“Amy, why are you so late?” Ethan lazily reclined on the couch, beckoning me over. 

I obediently sat beside him. He brushed the hair from my forehead, and worried I couldn’t understand, typed out his question again. 

“Traffic held me up. I’m sorry,” I apologized reflexively. 

Ethan smiled and picked up his glass. “It’s my birthday. You gotta have at least one drink with me.” 

My alcohol tolerance was practically nonexistent. One glass had me coughing. 

Ethan rubbed my back and handed me a slice of cake. 

I knew he wanted to catch up with his friends, so I tactfully sat to the side. I’d only met Ethan’s friends a few times and didn’t really know them. The way they looked at me made me uncomfortable. 

“Ethan, it’s been three years. When are you going to have the wedding?” one asked. 

“I’m just playing around. I’ll divorce her eventually,” Ethan replied after downing a drink, yet his eyes still looked at me with seeming affection. 

“Ethan, are you still waiting for Sophia to come back?” 

“She could never compare to Sophia.” 

I caught the subtle exchange between them, saw his friend nudge Ethan. 

“Aren’t you worried she’ll hear you?” 

Ethan calmly pointed to my ear. “Don’t worry, she has hearing problems and can’t hear us.” 

But he didn’t know I heard that 

My hearing problem wasn’t congenital. It happened because of Ethan. 

In high school, Ethan was a notorious troublemaker in our area, constantly getting into fights. 

The first time I met him, I was cornered în a dark, narrow alley. Some guys had caught me alone on a path with no surveillance cameras or streetlights and had bad intentions. 

“Give us all your money and we’ll let you go,” one demanded, intimidatingly banging his stick against the wall. 

I was too frightened to even call for help. 

But I had no money. I took out my battered wallet, and the leader’s expression froze in disbelief as he shook it. 

“You’re messing with us? Everyone knows this school is for the rich and privileged.” 

IT My Time to Shine 

59.4% 

[Chapter 1 

They were right about the school, but not about me. I came from a poor family and attended this elite school purely 

on academic merit. 

As a stick was raised, I desperately covered my head, but the expected pain never came. 

Ethan took only a few kicks to drive those guys away. Back then, he had dyed his hair a bold yellow. 

In the faint moonlight, I recognized him as Ethan. I huddled, too afraid to speak. 

Everyone said Ethan was someone you didn’t mess with. 

But those thugs were vindictive. The next time I saw Ethan, he was being brutally beaten on the ground. 

Blood trickled down his jaw, forming a small pool. They saw me, and so did Ethan. He told me to leave, mustering the strength to run toward me and grab my wrist, but it was too late. 

The stick came down, but it didn’t land on Ethan because I shielded him. 

After that day, my hearing has been hit–and–miss. 

Ethan always looked at me with guilt, repeatedly asking if I could hear today. I’d carefully read his lips and gently shake my head. 

I never told him that some days, like today, I could hear perfectly fine. 

After the birthday party ended, Ethan took my hand and made a serious wish. 

“I hope Amy will stay by my side forever.” 

I smiled and asked what he wished for. He said it was a secret. 

But I heard everything–both earlier and now. 

As midnight passed, Ethan handed me a helmet. 

He loved racing cars and especially motorcycles. 

I was always afraid of sitting behind him, but Ethan just squeezed my hand. 

“Amy, it’s my birthday today.” 

I fearfully wrapped my arms around his waist. In the early morning hours, there were few cars–just Ethan’s motorcycle speeding down the road, the wild wind rushing past my ears. 

It was too cold. I buried my face against Ethan’s back 

“Ethan!” I called out loudly, but he didn’t hear me–not until his phone vibrated and he finally slowed down. 

Under the helmet, I couldn’t see his expression. 

1 only remember him glancing at the incoming call, hesitating for a few seconds. 

Chapter 1 

“Ethan, I’m back. Can you come pick me up?” a woman’s voice said. 

He instinctively looked at me, seemingly trying to determine if I could hear. 

I gave him a confused look, though I’d heard everything clearly.