I Talked Too Much, Until I Couldn't

I have a severe case of logorrhea. Only speaking makes me feel alive. My classmates all call me a freak, but Marvin Britt is the only one willing to listen to me. One day, I bring some homemade soup over to see him, only to catch him holding his junior's hand. "Lexie, your voice is so lovely, unlike my wife at home. She sounds like a squawking duck. It's exhausting." My hands shake so violently that I drop the thermal flask. The commotion angers a nearby madman, who forces a bottle of boiling water down my throat. With my mouth full of blood and blisters, I realize I need proof. I send Marvin—a lawyer—a frantic voice note to accompany me to the police station for evidence. Marvin shoots back a single word—"Noted". Of course. He doesn't even listen to it, as usual. He used to reply to everything I said with voice notes at least a minute long. But we hit the seven-year itch, and he's sick of my endless talking. Leaving the hospital, I stare at my diagnosis of permanent mutism and laugh bitterly. He must be thrilled. His world is finally quiet. Chapter 1 When my husband, Marvin Brit, walked in, I was crying on the couch. He didn't ask what was wrong. He just quietly changed his shoes, walked over, and slid a lozenge into my mouth without a word. The sweetness spread across my tongue, but all I felt was pain. I used to struggle with severe logorrhea—pathological wordiness. Back then, Marvin felt so bad for me that he'd bring home a box of mint lozenges every single day. "Hannah Moore." It was the first time Marvin had ever addressed me by my full name in that heavy tone. He used to just call me Hannah. The moment I tried to speak, the wound in my throat tore open. A sharp pain hit me. It was only then did I remember that I might never be able to speak again. I unlocked my phone and typed, "Marvin, some maniac on the street forced boiling water down my throat, leaving me with trauma and damaged vocal cords. I may never be able to speak again. Can you take on this case for me?" Marvin was a top lawyer. This was his specialty. The living room was dark. Marvin's eyes were hidden in the dim moonlight, dark and heavy. My heart sank. He hadn't even looked at the screen. To him, whatever I had to say was probably just more noise. "Can you stop crying?" Marvin warned, his voice flat. "Just because I missed your voice note this one time, you're acting like I've abused you." It wasn't just this one time. By our second year of marriage, he had stopped paying attention to my messages entirely. Marvin continued, "Your mouth runs like a machine gun all day long. Who could possibly keep up with that? I have a job, Hannah. I can't always reply to you the second you text." He used to say he loved listening to me talk. He used to say it was endearing and that it showed how full of life I was. I knew he just didn't love me anymore. I pulled up my phone again and quickly typed, "If being married to me is such a chore, let's get a divorce." Marvin didn't even look up. He just rubbed his temples, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Are you giving me the silent treatment now? Is this your new way of punishing me?" My lips parted, but my throat felt like it was splitting open. When I didn't answer, he finally snapped. "Relationships take compromise, Hannah. Just because you have a psychological condition doesn't mean I always have to be the one to back down and cater to you. Honestly, loving you has always been exhausting." My mind went entirely blank. So, loving me had been nothing but a chore. Marvin slammed the door behind him as he left. I picked up my phone and reached out to a lawyer. First, to file charges against the madman who attacked me. Second, to draft the divorce papers. From now on, Marvin's world would be perfectly quiet. Chapter 2 The next afternoon, my best friend, Eliza Osborne, came with me to the hospital for my follow-up. "Hannah, you're hurt this badly. Why isn't Marvin here with you?" Eliza asked. "He used to beat himself up for days whenever you got so much as a scratch." I pulled out my phone and typed, "He has someone more important to spend his time with." Last night, he had spent the entire night drinking with Lexie Becker. They stayed out at a pub lounge until morning. "You must be devastated," Eliza said, her eyes full of pity. She had witnessed my entire relationship with Marvin. She knew exactly how deeply I loved him. