The Quiet End of Us

Henley's face turned ashen as he stuttered, "Joanna... w-what are you talking about?"

Joanna looked at him, then glanced at Addison. "Why? Shouldn't the two of you give me an explanation?"

The hallway was bustling with people. Their colleagues were beginning to speculate as the three of them stood in the center of the corridor.

Curious stares unnerved Henley, and he tried to tug at Joanna's arm, only to be flung away.

"Joanna…" he called out.

Joanna ignored him, moving to stand in front of Addison. Her cold, piercing stare made Addison instinctively shrink back, her earlier bravado faltering.

Gripped by growing terror, Henley reached out to grab Joanna's hand again. Once more, she shook him off effortlessly.

For a fleeting moment, his heart stopped. His mind raced with frantic thoughts of what Joanna might say—or worse, what she might do.

Then, suddenly, Joanna chuckled. She turned and smiled faintly at him.

"Why so nervous?" she asked, her tone light, almost teasing. "I was talking about the project, of course."

She wiped the sweat from his brow gently. "What else did you think I was going to say?"

Relief washed over Henley like a tidal wave.

The research project was something he had recently arranged to boost Addison's profile, listing Joanna as a secondary advisor to increase its influence and scope. He had done all this because Addison's father had helped him in the past.

The approval of the research proposal was supposed to be announced today.

"Oh, has the proposal been approved?" Henley asked, relieved, while subtly signaling for Addison to leave.

Having never been dismissed in public, Addison looked wronged, tears brimming in her eyes.

Nonetheless, Henley felt no sympathy.

As she left, her resentment was palpable, though she could only discreetly glare at Joanna before walking away.

Joanna was taken into a lab after that. It was quiet, as the lab was nearly empty with lunchtime approaching.

She produced a stack of documents from her bag, saying, "They didn't manage to contact you, so they called me. I have all the documents printed and ready for your signature."

Henley had started the project specifically for Addison. He'd only added Joanna's name to the advisor list without intending for her to be directly involved, just to facilitate the approval. He hadn't expected the documents to be sent to her directly.

A pang of guilt settled in as he looked at the documents, gripping his pen awkwardly.

Joanna wasn't in a hurry. She settled into a nearby chair and watched Henley go through the documents, signing each one carefully—a habit of his, always serious and responsible no matter what he was doing.

The room was silent except for the sound of rustling pages and a soft breeze from the open window.

"I heard Zachary's wife is divorcing him," Joanna said casually, breaking the silence.

Henley froze mid-turn of a page. "W-What?"

"You didn't know? Apparently, he cheated—with one of his students, no less," Joanna replied, leaning back in her chair as if she were just chatting.

Henley's hand trembled around the pen, his face going pale. "Why are you suddenly interested in gossip?"

Joanna's tone remained light, but her gaze was unrelenting. "The rumor's everywhere. And I've had some time on my hands lately. I guess I've just been paying attention."

She let her words hang in the air before adding, "It's shocking, isn't it? Knowing someone for years, only to realize they're capable of something like that."

She glanced at Henley, then remarked, "Why did you stop signing?"

As if triggered, Henley quickly resumed signing the documents, but all he could think about were Joanna's words. His heart pounded violently, as though it might burst.

Why was Joanna bringing this up? Did she know something? What should he do if she did?

Then again, it seemed impossible.

Time passed in oppressive silence.

Finally, Joanna chuckled. "I'm just glad I married you. My Henley would never betray me, right?"

Henley finished the last signature almost by force.

As he put the pen down, relief washed over him—but guilt lingered. He forced himself to meet her eyes and nodded firmly.

"Of course not. I would never betray you," he said. "If I ever did... let me die a miserable death!"