He Never Ran Out of Words—Just for Me Chapter 03

The next day after work, Garrett came home.

Seeing me walk in, he picked up a box from the counter.

“Hannah, I messed up the other night. I brought you a little peace offering.”

A flicker of emotion touched my heart.

Despite his coldness, he always swallowed his pride to apologize whenever we had a fight.

I took the box and opened it.

The next second, I threw it straight into the trash can.

Garrett’s face darkened instantly. “Hannah, what are you doing? Vivian went out of her way to pick those out for you!”

I let out a cold laugh. “Really? Did you forget? I just had a massive fever, and my throat is so swollen I can barely swallow water. I can’t eat heavy, sweet things.”

“More importantly, I have a severe nut allergy.”

“I almost suffocated to death last time because I accidentally ate something with nuts, and you were the one who rushed me to the ER. That was barely a month ago, and you already forgot?”

A fleeting look of guilt crossed his eyes.

“Fine, I forgot, but it’s the thought that counts. Vivian said this bakery’s Pecan Fudge Brownies are famous…”

I ignored him, my gaze cutting past his shoulder to the living room.

Two people were sitting on our couch.

It was Vivian and an elderly woman.

Garrett immediately tried to shift the subject. “Hannah, let me introduce you. This is Vivian, the CEO of the company. She’s incredibly sharp…”

“Garrett, stop it,” Vivian cut him off, standing up.

“You must be Hannah. I heard you’re in design?”

Before I could even open my mouth, Garrett scoffed mockingly.

“She’s hardly a designer. Just a basic assistant at a tiny firm. Basically a glorified gopher.”

His laugh felt like a blade slicing through me.

Was I really that embarrassing to him?

Had he forgotten who kept this house spotless, who managed his entire life and diet?

Who had trapped herself in this small cage for him, passing up opportunity after opportunity?

I tightly pressed my lips together, refusing to say a word.

Garrett cleared his throat nervously.

“Hannah, look. Vivian brought her mom to Riverwood for a little vacation. As an old friend, it’s only right that I host them properly.”

My lips curled into a bitter smile. “Whatever.”

With that, I slammed the bedroom door behind me.

Through the walls, I could hear Garrett and Vivian laughing and chatting, filling the blanks of their lost seven years.

I heard Garrett’s infinite patience with the old woman, warmly asking about her health, explaining local attractions.

He even mimicked her thick Southern Drawl to make jokes, showing a level of attentiveness I had never witnessed before.

I suddenly remembered how long my mother had wept after my father passed away.

Back then, I wanted her to stay with us for a few days, but Garrett had frowned and refused.

“This is our private space, Hannah. I don’t want family interfering in our lives.”

“Besides, I really don’t know how to deal with the older generation. It’ll just be awkward.”

I had actually believed him.

Only now did the brutal truth hit me—he wasn’t incapable of handling elders. He just didn’t want to handle my family.

Today was the most words I had ever heard him speak in a single day.

Staring at our wedding photo on the wall, thinking about every single day of the past seven years, my tears flowed unchecked.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A moment later, Garrett rapped on the door. “Hannah! It’s six o’clock. Aren’t you coming out to make dinner?”

He was just used to having a servant.

I turned a deaf ear.

“Hannah, Vivian’s hungry, so I’m taking them out to eat first.”

Soon, their voices vanished into the night.

I forced myself to calm down, dialed Janice’s number, and swallowed the sob caught in my throat.

“Janice… I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to The Metro Fashion District.”

She let out a massive sigh of relief.

“Good girl. Your life was always meant to shine bright.”

Seven years. I had almost forgotten.

Once upon a time, my ultimate dream was to be a top fashion designer.

Those brilliant sketches, the obsession with perfecting a single sample pattern over and over again…

They had all gathered dust, buried alive in a world that revolved entirely around Garrett.

I opened the job offer details on my screen.

In five days, I would finally get to be myself again.