Chapter 333

Hannah seemed to be weighing her words, but her tone was unmistakably clear. "Let's agree to leave the past behind us. From now on, being friends feels like the best place for us both."

She had already admitted to Vincent not long ago that she understood how he felt toward her.Pretending otherwise was impossible. And after what they went through at the factory-life and death together-she couldn't bring herself to keep avoiding him either. So, friendship was her answer. It was the decision she'd reached after days of thinking things through. This way, things stayed easy. Clean. Not so tense.

Friends? Vincent's grip on his glass tightened,knuckles turning pale. He swallowed hard, as if something was stuck in his throat. Being her friend was never what he wanted.

Hannah missed the struggle in his eyes. She simply lifted her glass and gave him a gentle smile. "To the beginning of our friendship?"

Vincent stayed completely still. His eyes never left her-sharp,searching,almost wounded.

His thoughts drifted, and the question left his lips before he could stop it. "Hannah... you loved me once. How can you just stop loving me?"

Pain and confusion flickered in his gaze.

She met his stare without blinking. Her reply was steady, even a bit distant. "Love runs out. Sometimes it disappears in a single instant-and then it's just not there anymore."

Her voice was quiet. But the words hit him like a sledgehammer. An instant? Which one? Was it the times he picked Brinley over her, over and over again? Or was it the five years she had been pegged as his kept woman while she was his rightful wife, their marriage hidden?

More memories flashed back. Was it when she fought through the darkness of depression all alone,while he never even noticed? Or maybe the truth was simpler-maybe he had never truly seen her for who she was.

A thousand invisible blades stabbed Vincent's chest,leaving him raw with a pain that felt endless.

Yet,he could not bring himself to accept it. Suddenly,he blurted out, his voice rough with jealousy and panic, "Is Claude the one you love now?"

Hannah's brow creased, clear that she wanted to avoid the topic. Explaining anything about Claude,especially to Vincent, was the last thing she wanted.Her answer was vague, almost evasive. "Maybe."

Vincent rose from his seat without warning. His shadow fell across her, and in just a few steps, he was towering over her. His hands slammed down on the arms of her chair, caging her in. He bent close, his breath warm against her skin, his eyes never wavering from hers. "I don't believe you,"he whispered, his tone fierce and burning. "I don't believe you moved on so fast. I don't believe you stopped loving me."

He was so near that she could feel the heat rolling off him. Every part of her was surrounded by his presence. He left no room for escape.

But Hannah didn't flinch. She didn't blush or tremble.Instead, she lifted her chin, meeting his eyes with a calm and unwavering stare. She replied indifferently,"You're this close to me, and look-I'm not blushing,and my heart's not racing. That's proof enough that l don't love you anymore."

Her words came out cool and matter-of-fact.

"Let's just be friends," she repeated.

Reaching into her bag, she took out the ring. "Here.Take it back."

She extended the ring to him, drawing a firm line under their story and returning everything to where it began.

Vincent's arms, still planted on either side of her chair, tightened on instinct. His muscles bunched beneath the fabric of his sleeves. He didn't reach for the ring.

He'd thought things looked promising.Gone was the icy hostility she used to show him. The way she looked at him now had softened. She acknowledged his abilities. There was even something else in her eyes-maybe gratitude.

But why? Why, now that she was finally willing to let him in again, even just as a friend, did it feel like something essential had been taken from him? Why did this quiet distance hurt more than her anger ever did?

He drew his arms back slowly, as though it drained all the energy from his body.

Hannah set the ring carefully on the table. Without another glance at him, she lifted her untouched drink. She tipped the glass back, swallowing every drop. The sting in her throat seemed to help clear her head. "That's all I wanted to say," she told him, voice steady as ever. "I'm leaving now."

Vincent's head jerked up, her words striking harder than he expected. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough, strained. "So you came with me... just for this?" All this way-just to tell him friendship was enough?

Hannah reached for her handbag and rose to her feet. Her eyes were calm and certain. "Yes. I've given it a lot ofthought, and I don't need your love. This is enough for me," she said, motioning between them.

A thick silence fell between them, heavy and complete.

A moment later, she glanced down at her phone.Claude had messaged-he was on his way to pick her up. She sent him her location. She didn't wait for Vincent's response. She simply walked past him toward the door.Vincent trailed behind,silent.

When Hannah reached the exit, she paused, her hand on the knob. She glanced over her shoulder at him. "You don't have to see me out. Claude's already coming to pick me up."

And so Vincent stood by the window, motionless,watching as Claude's car carried her away.