How to Unmake a Man?

Chapter Twenty-One: The Loop That Never Ends

Weeks passed.

Hannah had convinced herself that this was it. The real ending.

After the last conversation with Leon, after the final, cold words that made her feel as if a door had been slammed shut in her face—she had no reason to believe there was anything left between them. It was over. Done. She was moving on.

Or at least, she was trying to.

But then came the party.

It was Bill's idea—just another Friday night gathering, nothing extraordinary. A chance to drink, laugh, and forget the weight of the past few months.

Hannah had no expectations. Leon had been silent in the group chat, ignoring the invite entirely.

Until the last minute.

And then, suddenly, he was there.

Not at the party. Not part of the larger gathering. Just at her place.

For the pre-drinks only.

The air was thick with confusion. No one knew why he had come—not even Hannah.

He wasn't staying for the actual party. He was just there. For a few hours. Sitting in the corner, sipping his drink, engaging in just enough conversation to not seem out of place but never fully present either.

It didn't make sense.

Why show up if he had no intention of coming to the event?

The energy in the room shifted when Hannah casually mentioned the guy she was seeing.

She didn't expect it to matter.

But Elena caught it—the sharp flicker in Leon's expression, the way he rolled his eyes when he thought no one was looking.

Hannah hadn't noticed at the time. But later, when Elena told her, the words hit her like a slap.

Why was he acting like this?

After everything—after shutting her down so firmly, after telling her to move on, after insisting they were just friends, after making it painfully clear that nothing would ever happen between them—why was he still here, hovering on the edges of her life?

Hannah didn't have the answers.

And, honestly?

She was tired.

Exhausted, actually.

Whatever this thing was between them—it needed to end.

For real this time.

A few days later, she caved.

She sent him a message.

"Do you have some time to talk maybe? I want to talk about something in person."

His response was immediate.

"What do you want to talk about? "

That smiley face irritated her more than it should have.

"Something you might not find necessary to talk about, but it's important for me."

She waited.

"Well then, we can talk about it over the phone."

No.

That wasn't what she wanted.

"I feel like talking over the phone is not the best option for me..."

"Why not? I won't really have the time this week. So let's get over with it."

The words landed like a punch.