Chapter 4

Even Alyssa's hearing aid had been dyed red by the blood. Her pupils constricted, and she hurriedly grabbed some tissues to wipe her ear. Then, she removed the bedsheet and washed it. Afraid that Mindy would worry after learning about her condition, she quietly straightened the room before finding an excuse to bid Mindy farewell. Before leaving, she secretly kept some of her savings in the bedside drawer. Mindy saw her off at the train station, reluctantly waving her goodbye. When she thought about how skinny Alyssa was, she couldn't help making a call to Gray Corporation. When the secretary at the CEO's office heard she was Alyssa's nanny and was looking for Sebastian, she reported this to Sebastian. It had been three days since Alyssa had left, and this was Sebastian's first time receiving a call related to her. He was in a particularly good mood as he sat behind his desk. As expected, Alyssa hadn't held out for more than three days. Mindy's voice rang out on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Mr. Gray, but I'm Mindy Smith, Alyssa's nanny. I've cared for her since she was a child. I wanted to ask you to please let her off the hook and stop hurting her. "She's not as strong as she seems. When she was born, Mrs. Somner didn't like that she had impaired hearing and threw her to me. She was only brought back to the Somner residence when she'd reached the schooling age. "Aside from her father, everyone else at the Somner residence treated her like a maid. You and her father are the only people in Tillstone that she treasures. I'm begging you—please treat her well…" Sebastian suddenly became upset when he heard Mindy forcing the words out through her sobs. "Has she asked you to come and tell me her sob story because she doesn't dare to come to me herself? What does her life have to do with me? It's all she deserves!" He hung up after that. In the past, Mindy had only ever heard Alyssa sing Sebastian's praises. Now, she realized Sebastian wasn't a nice man at all. He wasn't a good man for Alyssa. … Alyssa was on the train back to the city when her phone vibrated. She checked it to see she'd received a text from Sebastian. "You said you wanted a divorce, right? I'll see you at 10:00 am tomorrow, then." She stared at the message dazedly for a while before replying, "Okay." It was a simple reply, but the word seemed incredibly annoying in Sebastian's eyes. He lost the mood to work and invited a bunch of friends out for drinks. Daisy joined them at the club. Sebastian said, "We're not leaving until we're all drunk." Timothy sat beside him and couldn't help asking about Alyssa. "How's little miss deaf today?" Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "You won't need to mention her in the future. We're going to get divorced tomorrow." Timothy was taken aback. "Seriously?" Daisy's eyes lit up. She poured Sebastian a glass of wine and said, "Congratulations on your new life, Bash." He had plenty to drink that night. Daisy wanted to send him home, but he turned her down. "No, it's fine. It's not convenient." There was a chance Alyssa would return that night since they were getting divorced the following day. Daisy was upset by his rejection. "Why? You're already divorcing her. Why would it be inconvenient? Are you afraid of her knowing about us?" Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "You're overthinking this." He got into the car and considerately arranged for another car to take Daisy back. On his way home, he kept checking his phone. Alyssa didn't text him, though. When he returned to Dove Garden and saw the villa in pitch-black darkness, his expression became ugly. He entered the villa and turned on the lights—Alyssa wasn't around. She hadn't returned. The house was the same as it had been on the day she'd left. The alcohol was starting to get to him. He sat on the couch, feeling uncomfortable. He had a dream after falling asleep. In his dream, Alyssa was covered in blood. However, she smiled at him and said, "I don't love you anymore, Seb." When he jolted awake, the sky was just starting to brighten. He massaged his temples and freshened up. Then, he changed into a sharp suit and headed to the courthouse. Sebastian arrived at the courthouse to see Alyssa standing underneath a nearby tree in dark clothing. From a distance and through the light drizzle, she looked extremely skinny. It was as if a strong gust of wind was enough to make her topple over. He remembered how lively and joyful she'd been when marrying him. She wasn't as skinny and zombie-like as she was now. He approached her with an umbrella over his head. Alyssa took a while to notice him. He hadn't changed much over the past three years. He was still as handsome and charming as always. In fact, there was a hint of maturity and level-headedness in him. Alyssa was a little dazed. She felt like the past three years had passed in the blink of an eye. At the same time, it felt like it had eaten away her life. Sebastian stopped before her and looked at her icily. He waited for her to apologize. She'd kicked up this fuss for long enough! To his surprise, Alyssa said, "I'm sorry for keeping you from your work. Let's head inside." Sebastian stiffened but soon regained his composure. "Don't regret this." With that, he turned to head into the courthouse. Alyssa