Chapter Thirty-Nine - Hannah
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Hannah
HANNAH’S BODY ACHED in the best way.
The grocery store’s fluorescent lights were too bright, the air-conditioning too sharp against her sweat-damp skin, but she felt good . Strong. That deep, buzzing exhaustion that came after pushing herself harder than she had the day before.
She rolled her shoulders as she weaved through the aisles, still feeling the heat in her muscles from today’s lifts. Her legs would be sore tomorrow. But she liked that. She liked knowing she had done something hard and gotten through it .
The grocery stop was supposed to be quick. Just some fruit, eggs, milk. The potato chips that James liked. The beer that was Mia’s favorite. Maybe some Epsom salts, too, for the inevitable post-workout soreness.
But then she saw him standing near the self-checkout, a paper bag in one hand, his other tucked into his jacket pocket. Daniel.
Hannah pivoted sharply, moving faster than she meant to.
Her shoulder clipped the edge of a produce display.
A pyramid of oranges teetered. One hit the floor, then another, and suddenly half the stack was tumbling down in a soft, rolling scatter.
Hannah froze.
So did Daniel.
For a second, the only sound was the dull thud of fruit against tile.
Then, slowly, she bent down to start gathering them. Her hands moved on instinct, jaw tight, heart hammering.
She didn’t have to look to know he was watching her.
She could feel it.
His gaze like gravity.
And still—she kept picking up oranges.
Because what else could she do?
She cursed under her breath, bending down to grab them, but before she could reach the last one—
A hand beat her to it.
Large. Familiar.
She looked up.
Daniel.
Her pulse jumped.
He held out the orange, his eyes unreadable.
Something knotted into the lines around his mouth, the hollow under his eyes, the soft collapse of his shoulders.
She reached out and took the orange from him. Their fingers didn’t touch.
“Thanks,” she said, clipped, cool.
He nodded.
And then—for a moment—he just stood there.
She could see him debating whether to speak. The words seemed to catch in his throat. When he finally opened his mouth, his voice was so quiet she almost missed it.
“I know I’m the last person you want to run into. Believe me, I…” He exhaled shakily, eyes fixed somewhere around her elbow. “I imagine this kind of moment all the time. Hoping to see you, anywhere, everywhere.”
She clenched her jaw.
“I just—” He shook his head. “I know I’ve already said it. But I need you to hear it again.” His voice cracked on the last word. “I’m sorry. For everything.”
She didn’t want this. Not from him. Not in this place. Not when she had finally gotten a little peace.
“I’ve heard it,” she said, her voice steady but flat.
Daniel nodded like he’d expected it. Like he deserved worse.
“I know,” he said. “I just… I say it to myself every day. I say it to the walls. To no one. But I needed to say it to you.”
A beat passed. Then another.
Daniel shifted slightly, eyes shining just a little too much in the harsh light. He swallowed, like it hurt.
“I don’t expect anything from you, Hannah. I swear I don’t. I’m not trying to… change anything.” He shook his head again, his voice growing hoarse. “I just wanted you to know I see it now. What I did. What I lost.”
Hannah said nothing.
He took a step back, his shoulders slumping in surrender.
“Take care,” he murmured. “Please.”
And then he turned, the paper bag crinkling in his hand, and walked away.
Hannah stayed there, fingers clenched around the orange he’d handed her like it might slip through her grip if she let herself breathe.
She should be relieved.
He had said his piece. He had left.
So why did she feel like she was still holding something too heavy to carry?
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Hannah took a long sip of her beer, the cold fizz sharp against the back of her throat.
She needed this.
A drink, a couch, and Mia’s presence—all things steady and familiar. Things that grounded her.
Mia stretched out beside her, her socked feet propped up on the coffee table, head tipped back against the cushions. “So let me get this straight.” She raised a lazy hand. “You ran into Daniel at the store.”
Hannah exhaled through her nose. “Yes.”
“He picked up an orange.”
“Correct.”
“He apologized. Again.”
Another sip. “Yes.”
