Silenced By Love Novel by Aurora _ Novel



Silenced By Love Novel by Aurora _ Novel

Silenced By Love Chapter 01

Everyone in the circle knew Francis Hewitt hated chatty women the most.
And anyone in the know could tell exactly why—it was all because of Serafina Saunders.
When she was eighteen, Serafina rushed into a burning building to save Francis. After they came out, she could never speak again. From that day on, Francis's world simply had no room for the sound of any other woman's voice.
The first incident involved a distant relative of the Robertson family, who'd tagged along to a cocktail party, hoping to climb the social ladder. She smiled and made some pleasantries, and her voice was a bit too bright.
Francis set down his glass right then and said to Donald Robertson, "Keep your people in line. She's making too much noise."
The next day, a project the Robertsons had waited six months for fell through.
The second time, it was a new intern at the company, who was young and bubbly. She chattered away with colleagues in the pantry during lunch break, her voice carrying all the way out to the hallway.
Francis happened to pass by. He didn't even slow his step, just tossing a line over his shoulder to the HR, "Fire her. Now."
That intern was packing her things and out the door by afternoon.
The third incident? An elder tried to play matchmaker, pushing his own niece onto Francis.
The girl cooed, trying to strike up a conversation.
But Francis didn't even look at her. He said to that elder directly, "I'll only ever have Serafina in this lifetime. Don't waste your effort."
Everyone said Francis loved Serafina to his very bones.
So, when Serafina finally got the chance for a new treatment abroad—one that would require her to leave home for a whole year—she left without hesitation.
It was all to be able to say to Francis with her own voice, "I love you."
The treatment was agonizing, but Serafina gritted her teeth and got through it.
What kept her going were Francis's daily video calls—without fail, every single day. And every time they ended, he'd gaze at her through the screen, his voice steady and sure as he said, word by word, "I will wait for you."
At her final check-up, the doctor smiled and told her, "Ms. Saunders, your recovery is even better than expected. Your voice might still sound a bit hoarse for now, but you can speak. Congratulations!"
Serafina touched her throat, testing the sound and saying, "Thank ... you."
She immediately booked the earliest flight back, without telling Francis.
When the plane landed, her heart was pounding so hard with excitement.
She took a taxi to the familiar villa. Suppressing her excitement, she pressed her index finger to the door lock as usual.
Unexpectedly, the system beeped, "Verification failed."
She froze for a second, figuring her finger must be dusty. So, she wiped it on her clothes and tried again.
"Verification failed."
Her heart sank.
Serafina took a step back, her eyes drifting toward the garage.
Francis's black car was parked there, just like always. But hanging from the passenger side window was a fluffy pink rabbit ornament, which was something she'd never seen before in her life.
There seemed to be a sticker on it too, but she couldn't make out the words. One thing was for sure, though—it was nothing like anything Francis would ever choose.
Serafina stood there in the cool early autumn breeze, feeling her throat grow tight and dry all over again.
She turned and flagged down another taxi.
"To the Hewitt Group's headquarters."
The taxi stopped in front of the company building.
Serafina walked straight to the front desk and typed on her phone, "I'm here to see Francis."
The receptionist looked up, giving Serafina a critical once-over, her tone sharp with impatience. "Do you have an appointment? Mr. Hewitt is very busy. No appointment, no meeting."
Serafina tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out.
The receptionist rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Another one? Playing mute is so outdated. The one Mr. Hewitt favors now is famously talkative—chattering all day long, and he loves listening to her. You're using the wrong approach. Better leave."
A male employee nearby chuckled and chimed in, "Yeah, at this hour, Ms. Whaley is probably 'telling stories' to Mr. Hewitt, like clockwork every day. No one dares disturb them. Even Mr. Morgan got turned away last time when he had an emergency."
Ms. Whaley? Telling stories?
Serafina felt a chill spread through her limbs. She stood frozen until she was eventually escorted out of the building.
She returned to the villa. This time, she rang the doorbell.
It took a while before the housekeeper, Tania Penney, came to answer.
When she saw it was Serafina, surprise and panic flashed across her face. "M-Mrs. Hewitt? You're back? Mr. Hewitt didn't say anything about this."
Serafina walked in with her suitcase, her voice still hoarse and her face deathly pale.
Everything at home seemed unchanged, yet somehow, everything felt different.
She didn't turn on the lights, simply sitting on the living room sofa, motionless as night gradually fell.