watched him, feeling bitter. Would she regret this? She didn't know. At the counter, a staff member asked whether they'd made up their minds about the divorce. Alyssa said firmly, "Yes." The resolute look in her eyes annoyed Sebastian. After completing the procedures, they were told that they had to return in a month for the divorce to be finalized. The next month would be a cooling-off period for them. If they didn't show up a month later, the divorce procedure would be considered incomplete and void. They left the courthouse. Alyssa was oddly calm as she looked at Sebastian. "See you next month. Take care." She turned and headed into the rain. Then, she hailed a cab and left. Sebastian remained rooted to the spot as he watched the cab leave. He didn't know how to describe how he felt. Maybe it was relief—he no longer had to be involved with her or mocked by others for having a disabled wife. … Alyssa sat in the cab and leaned against the window. She watched listlessly as the raindrops slid down the window. The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror and was startled when he saw blood trickling from her ear. "Miss, miss!" He called her a few times, but she didn't respond. He hurriedly pulled over. Alyssa was confused. Why had the cab stopped when they'd yet to arrive? She looked at the driver and realized she couldn't hear again when she saw his lips moving. "What are you saying? I can't hear you." The driver typed on his phone to tell her what was wrong. She slowly touched her ear, feeling the warmth of the blood there. She seemed already used to it and told the driver, "It's fine. This happens all the time. I'll be okay." She had impaired hearing, but the bleeding wasn't something that had happened from the start. It had only started about two years ago when Timothy had pushed her into the pool at a gathering. She couldn't swim and had almost died due to swelling in her eardrums. The bleeding had started after she'd been taken to the hospital. The problem had already been fixed in the past, but it was frequently acting up again lately. The cab driver was still worried about her and took her to the closest hospital. Alyssa thanked him before heading inside to see a doctor. This time, the doctor, Sean Keller, was her attending physician and the one she'd always seen. "I've noticed that my memory has been horrible lately, Dr. Keller. I occasionally forget what I'm doing as I'm doing it," Alyssa said. It had happened again that morning when she'd woken up in the motel. She'd sat there for a long time before remembering that she had to head to the courthouse for her divorce with Elijah. Sean looked at her latest medical report, his expression grim. "I would suggest you have other tests done, Ms. Somner. For instance, psychological ones." Psychological tests? Alyssa did as he told and was diagnosed with depression. Patients with severe depression generally displayed deterioration in their memories. Before returning to the motel, she bought a notebook and pen. She recorded the things that had happened recently in the notebook and placed it on her bedside table. That way, she would see it once she woke up. Her and Sebastian's divorce caused quite a storm. That night, Heather called her multiple times, but she didn't hear any of them. When she woke up the following morning, she saw a plethora of messages from Heather. "Where are you now? "Who do you think you are? Even if you and Sebastian were to get divorced, he should've been the one dumping you! "You're nothing but a troublemaker. Your father got into an accident when you got married, and you're trying to make Somner Group go bankrupt now that you're getting divorced!" Alyssa read the messages, already used to Heather's harshness. She replied, "We'll have to depend on ourselves from now on, Mom. We should stop being so reliant on others." Soon, Heather replied, "You're a heartless ingrate! I should never have given birth to you!" Alyssa didn't reply anymore. She set her phone aside. Her plan was to leave Tillstone in a month, after the divorce was finalized. Then, she would start over somewhere else. … Alyssa's health continued to deteriorate over the next few days. She would frequently lose her hearing and take a long time to regain it. Her memory didn't get any better, either. She couldn't do anything about her ears, but perhaps she could try to fix her depression. She wanted to cheer herself up as quickly as possible; she wanted to get busy. So, she signed up online as a volunteer to care for the elderly and orphans. Seeing them receiving the help they needed made her feel like she'd found meaning in continuing to live. A few days later, Alyssa woke up and checked her notebook as usual. Then, she got ready to head to the orphanage. But when she picked up her phone, she saw several unread texts. There was one each from Heather, Terence, and Daisy. She read them. Heather said, "The Somner family and Somner Group are done for now. It's as you wished." Terence said, "Keep on hiding, then. I've never known anyone else's sister to be so heartless and cowardly." Daisy said, "My condolences, Alyssa. To be honest, Somner Group will only become better in Bash's hands." Alyssa had no idea what had happened. As she quit her WhatsApp, she received a push notification for that day's trending news.