It was always her. Verna Firefly Dodd. She was the one woman in the world who understood me. It didn’t matter that I was born mute; I never needed to talk around her. She was beautiful and full of optimism, and she loved me too, but she shouldn't have.

It made her vulnerable. I made her weak.

I knew it, and yet I allowed myself to fall in love with her, for more reasons than I could count… But she wasn’t mine to love. She was my brother’s: his wife and his Firefly.

I’d learned to shove it down; after all, what could I say?

I was voiceless.

My inability to talk had made me an easy target in a world where judgments are harsh, and talking my way out of a troubling situation wasn’t an option. I needed Verna. She was my life raft on violent waters. My channel through the hush.

I may have come into the world silently, and I’ll leave it that way too…

But what I won’t do is go out without telling my side of the story.

And when wanting her pushes me past the breaking point, will I betray my brother and cross the line?

If anything is worth the risk, it’s her.

𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲, 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗹 𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗗𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝟭𝟴+