My Fiancé Can Hear Every Curse I Can’t Say

At my engagement party, my sister announced that she would recite my vows for me because I couldn’t speak. I failed to stop her. All I could do was watch her gaze at my fiancé, her eyes brimming with love and wounded longing. “We were never meant to be. I only hope you and my sister can be happy…” I gave a derisive huff. Since no one could hear my thoughts, I mentally cursed out everyone in the room. But when I got to that bastard of a fiancé, he frowned and glanced at me. “So noisy.” Ever since returning to the Bennett family, I’d felt like I’d accidentally wandered onto the set of some trashy soap opera. Barely a month after finding their long-lost biological daughter, the Bennetts had already found me a fiancé. Meanwhile, Vivian Bennett, who had spent twenty-two years living the life that should have been mine, only had to say, “Nora, you may not be able to speak, but from now on, I’ll be your voice.” And just like that, she got to stay. No one asked what I thought. Instead, Vivian’s little speech moved them all to tears. My mother took my hand, her voice full of relief. “Nora, look how much Vivian cares about you. Don’t worry. We’ll let her speak for you from now on.” And Vivian certainly kept her word. At the engagement party, the moment the host started to hand me the microphone, she snatched it away. “Our Nora can’t speak, so I’ll do it for her. That’s what big sisters are for.” Anyone watching would have thought we were incredibly close. We weren’t. Vivian’s gaze was tender and adoring, but it was fixed entirely on my fiancé, Ethan Sterling. She even drifted past me to stand at his side. Her announcement sent a wave of whispers through the guests. “Well, that explains why the Bennetts never held a party to introduce their real daughter. She’s mute. They must be embarrassed.” “The adopted daughter is so sweet and considerate. I heard she and Ethan are in love, yet she’s still willing to speak for her sister.” “So the real daughter’s a nasty piece of work. Stealing Vivian’s parents wasn’t enough. She had to steal Ethan, too.” Listening to them, I was speechless. More than usual. You think I wanted this? Why are you blaming me instead of Vivian’s unreliable boyfriend? Before I could finish grumbling, I met Ethan’s eyes. He was studying me. What? You can do it, but no one’s allowed to call you out? If you two are so in love, why did you agree to get engaged to me? Keeping my expression neutral, I glared right back at him. Ethan looked away. I returned my attention to Vivian’s performance. Her eyes reddened, and her voice caught. “Ethan, I know you can’t go against your parents. This is where our story ends… But please don’t blame Nora. You have to treat her as well as you treated me.” The guests looked at me with even more disgust, as if I’d personally torn two devoted lovers apart. Under all those contemptuous stares, my face remained calm. Inside, I was losing it. What bullshit. Since when can anyone force Ethan Sterling to do anything? Are you two acting out some second-chance romance fantasy? Vivian, you manipulative little snake. Did you say that just to make me sick? And Ethan, you absolute bastard. If you love her so much, why agree to marry me? The more I ranted, the angrier I got. I shot Ethan a resentful glance and screamed inside my head. Am I just a toy to you people? To my surprise, Ethan suddenly turned and met my eyes. “So noisy.”I froze. My heart skipped a beat. Shit. Does he mean me? A shrill squeal came from the microphone. Vivian had stopped mid-sentence, knocking it against her wrist. “Ethan, are you talking about me?” Her eyes reddened as she hurried to apologize. “I’m sorry. I’ve been talking too much.” “But… I only wanted to say a little more to you while I still had the chance.” I relaxed. I’d almost forgotten I couldn’t speak. Right. Who would call a mute woman noisy? Then I remembered that Ethan had been looking straight at me before he said it, and irritation flared again. I pursed my lips. If Vivian’s annoying you, why look at me? I didn’t make her talk. Go handle your own girlfriend. Bastard. Maybe it was my imagination, but the moment I finished that thought, Ethan’s gaze shifted to Vivian. There was even a hint of disgust in his expression. Vivian, however, interpreted his attention very differently. Meeting his eyes, she blushed, bit her lower lip, and said coyly, “All right. I know what you mean.” “This is your engagement party with Nora, after all. I know this hurts you, too. I won’t say any more. What we feel is something only the two of us need to understand.” “…” I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. Unfortunately, Vivian caught me. Assuming I was jealous, she hurried over and linked her arm through mine, barely hiding her smugness. “Don’t worry, Nora. I’ll keep Ethan in line. I won’t let him hurt you.” “If he ever does anything that upsets you, come to me. I’ll straighten him out!” As she spoke, she glanced at Ethan with an unmistakably flirtatious pout. I let out a dry little laugh and pulled my arm