Chapter 335

Hannah

My heart pounded so hard I felt it in my throat. It couldn’t be… The seemingly innocuous post, easily dismissed before, had returned to haunt me in the worst possible way. My hands shook as I scrolled through the comments, each more vicious than the last.

“I… I don’t understand,” I muttered. “What is this…?”

“The original post never reached its specified like count,” Viona began. “It only got about 8,000 likes. The forum moderators removed the post and banned the poster, citing troll bait.”

“Then how…?”

Viona placed a comforting hand on my arm as my mind raced. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten, let this mess slip through my fingers. With everything else happening, I’d completely ignored the post.

“I forgot about it,” I admitted, more to myself than Viona. “I figured it was just a… a troll.”

“That’s what we all thought,” Viona said. “But then, very late last night, the poster returned with a new account. And they posted… this.”

She gestured to her phone, which trembled in my shaking hands. I reread the title, feeling nauseous: “I’m back. My original didn’t get 10,000 likes, but… F***k it. Luna Hannah is a cheating whore, and that baby probably belongs to another man… And here’s the proof.”

The words swam before my eyes, each a knife twisting in my gut. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Ever since my father announced my pregnancy at his birthday, rumors had spread like wildfire. Noah and I hadn’t made our own announcement yet, but people knew. Goddess, I was a fool not to anticipate this.

An audio file accompanied the post. I’d already listened twice, but I had to hear it again.

“Hannah, don’t—”

“I… I have to listen again,” I murmured, my thumb hovering over the play button. “I have to see if it’s real.”

Viona didn’t stop me as I pressed play a third time. First, the sound of rustling sheets, soft moans. A whispered word I couldn’t decipher. Then, his voice—Noah’s voice, low and intense: “Tell me who you’re thinking about. Tell me.”

A long pause. A low hum vibrated in the background.

And then, my voice: “I’m thinking about…”

“Say it.”

“Drake.”

Another rustle, a door slamming loudly, making me flinch. Then, silence.

The blood drained from my face, leaving me lightheaded, despite having heard it twice already. “Oh, Goddess,” I whispered, my hands shaking so violently I almost dropped the phone. “Oh, Goddess, no.”

“Hannah,” Viona said, touching my arm. Her touch felt like fire against my cold skin. “What are you going to do?”

I jumped up, frantic energy surging through me. The room felt too small. I needed to move.

“I need… I need to find Noah. I need… I need his help,” I said.

Without a word, I bolted from Viona’s apartment, ignoring her calls. The stairs seemed endless as I rushed down, my feet barely touching the steps. I almost fell, or I think I did; everything was a blur. I burst onto the street, the cool air a shock to my face.

I drove to Noah’s office building like a woman possessed, likely breaking several traffic laws. Finally, I reached the imposing glass building. I burst through the revolving doors and took the stairs again, refusing to wait for the elevator. Soon, I was sprinting through the waiting room, where a young receptionist with a curly blonde updo looked up from her desk.