My Billionaire Ex Beg For A Second Chance-Chapter 207: Between Rings

"I don’t know," Katherine said for what felt like the hundredth time that day, her voice flat, her eyes trained on the elevator light as it blinked floor after floor. "Please, don’t ask me again."

Around her, the curious murmurs of coworkers and loose acquaintances trickled off into awkward silence. She stepped out as soon as the elevator doors opened, clutching her handbag tighter, heels clicking on the polished floor of the underground parking. Her shoulders were stiff, her jaw clenched.

She truly didn’t know. And that was the worst part.

By the time she reached her car, a familiar tightness had bloomed behind her eyes, not quite tears, but a pressure of things unsaid, of things building.

Katherine unlocked her car door with a little more force than necessary, the metallic click echoing in the cool air of the underground parking. She slid into the driver’s seat, letting out a long, controlled breath.

Of course they thought she knew. She was Felix Crawford’s secretary, wasn’t she? The one who managed his schedule, filtered his calls, handled every scrap of correspondence that crossed his desk. In their minds, that meant she must have had insider knowledge, every whispered conversation, every private meeting, every... engagement.

Except she didn’t. Not this time.

She started the engine, the low hum filling the silence, and gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles whitened. They looked at her like she was keeping secrets, when the truth was far simpler and far more frustrating: she was as clueless as the rest of them.

And maybe that was what stung most. She wanted to know. She wanted to know just as badly as they did, maybe even more.

She had hoped quietly, irrationally, that the rumors were just that. That they would fade in a few days, replaced by the next scandal or trending topic. But the headlines kept multiplying, each more confident than the last, like vultures circling something they were certain was already dead.

And if she asked? What if the answer wasn’t what she wanted to hear?

Her stomach knotted at the thought.

Now at home, Katherine sat curled on the sofa. The lights in the living room were dim. Her tea sat cooling on the coffee table, untouched, its steam long faded. She hadn’t changed out of her office clothes yet, the navy blouse clung uncomfortably to her back, her pencil skirt pulling tight around her knees. Her blazer lay slung over the armrest.

Her phone was beside her, face-down. It had buzzed so many times during the drive home, she had considered throwing it out the window. The onslaught hadn’t stopped.

Messages from reporters. Irene had called twice. Even some vague acquaintances she hadn’t spoken to in years had sent those fake-concerned messages:

"Are you okay? Just saw the news! Crazy, right?"

"I didn’t want to assume anything but... you and Mr. Crawford aren’t really still... are you?"

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

She hadn’t opened any of them. She didn’t want to see. She didn’t want to hear what everyone else already thought they knew.

But not a single message from Felix.

Not. One.

Katherine swallowed hard, trying to push the lump down her throat. She reached for the tea, took a sip, grimaced at the bitterness and temperature, then set it back down.

Don’t overthink, she told herself.

She stood, needing movement. Her heels were kicked off at the doorway, leaving her barefoot as she walked through the quiet apartment. The twins’ room glowed with soft yellow light.

She paused at the doorway, leaning on the frame.

"Mommy!" Nathan beamed when he saw her. He sat cross-legged on the rug, a green marker in one hand, the other arm wrapped around his sister.

Maya held up a piece of paper. "Look, we drew you! You and Daddy and us and a dragon!"

The crayon drawing was messy and bright, all hearts and stars and stick figures with enormous eyes. She smiled as she stepped in, crouching beside them.

"That’s beautiful," she said softly, brushing a hand through Nathan’s messy hair.

Maya looked up at her. "Is Uncle Felix still in Singa-pore?"

The question hit her like a stone to the chest. Her smile froze for a second. She forced it back into place.

"He’s... yes," she said. "He’s working very hard."

Nathan nodded seriously, as if that explained everything. Maya returned to drawing, humming.

Katherine stayed there a moment longer, fingers brushing against the soft carpet, before quietly slipping out.

Back in the living room, the silence felt louder.

She returned to the sofa, picked up the phone. The screen lit up instantly. Several missed calls, one from Irene, a few from numbers she didn’t know. Notifications from news apps. Social media.

She didn’t want to check.

She opened her contacts instead. Her finger hovered over Felix’s name.

What are you even going to say? That you saw the news? That you didn’t believe it? That you’re hurt? Angry? All of the above?

Her thumb pressed the call icon anyway.

It rang once.

Then the automated voice: "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."

Katherine stared at the screen. Disconnected. Just like that.

She tried again. Same result.

Again.

"The number you have dialed..."

Her lips pressed into a thin line. Her chest was tight now, painfully so, like someone had wrapped a rope around her ribcage and started pulling. She lowered the phone slowly, staring at it, not even seeing the screen.

Then, with a sharp breath, she tossed it onto the couch beside her. It bounced once, then stilled.

She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, hands over her face.

She didn’t cry. She couldn’t. She just rubbed her palms against her eyes, as if trying to erase the heaviness behind them. Her shoulders curled inward.

She didn’t know what to think anymore.

She didn’t know who to believe.

The phone didn’t buzz again. Not once.

Only the ticking of the wall clock echoed softly through the room.

She stayed like that for a long time.

Waiting.

Wondering.

Hoping for a call that didn’t come.