free. Here we went again. Once again, I’d become a prop in their little game. Looking at the blush still lingering on Vivian’s face, I couldn’t resist giving Ethan an assessing glance. Apparently, the Sterling heir had terrible judgment. How could he not see through this act? What unique taste. I shook my head and clicked my tongue twice. Such a handsome man. Such a shame he was blind. For some reason, Ethan’s expression kept darkening, as though he’d swallowed something foul. Before I could figure out why, he picked up the microphone. “Ms. Bennett, what exactly is this relationship between us? Because I seem to have missed it.” He stared at Vivian, his gaze briefly flicking to me before returning to her. “Would you mind explaining?” My eyes widened. Suddenly interested, I whipped my head around to watch Vivian’s reaction. Her face went white. The color drained from her lips as she struggled helplessly for words.After a long silence, she finally asked, tears pooling in her eyes, “Ethan, have you forgotten when we first met?” Before Ethan could answer, the guests erupted. A young man whistled. “Come on, Vivian. You and Ethan have been playing together since you were three. How could he forget?” Someone else chimed in teasingly. “Don’t think we don’t know. Ethan suddenly left our get-together the night before the engagement party. He went to see you, didn’t he?” “You two are so sweet. If you make him spell out all the details, certain shameless homewreckers might die of jealousy.” As he spoke, he shot me a pointed look. I met his gaze without flinching, thoroughly fed up. Ever since returning to the Bennetts, I’d faced a level of hostility I’d never experienced before. It was a thousand times more disgusting than the crude bullying I’d known growing up poor. There was no way Vivian hadn’t helped stir it up. But whatever. I hadn’t come back to the Bennetts for romance. Still— God, these people were annoying. Watching Vivian’s smile grow sweeter while Ethan remained silent, my irritation hit its limit. Is Ethan out of his damn mind? I thought he might actually say something useful. He acted like he was about to call her out, only to shove their love story in my face again. If you want Vivian so badly, why agree to get engaged to me? Psychos. Every last one of you. I was on a roll. When Ethan looked at me, I stared right back. What? Afraid of getting called out for what you did? As we held each other’s gaze, Ethan suddenly closed his eyes. Looking utterly exasperated, he raised a hand and rubbed between his brows. Definitely a psycho. With that conclusion, I turned away. When the endless ceremony finally ended, I let out a long breath. Maybe I was too obvious about it, because Ethan glanced down at me. “We still have to make the rounds for toasts.” “…” Resigned to my fate, I picked up my glass and followed him. The engagement party had been announced at short notice. Most guests had come out of respect for Ethan, so naturally, none of them tried to make things difficult. I barely had to drink at all. Enjoying the break, I was looking around when Vivian hurried toward us in a red dress she’d changed into. My parents followed behind her. Alarm bells went off. Nothing good could come of this. I grabbed Ethan’s jacket and tried to steer him away. He turned and asked quietly, “What is it?” My signing couldn’t compete with Vivian’s mouth. She smiled. “Mom, Dad, look how excited Nora is to see me.” Before I could wave that off, she continued, “Nora can’t speak, and the doctors said her throat is damaged. She shouldn’t drink too much. Let me drink for her.” Then she winked playfully. “After all, I promised Nora I wouldn’t let Ethan bully her.” I stared at her. I’d never seen anyone so shameless. First she recited my vows, now she wanted to drink my toasts. Next she’d want to marry him for me. When I didn’t let go of my glass, Vivian reached out and grabbed it. “No need to thank me, Nora. We haven’t known each other long, but I already think of you as my sister. Let me do this.” “Don’t worry. Ethan won’t mind something so small.” She sounded considerate, but her fingers pinched my hand hard enough to leave a red mark. Pain shot through me, and my temper snapped. I was about to shove her away when a low voice, edged with anger, sounded beside me. “Nora Foster. Let go.”I looked up and met my father’s dark gaze. When my expression immediately hardened, my mother rushed to smooth things over. “Nora, don’t be angry. Your father’s just a little anxious.” “Look how considerate Vivian is. She knows your throat is damaged and wants to drink for you. Why are you being difficult? Just let her. We’re only doing what’s best for you.” What’s best for me? I gave a cold laugh. If they really wanted what was best for me, they would have thrown out the girl who’d spent over twenty years living my life. There was no way my parents hadn’t looked into my past. They had to know that if I hadn’t been switched at birth, my throat could have been treated. Nora Foster… That wasn’t even the name I’d started with. The Fosters had originally named