My Birthday, My Downfall novel Chapter 84

Barely two seconds after he said that, his phone rang.

Hank decisively rejected the call.

A second later, the ringtone started again.

He chose to reject the call again.

But I saw it clearly—the name on the caller ID read Lauren.

There was no need to guess; it was obviously her.

When the third call came through, he reached for the reject button again.

I spoke calmly, "You should answer it. Maybe it's something urgent."

Hearing this, a flicker of hesitation flashed across his face.

After a moment, he finally answered the call.

As soon as he picked up, the sound of sobbing came through the line.

It sounded like she had been in a car accident.

Hank's expression instantly tightened, worry etched across his face as he tried to comfort her while masking his own panic.

"Don't be scared. Give me a few minutes, I'll be right there," he said quickly.

After hanging up, his eyes were full of concern, though he still tried to reassure me.

"Janet, I have something really important to take care of right now. Once I've dealt with it, I'll come back to you. About the breakup—you can forget it. I won't agree, so don't bring it up again."

Without waiting for my response, he turned and hurriedly left.

I didn't dwell on it and went about my day, heading out for work.

By the afternoon, just as my workday was about to end, my mom called.

"I've arranged the date for you. I'll send you the restaurant and time shortly. Don't you dare stand him up!"

"Got it, Mom. I'll add it to my calendar right away," I replied as I made my way toward the office exit.

As I approached the entrance, I was surprised to see Marco and Hank standing there.

Instinctively, I ended the call and walked toward them. "Marco, what brings you here?"

"Just finished negotiating a deal. I was passing by your office and figured it's almost dinner time. Thought I'd pick you up to grab a bite and celebrate sealing the deal," Marco said with a grin.

Hank's gaze was fixed on me the entire time, so intense it was impossible to ignore.

Looking at the two men on the verge of an argument, I shook my head.

"It's not true. Hank and I have nothing to do with each other."

As soon as the words left my mouth, Hank shot to his feet, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Janet, it's fine if you're mad at me, but how can you say something like that?"

Marco, equally stunned, tried to make sense of it all.

"Wait a second. If you're saying you've been with Janet, then prove it. Show me some evidence."

At that, Hank froze.

During our time together, there wasn't a single photo of us as a couple.

Because he said he didn't like taking pictures.

Once, I secretly took a photo of our shadows together. When he saw it, he was furious, glaring at me until I deleted it.

When we went on dates, he always kept a two-meter distance, terrified of being seen by someone he knew.

Even our online chats were sparse—mostly me asking questions and him giving short replies.

Evidence of our relationship? There was none.