After about fifteen minutes, they came out, walking side by side, laughing at the doorstep without a care in the world.
I couldn't hold back and rushed downstairs. Alan's eyes showed a flicker of annoyance when he saw my distressed state.
The girl paused for a moment, then realized who I was. She turned to Alan and smiled, "I've made sure you got home safe. Should I head off now?"
"Who is she?" My voice trembled.
Alan smoothed his cuff, showing no intention of introducing us. The girl answered on her own. "I'm Alan's schoolmate, Lucy Smith. You can call me Lucy, sister-in-law."
"She's deaf." Alan shook his head.
Back when Alan started his business, it wasn't going well. I quit my job at a Fortune 500 company to help him.
Once, in order to land a big deal, I drank a whole bottle of wine, collapsed in the bathroom, and ended up deaf. He was devastated, taking me to countless hospitals, but no treatment worked.
That deal, however, made him wealthy. A year ago, his company went public, and he told me I no longer needed to be involved in the business and should just rest at home.