All Chapters of When Silence Became Goodbye: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The person on the line sounded stunned."Professor Schaffer, are you serious? Everyone at the Agency knows how much you love Manuel. You gave up so many chances for him. Otherwise, you could've been our chief engineer by now."Pain cut through Shiloh's chest.She was an engineer. Calm. Logical. Steady under pressure.Except with Manuel.The second he was involved, all that logic disappeared. Her whole world had revolved around him.Shiloh fell for Manuel twice—once at first sight, then all over again over the years.They'd been classmates since elementary school. Everyone called them the school's genius duo. Every test ended the same way: Manuel took first. Shiloh came in second.She hated always coming in second. Every time, she studied even harder, determined to beat him.And every time, she still lost.The worst part? He barely studied. Still stayed on top like it was nothing.Shiloh acted like he was her rival.Secretly, she'd been in love with him forever.Senior year

Shiloh looked up at Manuel, calm."If there's poison in the recipe, have a doctor test it. Or do you not care about the truth? Are you just taking your anger out on me? In that case, stop dragging this out. Punish me. I'll take it."Rainee had framed her before.She'd thrown herself down the stairs, then cried that Shiloh pushed her.She'd splashed hot oil onto her own hand while Shiloh was cooking, then bit her lip and swore Shiloh hadn't meant it.There were too many scenes like that to count.Back then, Shiloh couldn't understand how someone as smart as Manuel didn't see through the lies.Now she got it.It wasn't that he couldn't.He just couldn't stand seeing Rainee hurt, so someone else had to take the hit.That someone was always Shiloh.She couldn't even be bothered to react.She was numb. Manuel misunderstanding her didn't hurt anymore.Something heavy settled in his chest."What do you mean, I'm taking my anger out on you?" He frowned. "If something's bothering

Christy's words hit Manuel like slap after slap.Furious, he snapped, "Enough! My relationship with Shiloh is none of your business!"Then he scooped up Rainee, who lay sprawled on the floor with blood running down her face, and left without looking back.The second Manuel left, Olivia called in the staff.They grabbed whatever they could and stormed upstairs."Shiloh, Manuel's gone. No one's here to protect you now." Olivia's eyes burned with hate. "You killed Zach. I'm not letting you off easy. From now on, every day you spend in this family will be hell."She nodded.The staff rushed forward, tied Shiloh up, and dragged her downstairs.Olivia kicked her into the pool.Then she grabbed Shiloh's hair and shoved her head underwater."Zach drowned. Do you know how painful that is? Of course you don't." Her voice shook with rage. "That's fine. Today, you'll learn."Freezing water filled Shiloh's lungs.Her whole body screamed.'So cold... So unbearable... Did Zach suffer lik

Early that morning, while Shiloh rode away in a military jeep, Manuel was in the kitchen."Martha, are you sure Shiloh likes tomato omelets?" he asked, cracking eggs into a pan. "This feels too basic. It barely counts as a real meal for someone recovering. Doesn't she have a favorite that takes more effort? How else will she know I put thought into it?""She likes light, simple food," the housekeeper said with a smile. "She doesn't eat much meat, but she loves fish and shrimp. Try herb-baked salmon, sautéed shrimp, and vegetable soup. The protein and vegetables will help her recover."Manuel liked the idea and had the staff bring the ingredients.Two hours later, he'd finished the meal.He packed it into containers and headed to the hospital.It was probably the first time he'd ever cooked for Shiloh when she was sick.'She'll be touched when she sees this.'He smiled without meaning to, imagining Shiloh blushing over the meal he'd made.But the second Manuel pushed open Shilo

The hospital cameras recorded audio too.Before he had Rainee dragged in, Manuel had already watched the footage. He'd heard every word she said to Shiloh."I'm giving you one last chance." His voice shook with barely contained rage. "Tell me the truth. What did you say to Shiloh last night?"Rainee's eyes went red.Before she could start crying, Manuel cut in. "Think before you answer. Lie to me again, and I won't let you off."She bit her lip, looking even more wronged."How could I lie to you? Since we were kids, you've always spoiled me and protected me—"Manuel kicked the table over."So you do remember I've been the one spoiling and protecting you all these years."The table flew straight at Rainee.She couldn't dodge. It hit her head-on.Her sobs got louder."I wasn't lying. I swear..."Manuel's face stayed cold. "Play the footage."His men wheeled in a projector.The screen flickered to life, projecting Rainee and Shiloh's faces onto the white hospital wall.The