He Took Off His Hearing Aid And My Love Died Chapter 05
A girl stepped out of the shadows, still wearing her school uniform.
“I already called 911. Let her go.”
She was shaking from head to toe, but her eyes stayed steady. I shook my head at her frantically-go, run, get out of here.
But the bald man had already seen her. His mouth split into a grin.
“Well, look at that walking right up to us.” He tilted his head. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. There’s plenty to go
around.”
He started toward her. I threw myself forward and locked both arms around his leg.
I screamed at her. “Run!”
He kicked me off, hard. “What the hell is wrong with you? Can’t even save yourself, and you’re trying to play
hero?”
My back slammed into the wall. He drew his leg back to kick me again, and that’s when the sirens cut through the air.
His head snapped toward the sound. A second later, he bolted, disappearing into the dark end of the alley.
The girl ran to me and pulled me to my feet.
“Clara, are you okay?”
I shook my head.
They were loading me onto a stretcher when I saw Julian standing at the edge of the crowd, a jacket draped over his arm. I didn’t call his name.
I let the ambulance doors close between us.
Julian never saw any of it. By the time he reached the mouth of the alley, the ambulance was already gone.
He wandered the empty street, calling her number over and over. Every call went straight to voicemail.
A knot started tightening in his chest. Clara never ignored his calls. Even when she couldn’t pick up, she’d call
back the second she saw it.
Three hours since their last call. No matter what she was doing, Clara would never go silent this long.
A sharp feedback whine pierced his hearing aid. He hadn’t felt that in a long time – Clara had always made
sure it was cleaned, adjusted, and perfectly tuned.
He pressed his hands over his ears and sank to the curb. When the pain peaked, all he could think about was
her.
If Clara were here, she’d be frantic. She’d have her hands on his face, already trying to fix it.
He sat crumpled on the curb, helpless.
A hand landed on his shoulder. His head snapped up, hope flooding his face.
“Clara I knew you wouldn’t leave me like-”
It was Audrey. Her face was pale, drawn tight.
“Julian, I’m sure Clara’s fine. Let’s just go home.”
Julian shrugged her hand off and stood.
“Did you forget that seven years ago, it was supposed to be you? Clara took your place.”
–
“And when your name started trending, you pushed me – you practically led me by the hand to use Clara’s
trauma to bury your scandal.”
“Now Clara’s gone and you want to go home? Of course you do. It’s not your neck on the line – it never is.”
Audrey flinched, but she forced a smile and reached for his hand.
“Julian, I know you’re lashing out because you’re scared. I get it.”
“But we’ve known each other our whole lives. How can you talk to me like that? That really hurts.”
Julian pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing himself to breathe. Seven years together. His Clara wouldn’t just vanish without a word.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that I’m just losing my mind right now.”
He looked away and didn’t see Audrey’s nails digging little crescents into her palms. They searched the dark
streets for what felt like hours.
Audrey leaned against a lamppost, breathing hard.
“Julian, what if Clara doesn’t want to be found? What if she’s hiding from you on purpose?”
“We’ve been up and down every block. If she were here, we’d have seen her by now.”
Julian’s jaw clenched. “Shut up.”
But his fingers were already moving across his phone.
[You have ten minutes. If you don’t reply, don’t bother coming home.]
His shoe struck something hard the second he hit send. A phone, smashed to pieces on the ground.
He picked it up, and the moment he saw the charm dangling from the case, his stomach dropped.
It was something cheap he’d grabbed on a whim years ago. Clara had kept it on her phone like it was
precious for seven years.
Julian closed his fist around the charm, and the tears came before he could stop them.
Only one thought broke through.
Something happened to Clara.
