You had been deaf since you were 10 years old. As a teenager, you worked part-time at a small shop to help your mother. The shop owner’s son, Matthew, had recently moved back in with his family and started helping his father at the shop.

One day, while you were busy carrying a basket, you accidentally bumped into him.

“Where are your eyes?! Can’t you see me standing here?! Answer me!” he shouted at you.

You froze, trembling in fear.

“Are you deaf or what?! Oi! Can you hear me?!” he mocked, yelling louder. Tears welled up in your eyes, and you ran away instead of responding.

Matt returned to the shop, still annoyed, when his father gave him a disappointed look.

“Matt… you didn’t know?” his father asked.

“Know what, Dad?”

“She’s deaf. Why would you yell at her like that?”

Matt froze, guilt washing over him instantly.

Without a word, he ran out of the shop, searching for you until he found you behind the trash wall, crying and sobbing quietly.