Seven Years and a Lifetime of Lies Chapter 09

Seven Years and a Lifetime of Lies Chapter 09

I slapped him hard once again.

“This slap is for the version of me who loved you wholeheartedly for seven long years. You never deserved that genuine, devoted love she gave you.”

Hank pressed a hand to his stinging cheek and stared at me, conflicted, for a long stretch of time.

Then, out of nowhere, he dropped to one knee, pulled the ring from his pocket again, and bowed his head in a gesture of desperate atonement.

“Stella, every single thing you’ve accused me of is true. It’s all on me, and I’ll do better—I’ll fix this. I will cut all ties with Cindy entirely and make certain we have no further interaction of any kind moving forward. If you’ll just give me a chance to marry you, I’ll abide by every single condition you set.”

I refused to waste another word on him.

I calmly reached out to take Wyatt’s hand, interlacing our fingers directly in front of Hank to make it plain that a ring from another man now sat on my ring finger.

Hank’s temples throbbed with rage.

He lunged forward to grab me—when his phone started buzzing violently.

“What? The headquarters investigation team is here? They’re investigating Cindy and me? This has to be some mistake; I haven’t committed any wrongdoing whatsoever.

I stood there quietly, watching his expression shift from confusion to sheer panic as he bolted toward the elevator in a blind panic.

Before the doors closed, he threw one last line over his shoulder.

“Stella, wait right here for me. I will prove beyond any doubt that I am far more suited to be your partner than he ever could be.”

Wyatt watched Hank disappear into the elevator, then looked at me with quiet hurt in his eyes.

“Stella, I hope you aren’t feeling like you need to worry over all this…”

I pulled him into a hug before he could finish.

“All the experiences, gains and losses that Hank and I shared are firmly behind me now. Our future’s only just starting, and it’s wide open. He isn’t worth your peace of mind.”

A few days later, I had dinner with Wyatt and Lily, and she recounted vividly every detail of the confrontation between Hank, Cindy and the corporate compliance investigation panel.

With Arthur Jacobs, Hank, and Cindy all present, the investigators played the evidence I’d submitted: security footage from Hank’s home office.

The video clearly showed Hank acting furtively to tuck falsified expense reimbursement paperwork inside my document organizer binder and swapping out legitimate ones of the same amounts.

That was why I never caught the tampering in time, and allowed the altered paperwork to proceed through the company’s reimbursement workflow inadvertently—giving Cindy the perfect opening to report me.

Lily sighed as she described the reactions around the office when the disciplinary notice went up.

Colleagues held such intense contempt for Hank that they were practically ready to spit in his face on sight.

I just smiled and said nothing.

At the time, I’d searched everywhere for proof, but it never crossed my mind that the person sabotaging me was my own live-in partner.

I never thought someone could tamper with my personal binder inside our own home.

It wasn’t until I overheard the truth that I grabbed the memory card from Hank’s security camera before I left, reviewed the footage frame by frame meticulously, and finally uncovered everything.

Lily slapped the table, getting worked up again.

“The most shocking twist of all came right afterward. Right after the panel announced Hank was fired and they were referring him for criminal prosecution, and that Cindy’s permanent offer was revoked and she was being let go.”

“Cindy suddenly accused Hank of workplace sexual harassment on the spot.”

“She pulled out a whole stash of flirty texts and selfies he’d sent her right after she started.”

“Stella, I’m being serious—you dodged a huge bullet breaking up with him.”

I calmly poured Lily a glass of water and slid it toward her.

“You’ve been talking a mile a minute—take a breath and sip some water. Let us not let these toxic people and messy, ugly drama spoil our appetite for dinner.”

Lily’s mood was quick to rise and quick to fade.

She smiled, said “okay,” and enjoyed the meal heartily.

Under the table, Wyatt, who’d been quiet the whole time, squeezed my hand.

I gave a small shake of my head to let him know I was fine, then gently turned his face toward the sky and murmured, “The night sky is absolutely breathtaking.”