Part 3Silence is Golden

From then on, wherever he went, I was the yapping tail behind him.

Silas went from ignoring me to being annoyed, and finally, to resigning himself to his fate.

I mapped out his incredibly boring routine.

Breakfast -> Room. Lunch -> Room. Water plants -> Room.

Currently, I was staring at him watering the hydrangeas. His movements were fluid and graceful.

Silas glanced at me, confused. He seemed to be asking why I was so quiet today.

I was suddenly moved. Tears welled up.

Sob. Life really is different depending on who you're with.

Grandpa Silas and the butler walked by at that moment. Grandpa slammed his cane down and glared at Silas.

"Are you bullying Jade again?"

Silas: "..."

He pursed his lips, accepting the blame silently.

I stopped Grandpa. "It's not him. It's just... I'm too emotional. My parents think I'm annoying. Only Silas listens quietly. He never interrupts. Meeting him is my blessing. I'll treat him well forever!"

Silence fell over the garden.

I wiped my eyes, unaware of the awkward atmosphere, and seamlessly pivoted.

"By the way, Grandpa, where have you been? Busy? Why didn't you reply to my text? Are you free to chat tonight? I heard you like fishing. I know a spot. Speaking of fish..."

Grandpa Silas and the butler exchanged a panicked look, laughed nervously, pretended a fake alarm went off on their watch, and bolted.

Sigh.

True listeners are hard to find. At least I found the one who understands me.

I turned back to look at Silas.

He had his back to me, watering the plants.

But his spine was stiff, and the tips of his ears were burning red.

That night, after sending Silas my 1,000th message of the day, I got sleepy.

Just as I was passing out, my best friend Ginger FaceTimed me. She's the only person who can tolerate me (barely).

"Something's wrong, Jade. You used to send me 500 texts a day. Why has it been radio silence lately?"

She squinted at my guilty face on the screen.

"Oh my god. You're seeing someone behind my back?"

"Is he better than me? Can he handle ten years of your non-stop harassment?"

"Better not let me catch him, or I'll chop him into confetti."

Her accusations were getting wild, so I explained the situation.

We talked until midnight. She came to a sour conclusion:

Silas is just tolerating you. He's suffering in silence. Literally.

"Impossible," I said. "We are soulmates!"

That night, I had a nightmare.

In the dream, Silas was hooking up with some random woman. I tried to stop him, and he looked at me coldly and said one word: Leave.

I woke up sweating. My possessiveness hit me like a truck.

I didn't even put on slippers. I marched downstairs with a dark cloud over my head, grabbed Silas by the collar while he was eating oatmeal.

In his shocked eyes, I exploded:

"Report to me! Send your location!!! (Rage)"

"Who were you texting? Why didn't you reply for 30 minutes? (Interrogation)"

"Who was that bitch kissing you in my dream? (Darkness)"

"Explain! Is it hard to speak? Huh? (Suffocation)"

The butler whispered in my ear, "Miss... he's mute."

I froze. I loosened my grip and patted his collar.

"Oh. Don't be scared, baby. I was possessed by a demon just now. I didn't mean to yell. I just like you too much. You understand, right? (Puppy eyes)"

Silas slapped my hand away coldly and typed on his phone.

My phone pinged.

【I have no obligation to report to you.】

My fingernails dug into my palm. I looked up, smiling creepily.

"Great. I hope you don't regret that."