Chapter 3: Hearing Aid, Hidden Truths

3

The day the wound festered was Valentine’s Day. I went to Caleb’s company to have dinner with him. When I passed the front desk, I paused, and the receptionist asked, “Hi, who are you here to see? Do you have an appointment?”

I was about to answer. Suddenly, the receptionist’s eyes lit up, and she smiled sweetly—her smile tightened, eyes flicking from my shoes to my face, as if sizing me up. This was no longer just a professional smile.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Carter.”

With just that look, the group wedding photo flashed through my mind. Then I remembered: this receptionist was the bridesmaid from that day.

I took a step forward, and Caleb’s assistant, Ms. Harris, who was beside him, instinctively stepped back.

I took Caleb’s arm directly. “I’m here to see your Mr. Carter. Do I need an appointment?” I looked at Caleb as I spoke, but my words were really for the receptionist. Yet it was Ms. Harris who answered.

“No, no, Natalie, of course you don’t need an appointment. Just call me, and I’ll come down to get you,” Ms. Harris said with a smile.

Caleb frowned. “Why didn’t you call ahead?”

I said, “Otherwise, how could it be a surprise?”

Of course, for Caleb, it was more like a shock.

As we took the elevator together, the receptionist hurried over with a stack of documents, calling for us to wait. Ms. Harris reflexively pressed the hold button. When the receptionist got in, I saw Ms. Harris’s face turn pale, filled with the awkwardness of wanting to escape.

The receptionist hurriedly explained, “Sorry, there’s a document here that Mr. Evans needs right now.”

Caleb nodded. His hearing aid was clearly visible on his ear.

The receptionist suddenly asked, “Caleb, as long as you wear this, can you hear?” She pointed at her own ear. I stared at her, my expression stiff, pulse racing and jaw tight. Heat crawled up my neck—humiliation, anger, all mixed together in a flash.

Caleb hadn’t answered yet when she suddenly realized her mistake and quickly apologized. I withdrew my hand from Caleb’s arm, feeling exposed. Caleb turned to look at me. I glared at him, swallowing the words I wanted to spit out. Caleb turned back and said, “If you know it’s rude, then don’t say it.” He said it coldly, in a very calm tone. But it was extremely hurtful. The little receptionist’s eyes filled with tears.

After she got off on her floor, Ms. Harris tried to smooth things over. “Sorry, Natalie, that young lady is Mr. Evans’s wife’s younger sister. She’s just here for the summer—her sister married one of the partners. Still figuring things out.”

I even felt sorry for Ms. Harris.

When we reached the top floor, I didn’t get out of the elevator. I said to Caleb, “Sorry, I forgot I have another appointment today.” This meant I didn’t plan to have dinner with Caleb. Ms. Harris tried to salvage the situation. But Caleb just stood there and said, “Okay. Call me when you’re done.”

The elevator doors closed automatically. As the elevator descended, my eyes met Caleb’s through the glass doors, sliding down into darkness. I pressed the button for the lobby, hands shaking, wishing I could take back the last five minutes.

He would never know the conversation that happened between him and Ms. Harris after I left.

“Aren’t you going to comfort Natalie?”

Caleb said, “As long as I learn to accept all her thoughts, isn’t that enough?”

Ms. Harris thought of her boss’s past and fell silent. After all, Natalie’s last name is the same as the Whitman Group.

As the elevator dropped to the parking level, I stared at my reflection in the chrome, fixing my lipstick and fighting back tears, telling myself to get it together. This was just another moment I’d have to swallow and move past.