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. I followed her gaze and noticed that Marvin was sitting at a roadside stall, eating street food with Lexie. Lexie was smiling while venting about some workplace gossip. Marvin listened intently as he looked at her with a gentle gaze. After we got married, I used to complain about weird coworkers too. But Marvin would always snap at me, "Stop talking about people behind their backs. It's rude." Eliza marched over, furious. "Marvin, you better explain who she is." Marvin instantly shielded Lexie behind his back. "She's my junior from school. She just started interning at our firm and doesn't know anyone else. Of course I'm going to look out for her." Marvin had mentioned Lexie before. She wasn't just his junior. She was his childhood friend. They grew up together, bound by deep history. Back when Marvin only had eyes for me, I never thought anything of it. But now, I wasn't so sure. Seeing me, Marvin spoke up first, clearly assuming I was about to make a scene. "Hannah, did you get Eliza to make a scene in the middle of the street?" I didn't even realize when I had become so pathetic in his eyes. Lexie tugged at his sleeve, putting on a conflicted act. "Marvin, don't fight because of me. Hannah only keeps you on a tight leash because she loves you. That's a good thing." The disgust in Marvin's eyes deepened. "Look at yourself. How are you any different from a lunatic?" But Marvin forgot. I used to be so insecure that I'd shrink away whenever other women pursued him. It was Marvin who had told me, "Hannah, can you please get jealous for once? I love it when you go crazy over me. It means you care." Lexie looked me up and down, then a mocking smirk played at the corner of her lips. "Don't be upset, Hannah. But honestly, sometimes you need to find the problem within yourself. We've both been by Marvin's side for years. How come he wants to talk to me but shuts you out?" I looked down at my faded white T-shirt, then touched my dull skin. Lexie, on the other hand, had radiant skin and wore a form-fitting red dress. I had seen that exact dress in Marvin's online shopping cart before. Expecting me to scream at Lexie, Marvin immediately jumped to her defense. "Hannah, Lexie is just looking out for you. You really do need to start putting some effort into your appearance and mature a bit." I wasn't always unattractive, and I wasn't always bitter. When I first started university, I was chosen as the campus beauty because of a photo. But after graduation, while Marvin and I were both interning, my severe logorrhea required a lot of medication. It was a massive financial burden. We were so poor we lived in a basement apartment. Desperate to ease his burden, I pinched every penny, agonizing for hours over buying a basic drugstore moisturizer. Poverty and stress had slowly eroded my patience and temperament. My phone vibrated. I unlocked it to find a text. "Ms. Moore, the divorce papers are ready. Please review them, and if everything looks good, I'll have the documents delivered to you." By the time I looked up, Marvin and Lexie were already gone. Chapter 3 "They said they had something come up at the firm and left," Eliza said. "Hannah, divorce him and move in with me." Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from Marvin. "I went too far earlier. Let's talk this out at home." After putting my phone away, I gave Eliza a tight smile and nodded. The follow-up went quickly. The doctor said, "You're recovering well. There's still a good chance you'll be able to speak again. The most important thing is not to let fear keep you quiet." Eliza suddenly burst into tears and threw her arms around me. "Hannah, what actually happened? You used to love talking so much." She was right. I used to love talking. It was the only time I truly felt alive. I had even built a career as a voice actress. I typed out the details of what had happened yesterday. Eliza gritted her teeth, then pulled up her phone and signed me up for a sign language course online. "Don't worry, Hannah. I'll be right here with you until you get your voice back." When I got home, Marvin stood up and wrapped his arms around me. "Hannah, where were you? You're so late. I was worried sick." His suit smelled faintly of Lexie's perfume. My body went rigid, and I pushed him away. His expression darkened instantly. Just as he was about to open his mouth to lecture me, his phone chimed. The irritation vanished from his face. He eagerly grabbed his phone to reply to the text. I had only ever seen him react like that when we were first dating. Back then, I was his entire world. He would reply to my messages even while washing his hair. Noticing my stare, Marvin intentionally sent a voice note to mock me. "Lexie, you have no idea how exhausting Hannah can be. She just got home, and she's already throwing a tantrum. However, she's trying a new tactic this time. No endless nagging, just the silent treatment." Lexie's laughter echoed from the speaker. I couldn't believe my pain had become fodder for him to entertain another woman. I used to think Marvin was different from other men. I thought he was the one who would actually listen to me and had the patience to guide me through my struggles. Now, I realized he was no different at all. I pulled the divorce papers from my bag and tossed them onto the table in front of him. Marvin froze, then set his phone down. "Hannah, this isn't funny." I wanted to tell him that it wasn't a joke and that we were officially done, but no sound came out, so I could only stare at him in silence. Seeing the tears welling in my eyes, Marvin assumed I was just wavering. He reached out to brush them away. "Alright, I get it. You're jealous and trying to spite me. I told you, we're never getting divorced." I pushed the papers back toward him. The