Mia blinked at the ceiling. “And… that’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Mia made a considering noise, lifting her beer to her lips.
Hannah let her head tip back, staring at the water stain on the ceiling, courtesy of last year’s heavy rains.
She could still feel the interaction buzzing under her skin. Could still see the way he’d looked at her—not expectant, not pleading, just… resigned.
It had thrown her off.
Daniel had always been the guy who talked his way out of things. The man who could spin a situation, smooth over anything with the right words.
But in that moment, he hadn’t tried to convince her of anything.
He had just told her the truth.
She should be relieved.
But mostly, she was just tired .
Mia nudged her knee with her foot. “If you want to exorcise him, why not give Luke a call?”
Hannah frowned. “Luke?”
“You know, gym guy. Abs. Talks about macros too much.” Mia waved her beer. “Or was it Logan?”
A beat.
Then Hannah sighed.
“Leo,” she corrected.
Mia snapped her fingers. “That’s the one.”
Hannah didn’t bother saying that she wasn’t going to call him.
Because, honestly? The thought of seeing Leo again, of peeling off her clothes and pretending she felt anything more than nothing —it didn’t excite her..
It wasn’t what she wanted.
Mia, apparently picking up on her silence, glanced over. “What?”
Hannah shook her head. “Nothing.”
Mia narrowed her eyes. “You’re not thinking about calling Daniel , are you?”
Hannah nearly choked on her sip of beer.
“What? No!”
Mia lifted an eyebrow.
Hannah groaned, tipping her head back again. “Jesus, Mia.”
“I’m just saying.”
“There’s nothing to say .”
Mia rolled her head to the side, studying her. “So you’re telling me that if he showed up here right now, looking like he did at James’s last birthday—”
“Oh my God .”
“—and told you he wanted you, you wouldn’t even think about it?”
Hannah sat up, turning to glare at her. “No.”
Mia grinned, taking another sip.
Hannah pointed a finger at her. “I mean it.”
Mia held up a hand in surrender. “Alright, alright.”
Then, under her breath—
“Still seems like a waste.”
Hannah groaned, sinking back into the couch. “Mia.”
“I’m just saying.”
“Well, don’t .”
Mia let out a long, dramatic sigh. “Fine.”
Silence settled between them for a beat, the hum of the fridge the only sound in the apartment.
Hannah exhaled, running a hand down her face.
Then, quietly—
“I can’t imagine letting that man see me naked ever again.”
Hannah knew Mia was looking at her but Hannah couldn’t make eye contact. Just kept her gaze on the coffee table, tracing the condensation rings from their beers.
The thought of Daniel touching her—of his hands running over her skin after they had been all over Sienna —made her burn with mortification .
He had held Sienna’s waist in his hands. Had gripped her hips, tangled his fingers in her hair.
Lithe, flexible, Sienna .
The kind of woman Hannah had never been.
The kind of woman he had wanted .
Heat crawled up her neck, shame burning at the edges.
She had been so vulnerable with him. Had trusted him with her body, with her pleasure, with everything .
And now?
Now she felt stupid for it.
Mia’s voice was softer this time. “Hannah…”
“I mean it.” Hannah forced out a small, humorless laugh. “The thought of it makes me want to curl up and die.”
Mia watched her for a long moment, her usual teasing nowhere to be found.
Then, finally—
“Fuck him.”
Hannah blinked.
Mia sat up, setting her beer down with a dull thunk . “Seriously. Fuck him.”
Hannah let out a breath, shaking her head. “I know.”
“No, I mean it.” Mia leaned in. “You were his wife . You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Hannah swallowed.
She knew that.
She did.
But knowing something and feeling it were two different things.
Mia studied her for another long beat, then exhaled, picking up her beer again.
“Alright,” she said, leaning back. “So, no gym guy. No Daniel.” She took a slow sip, then glanced at her sideways. “Guess that just means more beer for us.”
Hannah huffed out a laugh, shaking her head. “Guess so.”
Mia grinned, clinking her bottle against Hannah’s.