me Hope—because they’d hoped their next child would be a boy. The Fosters had switched me with Vivian, planning to use me to extort money from the Bennetts. Only after taking me did they discover something was wrong with my throat. They cursed me for being a bad investment. Because I was a girl, they refused to spend money on treatment. They let the inflammation turn into infection, worsening until I could no longer speak. Vivian was considerate of me? She’d spent all those years surrounded by wealth and luxury. Our parents adored her. One little cough was enough to send everyone into a panic. And me? Before the Bennetts found me, I’d been frantic because my adoptive father refused to pay my tuition. I could have had a voice. I could have avoided the abuse he inflicted on me for being unable to speak. Vivian had stolen my life. What part of that was considerate? Staring into my father’s angry eyes, I suddenly smiled. If we’d never been switched, would I be the one they defended without question? My laughter confused Vivian. She shot me a glare and pinched harder. I jerked her hand away, grabbed her chin with my left hand, and poured the wine straight into her mouth. You want to drink so badly? Here. Drink your fill. “Mmph—!” Vivian hadn’t expected me to fight back. She struggled, wine splashing all over her face. My father lunged forward and shoved me away. “Nora Foster!” he roared, holding Vivian as she cowered in his arms. His fury was undisguised. “Vivian’s only trying to help you! How can you be so vicious?” I stumbled backward, straight toward the champagne tower. Helpless, I closed my eyes. Great. Another public humiliation. “No, it won’t be.” Warmth wrapped around my waist. The impact I expected never came. Ethan had caught me with one arm. When I didn’t respond, he repeated, “You’re not going to embarrass yourself.” I froze. Was he talking to me? Before I could think about it, my mother hurried over. Her expression was gentle, but a flicker of annoyance crossed her eyes. “Nora, I know you’re upset with Vivian, but she was helping you. What are you doing? This is your engagement party. Please stop acting out.” Knowing I couldn’t speak and wouldn’t be able to answer, she finished and headed straight for Vivian. As she passed me, I heard her mutter, “Raised in the middle of nowhere. I suppose that vulgarity is impossible to shake.”I stared at my mother as the last tiny shred of hope inside me broke. For a long moment, I didn’t move. Like a victorious peacock, Vivian smirked at me and silently mouthed, “Go ahead. Be angry. You’re still mute. Explain yourself if you can.” Then she wiped away her tears and softened her voice. “Mom, Dad, it’s okay. Nora just got a little upset. I’m not angry with her.” “I only wanted to make things easier for her, but if she doesn’t want my help, I’ll leave it…” Vivian paused, then murmured, “I know I’m not your biological daughter. It’s only natural that Nora wouldn’t want my help.” Wow. Bravo. I hadn’t expected much from the Bennetts anyway. I recovered quickly and went right back to mentally snarking. Vivian really is a master manipulator. A few sentences, and somehow I’m the villain. I sneered inwardly. If you really want to help, take me to get my throat treated. How is drinking at my engagement party helping? Planning to help yourself to the marriage, too? My mother didn’t see it that way. Her eyes reddened. She turned to me, her tone commanding. “Nora, you’ve made enough of a scene. Vivian’s trying to help you. Stop repaying kindness with cruelty!” I couldn’t even be bothered to sign. I’d been back for a month, and the Bennetts still couldn’t recognize the sign for “thank you.” Whatever. It’s just a toast. Remembering my ultimate goal, I was about to nod. Then a voice sounded beside me. “Ahem.” Ethan frowned at my father and cleared his throat. “Have you all forgotten I’m here?” “Since when…” He paused, his expression hardening. “Does the Bennett family get to make decisions for me?” I met his eyes. Finally. Ethan’s acting like a decent human being for once. To my surprise, he immediately looked down at me with an odd expression. I felt like I was forgetting something important. Before I could work out what, Vivian spoke. “It’s all right, Ethan. I won’t drink for Nora this time.” “It’s just…” Regret filled her face. “In the end, I still couldn’t stand beside you and help you through all those toasts. You must be exhausted.” Pain flashed in my mother’s eyes. “Vivian’s always been too considerate. Ethan, you don’t have to persuade her.” What? Sometimes I genuinely wondered if the Bennetts had trouble understanding basic language. Or maybe I just didn’t understand how rich people thought. Hadn’t Ethan just turned them down? I looked at him, trying to figure it out. He lowered his head and rubbed between his brows before speaking in a deeply exasperated voice. “Someone made a good point.” “Do you have trouble understanding words, or is there something wrong with your brains?” Ethan turned the ring on his left middle finger and said coolly, “Nora Foster is my fiancée.”