When it was fully dark, the sound of the fingerprint lock beeping came from outside, followed by a crisp, cheerful female voice. "Frank, that cat today was so adorable! I named it 'Fluffy'! I think it liked it! Can I go feed it again tomorrow? What kind of little bed do you think I should get for it? Would it like a pink one? Oh, and this weekend..."
The door opened, the lights suddenly switched on, and the voice cut off.
"Fina?" Francis's voice held disbelief and delight. "You're back early? Is the treatment over? How did it go? Everything okay?"
Serafina looked at him, but her throat felt completely blocked.
Francis watched her, his smile fading when she didn't say a word. She just kept looking at him with those dark, deep eyes of hers, her face growing paler by the second. A sinking feeling hit him hard.
He strode over, dropping to his knees in front of her, and took her cold hands in his. "It's okay, Fina. It's okay. If it doesn't work this time, we'll try again next time. Don't be sad. Whether you can speak or not, you'll always be my love."
Serafina let him hold her hands, neither pulling away nor saying a word to explain.
She just stared at the face she'd missed so desperately for an entire year. Then, slowly, her gaze drifted past him to Cathryn Whaley, who was still standing awkwardly in the hallway, watching them.
After what felt like an eternity, Tania cautiously spoke up, "Mr. Hewitt, dinner is ready."
Francis didn't offer any explanation. He just took Serafina's hand and led her toward the dining room.
But Serafina avoided his hand, her eyes fixed on Cathryn. She then took out her phone, typed rapidly, and turned the screen toward Francis.
"Who is she? Why is she here?"
Francis saw the words on the screen, and his smile stiffened slightly. "Oh, Cathryn? She's a friend."
Serafina saw his clearly evasive attitude, and her heart sank further.
She didn't press the issue, just silently walking to the other side of the table, pulling out a chair, and sitting down.
Tania brought out a large steaming pot of creamy chicken and mushroom soup, placing it in the center of the table. The aroma filled the air.
Francis naturally picked up the soup ladle and a small bowl, filling it to the brim with soup. Then, under Serafina's gaze, his hand holding the full bowl reached across the table, past her, and steadily placed it in front of Cathryn.
"Careful, it's hot. Drink slowly," he said, the words coming naturally, like a habit he'd formed long ago.
Cathryn took the bowl with a bright smile. "Thank you, Frank! You're the best!"
Only then did Francis seem to remember Serafina was here. He picked up another bowl, ladling soup into it as he said, "Fina, you should have some too. It'll help you get your strength back. You've gotten so thin."
That bowl—the one he'd given to Cathryn first—felt like a needle, piercing Serafina's eyes, sharp and painful. How many times had this scene played out over the past year when she wasn't around? Had it become such a natural routine between Francis and Cathryn?
Serafina stood up abruptly, not sparing a single glance at the bowl of soup. She turned and ran upstairs.
Her throat ached, tight and burning, but no sound escaped her lips, only tears spilling down her cheeks uncontrollably.
"Fina!" Francis jumped to his feet, chasing after her immediately.
Serafina rushed back to the bedroom, trying to shut the door behind her, but Francis had already pushed his way in.
"Fina, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Francis reached for her, but she shoved his hand away forcefully.
Serafina kept her back to him, wiping her tears roughly. She picked up her phone, her fingers trembling so much that she could barely hit the right letters.
She typed, "You love her, don't you?"
She held the phone up, shoving the screen right in front of Francis's face.
Francis looked at those words and seemed to freeze.
His expression shifted through complex emotions. For a few seconds, time seemed to stand still.
Serafina thought he'd either stay silent or deny it outright. But instead, Francis closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he nodded.
"Yes," he said, his voice raw and hoarse. "Cathryn is bright and lively, always chattering about something interesting. Being with her... It's relaxing." He paused, his gaze locking onto Serafina's face. "But Fina, you're still in my heart, too. No matter what happens, the position of Mrs. Hewitt will always be yours. I'll never treat you unfairly."
Serafina stared at him, her vision blurring, a loud ringing in her ears.
Trembling, she typed, "I don't need it. Let's divorce."
She held the phone screen up to Francis again.
Francis's eyes had just skimmed the words "I don't need it" when Cathryn's scream suddenly erupted from downstairs.
His face changed instantly. He didn't even have time to read what came next. Pushing the phone aside, he said urgently, "Any request you have, I'll agree! Just rest well for now!"
With that, he turned and bolted out of the room, his footsteps thudding loudly as he raced down the stairs.
The bedroom plunged into dead silence.
Serafina stood where she was, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

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