My Silent Husband Finally Spoke, But He Said My Best Friend’s Name Chapter 07

My Silent Husband Finally Spoke, But He Said My Best Friend’s Name Chapter 07

I went to Seacrest.

Nobody in Seacrest knew Julian.

And nobody knew I’d once been married to a man who refused to speak.

I picked up a job at a flower shop down the road.

Most days I trimmed stems, changed out the water, put together the occasional bouquet when

someone wandered in.

One evening I was standing in the shop doorway with an armful of lisianthus.

The sun was setting over the water, and half the street had gone gold.

The shop owner smiled at me. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

I looked out at the horizon, and something slipped out before I could think about it.

“Yeah. It’s beautiful.”

“Like a watercolor painting.”

The words hung in the air, and I caught myself.

I used to save thoughts like that for Julian. He was always the first person I wanted to tell.

But standing there, hearing myself say it to no one, I realized the words didn’t need a listener.

I could say them to the breeze. I could say them to myself.

That was enough.

My new life settled around me, and I let it.

Mornings, I bought coffee by the water. Afternoons, I sat in the sun outside the shop. At night, I

walked the coast alone.

Sometimes I’d pass a neighbor I recognized, and they’d smile and wave.

“Chloe, anything new at the shop today?”

And I’d tell them, my voice still a little raspy.

“Lisianthus.”

“And some white roses.”

A few weeks later, I stepped out of the shop and there he was.

Julian, standing at the corner.

He’d lost weight.

His jacket hung loose on his frame, flapping in the coastal wind.

He hadn’t shaved in days, and his eyes were bloodshot.

The second he saw me, something in his face crumbled. Like he’d been holding his breath for

weeks.

“Chloe.”

His voice was rough. Hoarse and shaking.

I stopped walking and looked at him.

Three years I’d waited to hear that voice.

I used to imagine it all the time. Him finally saying my name.

I told myself I’d fall apart the second it happened.

I’d tell him I’d been waiting my whole life for this.

But now that it was real, now that his voice was right there in front of me, I felt nothing.

Just stillness where the ache used to be.

Like hearing a stranger call the wrong name on a crowded street.

Julian took a step forward.

“Chloe, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“I messed up. I know that.”

“I know.”

i kept my voice even. “How did you find me?”

My calm landed harder than anger would have. His eyes went glassy in an instant

“I tracked down your flight.”

“Called every friend of yours I could think to call.”

“Chloe, please. Don’t shut me out.

“You wanted me to talk, right? I’ll talk. Every single day. I swear.”

The words tumbled out of him now, tripping over each other.

“Sunsets, flowers, picking up coffee beans, all of it.”

“Whatever you want to talk about, I’m listening.”

“I’ll never call you annoying again. Never.”

I looked at him, and something between a laugh and a sigh rose in chest.

my

All those little things I used to say, the ones he’d brushed off like they were nothing.

Now that I’d stopped saying them, he wanted them back.

But life isn’t a voice note. You can’t just hit replay when you finally feel like listening.

I said his name softly. “Julian.”

His head snapped up, like I’d thrown him a lifeline.

I said, “I don’t want to say those things to you anymore.”

The color drained from his face.

“Chloe…”

“It wasn’t that I didn’t love you…”

I cut him off. “That’s not my problem anymore.”

“I already signed the papers. Let’s just end this.”

Julian flinched like I’d struck him. He actually swayed on his feet.

The wind came in off the water and moved through the space between us.

He reached for me, his eyes brimming with tears.

“Can we start over? Please.”

“I can talk now. I’ll say your name, I’ll tell you about my day, I’ll say good night. Every night.”

“Everything you ever wanted from me, I’ll give it to you. All of it.”

I stepped back. His hand hung in the air between us.

“It’s too late.”

His hand stayed there, reaching for empty air.

I looked him in the eye and said it slowly, so he’d hear every

word.

“What I wanted was a husband who would talk to me while I still cared.”

“Not someone who finds his voice after there’s nothing left to save.”

The tears came then. He didn’t try to stop them.

“Is this really it, Chloe? There’s no going back?”

I didn’t answer right away.

Then a small, tired laugh left me.

“Julian.”

“You’re the one who taught me to stop talking.”

“So here I am. Quiet. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Julian didn’t move. I watched the last of the color leave his face.

He’d finally gotten what he wanted. A Chloe who didn’t need him to speak.

The same Chloe who didn’t need him at all.