The pregnancy hadn’t made Willow’s body bigger.

    She was still slender with her dark hair cascading down her shoulders. The hot water streamed down along her shoulder des, trailing down to the small dip of her waist.

    There, a small reddish mole stood out.

    “Let me help you.”

    Julian grabbed her by the shoulders, wanting to help her bathe.

    Willow was startled, so she instinctively pped him across the face.

    After striking him, she pressed herself against the warm ceramic tiles, her lips trembling as she stared at him. Since she couldn’t hear him, she didn’t know what Julian’s intentions were.

    She was afraid that he was trying to initiate sex with her. After all, it had been quite some time since he hadst done it.

    Julian’s handsome face was turned to the side. It was quite embarrassing.

    After a while, he let out a self–deprecating smile and began writing on the palm of her hand.

    Only then did she understand that he was offering to help her bathe. She refused, but how could she out–muscle himb, /bespecially when she was pregnant?

    In the misty bathroom, Julian’s sharp features were unreadable.

    He carefully washed her body, moving his warm palms around her lower abdomen, filled with longing and affection. Inside her was their child.

    She was over three months pregnant, but her belly was still t, with no sign of a bulge.

    Julian looked up and saw her emotionless face. Then, he leaned down and ced a gentle kiss on her lower belly.

    His Adam’s apple bobbed.

    At that moment, he wished she would just hold him, even if it was just for a second.

    At night, Willow sat quietly on the bed, leaning against the headboard silently in a white bathrobe.

    The bedroom door opened, and Julian walked in. His tall frame was d in ck silk pajamas, making his sharp features an ear even more striking, exuding a sense of allure.

    Willow thought he would sleep on the sofa, just like always.

    Unexpectedly, Julian lifted the covers andy down behind her. She tried to push him away, but he wrapped his arms around her tightly, forcing her to settle obediently inside his embrace.

    Night fell, and the world around them was quiet.

    For Willow, her world was frighteningly silent.

    In Brindley, snowkes began to drift down in the night, but she didn’t know that. She was trapped in Julian’s carefully constructed greenhouse–in a world that only had him.

    She couldn’t hear, and he couldn’t understand her thoughts. Even in a tight embrace, they felt miles apart But Julian didn’t

    know that.

    He just held her tightly.

    bFor /ba brief momentb, /bhe had the illusion that they were still living in Grandview Manor. Willow still loved himb, /band they were still

    husband and wife.

    The next morning, he would wake Willow up and make passionate love to her.

    Once they were done, she would be too tired to go to work. He leaned on his side, teasing her about her poor stamina while greedily wanting her one more time.

    Later, he had to carry her to the bathroom to help her wash up.

    At Neb Group’s morning meeting, Julian would deliberately call her “Ms. Harper“.

    Back then, she wasn’t yet the vice CEO of Neb Group. They relied on each other, and their newlywed life was fresh and exciting.

    There was a time when they were truly happy, but he hadn’t cherished it.

    Julian lowered his head and gently kissed the back of Willow’s ears right where her warm pulse beat.

    However, she would never respond to him again.

    She would never wrap her arms around his neck and softly call out his name again. Willow might never hear again, yet he hadn’t even told her the words “I love you“.

    “Willow, I love you.”

    When he said that, tears rolled down his cheeks.

    He said it over and over again, but Willow couldn’t hear him. His Willow couldn’t hear a thing.

    She justy there quietly, only aware of something warm trailing down her neckb, /bmaking it ufortable.

    Later, her fingers were tightly inteced with his.

    Julian held her hand tightly, lowering his head to kiss her almost frantically. As he kissed her, he kept calling out her name.‘ Willow, Willow, Willow!”

    11

    The two young bodies clung to each other in a hopeless embrace. He breathed shakily against her neck, his voice on the verge of breaking.

    “Willow, talk to me, will you? I don’t care if it isn’t clear. As long as you’re willing to talk to me, just one word, one word would do.”

    Willow looked up at the endless darkness, her eyes glistening with tears.

    She couldn’t hear, and her world was terrifyingly silent.

    Willow wasn’t happy.

    Even though Julian tried his best to please her, she wasn’t happy.

    The next morning, the garden was nketed with ayer of white snow. When the wind blew, it shook the branches of the pine trees, causing the snow to fall.

    In the sunroom on the first floor, Willow leaned back against the soft chair, watching the snowy scenery outside through the ss. There wasn’t the slightest trace of joy on her face.

    Julian considerately draped a small nket over her and said, “Be careful not to catch a cold.”

    Willow just continued staring silently at the scenery outside.

    Suddenly, she reached for Julian’s hand and began writing in his palm.

    In that instant, Julian was overjoyed. Finally, Willow was willing tomunicate with him.

    bT20 /bBONUS

    But the very next second, his smile froze. Because what Willow wrote wasb, /b“Let me go.”

    Julian’srge hand wrapped around hers. He smiled gently and replied, “I’ll go make dinner for you in a bit.”

    Willow read his lips and guessed what he had just said.

    She felt disappointed, so she stared at him for a long time without speaking.

    She remained quiet, not willing to make even the faintest sound.

    She forced herself to eat for the sake of the child in her womb. She endured Julian’spanyb, /bbut she couldn’t control her physical reactions.

    She was over three months pregnant, well past the early days of morning sickness. However, after every meal, she couldn’t stop herself from running to the bathroom.

    She would retch until tears blurred her vision, and her body was left utterly drained.

    Julian crouched down, wanting to pick her up, but she pped his hand away.

    She looked up at him, and for the first time, she was willing to make a sound.

    But after being deaf and silent for so long, the words that came out of her mouth were unclear.

    Julian stared at her nkly, the color draining from his face.

    In that moment, his entire world crumbled.

    When Willow tried to speak, her words were broken and unrecognizable. He was so stunned that he couldn’t ept it. He couldn’t ept that his Willow had be like this.

    Slowly, Julian knelt before her, his hands trembling as he reached out to caress her face.

    Tears welled up in Willow’s eyes.

    Her lips trembled as she tried to express her thoughts word by word.

    “I… want… Grand…ma… Snowy…”