Seven Years and a Lifetime of Lies Chapter 06

Seven Years and a Lifetime of Lies Chapter 06

Instead, I reached out to Lily and asked her to forward a copy of the company’s formal disciplinary notice against me, which included Cindy’s written complaint and the disputed reimbursement documents.

Back then, I had spent hours hunting for evidence to prove I never submitted falsified paperwork, but every lead somehow circled back to implicate me.

I could never figure out how the scheme worked or why someone would target me.

But after overhearing Hank and Cindy’s conversation and learning their true motives, everything clicked into place.

—

Three days after Stella moved out, Hank began to get anxious.

He had assumed she was just throwing a fit, leaving to cool off for a couple of days, so he’d deliberately ignored her to teach her a lesson.

But when three full days passed and she still hadn’t come home, his boss Arthur Jacobs told him Stella had formally submitted her resignation and completed all her exit paperwork.

Only then did Hank truly understand that Stella had left both him and the company for good.

Desperate to track her down, he drafted and deleted message after message before finally settling on: [Where are you? We need to talk.]

Shortly after, Cindy appeared out of nowhere behind him, covering his eyes with her hands while her bright laugh rang out. “Guess who?”

Amused by her little game, Hank played along, guessing wrong names on purpose.

Then he felt warm pressure against his lips.

When the kiss ended and her hands fell away, he saw her young, blushing face staring up at him.

“Hank, that was my very first kiss. I just got my permanent position today, and I didn’t have anything fancy to give you—so this is what I wanted to offer.”

Moved by her vulnerable demeanor, Hank glanced at his phone and saw no reply from Stella.

Spurred by petty resentment, he gave in and kissed Cindy deeply once more.

After that, the two fell into an intensely affectionate, clingy dynamic, and Cindy moved into Hank’s house.

Unlike Stella, she lacked clear boundaries, suffered from insecurity, and struggled to function independently.

One evening, shortly after Hank stepped out of the shower, he received an infuriated call from Arthur Jacobs.

“Hank Young, what were you thinking? You blocked a client and sent her vicious messages accusing her of being shameless for posting swimsuit photos on social media to come on to you. If you don’t want this job anymore, just resign!”

Right after, a female coworker called to vent.

“Hank, we only ever message about work. Was it really necessary to pick apart every one of my posts, nitpicking whether I wore makeup, and then delete me? Honestly, you’re such an arrogant, self-entitled man.”

Hank was stunned. It took him a moment to piece together that Cindy—who was biting her lip nervously—must have been behind all of it.

The second he frowned, Cindy’s eyes welled up.

“I didn’t mean any harm, Hank—I just get so insecure. I’m scared every other woman is more accomplished than me, and that you’ll leave me for someone else.”

Staring at her fragile, tearful expression, Hank held back every harsh reprimand that had been on the tip of his tongue.

His mind drifted to how Stella had always handled the women in his contacts.

She’d interact with them with genuine respect: she’d gift a limited-edition swimsuit to a client who loved swimming, strengthening his professional rapport.

Whenever Hank grew impatient mid-conversation with a female colleague, Stella would step in and carry the discussion smoothly on his behalf.

Hank had once asked Stella whether all those female contacts ever made her feel insecure.

Her answer had stuck with him vividly, “Loyalty lives in your heart, not in your phone’s contact list and social media.”