Her Only Exception のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 111 - チャプター 120

Henry stood at the counter, his glass of juice untouched beside him. He wasn’t even aware of it anymore. His mind was stuck on Andrea’s words, replaying them over and over.Serena lingered in the doorway, her hand resting lightly against the frame. She looked from the stairs where Andrea had disappeared back to Henry, her expression softening into something careful.“Is everything okay?” she asked quietly.Henry didn’t answer right away. His eyes stayed fixed on the counter, jaw tight, shoulders heavy. Finally, he exhaled.“I need to go upstairs,” he said. His voice was low, clipped. “Something came up. Can we reschedule?”Serena’s face fell. She opened her mouth, then hesitated, searching his expression.“Actually,” she said slowly, “maybe canceling isn’t the best idea.”Henry’s head lifted, his eyes narrowing slightly.“When people are upset like that,” Serena continued, her tone gentle, “giving them space is better. She needs time to calm down first. You both do.” She stepped into

"Yeah well." Henry's jaw tightened slightly. "She doesn't seem to think so right now."Serena was quiet for a step. Then she said carefully, "What happened tonight? If you don't mind me asking."Henry exhaled slowly. "I don't know. She's been distant for two days and when I finally asked her about it she said something about a message that she saw on my phone that talked about something we shared or missed or something." He shook his head. "I don't even know what message she's talking about.""Oh." Serena's voice was small and careful. "Henry, I think... I think she might have misunderstood something I sent you.""What did you send me?""Just something about being back in Chicago and about how good it felt to see you." Serena looked troubled. "I was just expressing how much I missed you guys. But I think she took it the wrong way."Henry frowned. He still wasn't sure what message she meant. He hadn’t even seen that particular message himself because he had a busy day and hasn’t really

Henry arrived at the office at half past eleven. He greeted Andrea with a polite nod and walked straight into his office without waiting for a response.Andrea watched him go and felt something tighten in her chest.A few minutes later she gathered the Hendricks file and knocked on his office door."Come in," he called.She entered and closed the door behind her. Henry was at his desk, completely relaxed, going through emails. He looked up when she came in but his expression didn't change."I have the Hendricks update," she said, staying professional. She pulled out the chair and sat across from him.Henry set his emails aside and gave her his attention."The meeting went well yesterday," Andrea began, opening the file. "They're interested in moving forward with phase two but they want some adjustments to the timeline.""What kind of adjustments?""They want to push the implementation back two months. They're concerned about market readiness in their sector."Henry leaned back in his

Henry drove without knowing where he was going. His hands gripped the steering wheel too tightly and his jaw was clenched so hard it ached. The city moved past him in a blur of lights but he didn't register any of it.He just drove.Eventually he found himself pulling up outside Marcus's house. It was late, past ten, but Marcus was the only person he could talk to about this. The only person who would understand.He parked, got out of the car and walked to the door. He raised his hand to knock but then stopped for a moment, trying to compose himself. Then he knocked.It took Marcus a moment to answer. When the door opened he looked confused and then immediately concerned. He took in Henry's appearance–the wrinkled shirt, the messy hair, the hard set of his jaw and his expression shifted into something protective. Concerned."What happened?" Marcus asked immediately."Can I come in?" Henry's voice was rough."Yeah. Of course. Come in."Henry stepped inside and Marcus closed the door be

Henry woke up at Marcus's house and couldn't stay still.He lay in bed for an hour staring at the ceiling. Then he got up and paced the room. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the floor. His mind kept circling back to Andrea, even after everything she said to him. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, couldn’t get her out of his mind. After a few hours, he stopped pacing and stood still realizing he couldn't do this. He couldn't sit here and think about it all day.He left Marcus’s house and drove around the city for a while, not really going anywhere, just moving because staying still felt impossible.Eventually he ended up at a club. He went inside and ordered a drink. Then another. Then another.The music was loud, the lights were bright and there were people everywhere but Henry was completely alone in his own head. He kept seeing Andrea's face, kept hearing her voice, kept thinking about the way she had looked at him like he was a stranger.He drank more.The barte