry, we won't get a good spot!" Ethan immediately stood straight, grabbed Maya’s hand, and ran toward the viewing deck.

I was left standing alone in the crowd, my words choking in my throat. Nobody cared. In the distance, under the glowing lights, I saw Ethan hoist Maya onto his back.

Brilliant fireworks exploded in the night sky, illuminating the entire park.

It was so bright that I clearly saw Maya lean in close to Ethan's right ear—his good ear—and plant a kiss on his cheek.

At that moment, the crowd cheered, but my world went completely silent. My hand instinctively moved to my chest.

There was no physical wound, yet it felt like a gaping, hollow hole had been torn open. The cold wind blew right through it. It was freezing.

I turned around, walked against the flow of the crowd, and headed toward the exit.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from my mom. [Chloe, happy birthday, sweetie! How is your day going?

Did Ethan give you a big surprise?] Five years ago, when we first started dating, twentyyearold Ethan had promised my mother that he would propose to me before my twentyfifth birthday.

Today was my twentyfifth birthday. But there were no flowers, no ring. Only a complete, humiliating betrayal. My fingers hovered over the keyboard.

I typed and erased, typed and erased. In the end, I only sent a few words: [Mom, I don't want to get married anymore.

I want to come home.] During the Uber ride back from the park, I stared out the window at the passing city lights. I wondered how I would explain this to my mom if she asked.

Should I tell her about his left ear that could never hear my voice? Or about how he held my best friend in his arms?

Should I tell her about their perfect chemistry in the couples' game, or the kiss under the fireworks?

Finally, my mom replied with two simple sentences: [Chloe, whatever you decide, I support you.] [I clean your room every single day.

You are always welcome home, my baby girl.] The tears I had been holding back finally spilled over. I covered my face with both hands and sobbed uncontrollably.

I returned to the apartment Ethan and I had shared for the past year.

This was supposed to be our future home, but the curtains were a depressing, dark black—a color I absolutely hated.

The floors were cold, grey tiles, not the warm hardwood I had begged for. Even the art on the walls consisted of dark, abstract paintings that made me feel uneasy.

I had mentioned multiple times that the apartment felt too gloomy, asking if we could change the decor. But Ethan never answered me. He didn’t even look up. Maybe he didn’t hear me.

Or maybe he heard, but didn’t care. Without turning on the lights, I sat in the dark and wrote a brief resignation letter to my boss.

Then, I bought a oneway ticket back to my hometown, turned off my phone, and went to bed. At 4:00 AM, the front door slammed open.

Ethan walked into the bedroom and immediately flipped on the overhead light. The bright white light pierced my eyes like a blade. "Chloe!

Why did you just run off without saying anything?

Do you have any idea how worried Maya and I were?" I squinted against the light, my voice raspy. "Worried enough to stay out until dawn?" Ethan choked on his words, his defensive tone wavering. "That’s... that’s because we were looking for you!

Maya was crying her eyes out.

I had to calm her down before I could come home." I let out a bitter laugh, holding up my phone. "Is this how you calmed her down?" On the screen was a Snapchat story someone had posted—Maya clinging to Ethan's back, whispering into his ear with a smug smile.

The bedroom fell dead silent. Ethan cleared his throat, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. "Maya is petite, okay?

The crowd was blocking her view of the fireworks, so I just gave her a piggyback. Are you seriously getting jealous of your own best friend?" "Just" a piggyback?

I wanted to ask him: Was wrapping her in my jacket also "just" being nice? Was holding her on the coaster "just" a reflex?

Was that kiss under the fireworks "just" a friendly gesture? How many "friendly gestures" had they shared behind my back?

But in the end, I just turned over, facing the wall, and closed my eyes. "Do whatever you want from now on."

When I woke up the next morning, the space beside me was cold. But there was a glass of warm water on the nightstand.

I got out of bed and walked to the kitchen, where I found Ethan busy cooking. "You're awake! Come, sit down and eat.

I made your favorite oatmeal." I sat at the table, looking at the peeled boiled egg and the steaming bowl of oatmeal. For a second, it felt like yesterday was just a bad dream.

It felt like he still loved me...

Ethan walked over with a bright smile and pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. "Chloe, we've been together so long, we don't need cheesy speeches." He took out a delicate diamond ring and slid it onto my ring finger.

Before yesterday, I had dreamed of this moment a thousand times. But now, only a bitter ache filled my chest. Tears welled up in my eyes. Ethan thought I was crying tears of joy.

He wrapped his arms around me and whispered, "Chloe, don't cry." When I was twenty, my father passed away, and my mother fell seriously ill.

The sudden tragedy had left me broken, crying myself to sleep every night. It was Ethan who had run around helping me handle everything, staying by my side.

Every night, he would hold me just like this, patting my back and whispering, "Chloe, don't cry. I'm here.

I'll always be here for you." Those memories wrapped around my heart like thorns, squeezing until I could barely breathe.

Finally, I couldn't help but whisper into his ear: "Ethan, why did you stop loving me? What does Maya have that I don't? You loved me first..." "Chloe, what did you say?

I didn't catch that." Suddenly, the phone on the marble table lit up. Ethan instantly let go of me and grabbed his phone.

The screen’s glow illuminated a subtle, happy smile on his face. We were less than five inches apart. I saw it clearly.

The contact name of the person texting him was labeled "Babe," with a heart emoji. Her chat was pinned to the top of his Snapchat, highlighted in grey.

My chat was unpinned, buried at the bottom. "I need to take care of something.

Eat up, okay?" With that, he took his phone and walked straight into his home office, never looking back.

After a long moment, I looked down at my hand and tried to twist the ring off. It was a bit too small. It got stuck on my knuckle, throbbing with pain.

I tried several times but couldn't get it off. Looking at my red, swollen finger, I gave up and slumped over the table, weeping silently.

I didn't stop until a text notification confirmed my flight booking. I saved the screenshot of the ticket and began packing my bags.

As I walked past his office, I saw Ethan through the crack in the door.

He was holding his phone directly to his right ear, looking incredibly focused, as if he didn't want to miss a single syllable of Maya’s voice note.

Once, when I was in a rush, I had sent Ethan a voice note instead of a text. That was the first time he had ever yelled at me. "Chloe, you know my hearing is bad!

Why are you sending me voice notes? Can you show some respect for my condition?!" He had ignored me for a whole week after that.

Since then, I never dared send him another voice note. Yet here he was, playing Maya's voice note over and over again, smiling.