warmth faded from Marvin's eyes. He stared at me before letting out a cold laugh. "Fine. Have it your way. Just don't come begging me to take you back." Convinced I would eventually regret this, he grabbed a pen and scribbled his signature in a matter of seconds. Our two years of dating and five years of marriage ended in a heartbeat. That night, we slept in separate rooms for the first time. He used to claim he couldn't fall asleep without holding me. Yet, as I scrolled through Instagram, I saw his latest post. "Finally, a moment of peace and quiet." The next morning, I walked out of the bedroom to find Marvin standing by the door with a suitcase. Seeing me, he explained, "A really difficult case just landed on my desk. I'll probably be staying at the office for a while. Try not to stay out too late. There's a lunatic running around our neighborhood. Someone got attacked recently." I looked down and texted him. "That person was me." Annoyed by the notification chime, Marvin didn't bother checking his screen. "If you have something to say, just say it to my face. Stop bottling things up. Don't you love talking?" I wanted to talk. I wanted nothing more than to tell him, but my damaged vocal cords couldn't make a sound. By the time I looked up, Marvin was already gone. Chapter 4 I packed my things and moved into the apartment Eliza had just rented. Just then, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Lexie. "Hannah, do you know what case Marvin is working on right now? I handed that lunatic's case to him. We're the defense, and Marvin has a flawless record. Do you think you still have a chance of winning?" My fingers dug into my palms as a sharp ache flared in my throat. I immediately opened my chat with Marvin. It was a solid wall of text messages on my side. I still wrote a long, rambling message and sent it to Marvin, almost as if I were punishing myself. I begged him not to take the case and leave our marriage with at least a shred of dignity. I even told him I was the victim, and all I wanted was justice. Marvin's name flashed on the screen as a video call came through. "Hannah, I'm at work right now. If you have something to say, just say it." I couldn't make a sound, so my fingers flew across the keyboard. But it felt like we were permanently tuned to different frequencies. He was furious because I wouldn't speak, while I was upset because he had taken that case. Finally, his patience snapped completely, and he roared into the phone, "You've had this condition ever since your parents died, so why the hell are you choosing now to stay silent?" The taut string holding my sanity together snapped. The pain in my throat flared so violently it felt like it was bleeding, forcing me to gasp for air. When I was four years old, my family went bankrupt, and my parents jumped from a rooftop right in front of my eyes. I had kept screaming at them, believing that if I just kept talking, they wouldn't leave. That was how I developed severe logorrhea. Only by talking could I reassure myself that I was alive. Only by talking could I convince myself that the people I loved wouldn't abandon me. I had bared my deepest secrets to Marvin. Yet now, he was weaponizing that exact trauma, plunging it like a blade straight into my heart. Receiving no response from me, Marvin hung up. With bloodshot eyes, I resolved to storm into his office and write everything down on paper right in front of him. But just as I was about to push the door open, I heard voices from inside. "Marvin, are you sure you don't want to double-check the plaintiff's details?" Marvin's voice was remarkably gentle. "I trust your work." "But... the plaintiff's name is exactly the same as Hannah's." Marvin's eyes flickered with a sudden unease, but he quickly recovered his composure. "It's just a coincidence. Hannah's been perfectly fine the last few days. She's had plenty of energy to pick fights and give me the silent treatment." A piercing ache shot through my throat, echoing in my chest. That was typical Marvin—stubborn to a fault. If he decided it wasn't me, then it couldn't possibly be me. "You and Hannah must be really close." Marvin gave Lexie's head an affectionate tap. "Of course. She was my first love. Now go finish sorting the files. We need a definitive win this time. It'll help raise your profile." My shoulders slumped. I turned around and quietly walked out of the firm. The next day, Eliza accompanied me to court. I wore the same white dress I had on the day Marvin and I first met. The moment I walked through the door, I noticed Marvin was wearing the exact suit from our first meeting, too. When our eyes locked, he looked as though he were suffocating. His face drained of color as he turned to walk toward me. Then, the gavel banged. Marvin had no choice but to turn back and take his place at the defense table. "Court is now in session. Plaintiff Hannah Moore, what are your claims against the defendant, Winston Cohen?" In front of the entire courtroom, I began to sign. Beside me, the interpreter I hired translated my movements aloud. With every sentence she spoke, Marvin's face grew a shade paler.