My Birthday, My Downfall novel Chapter 88

They exchanged bewildered looks.

"Wh—what? Is he really that mad?"

Sean's childhood friend, Austin, however, stared silently at the slowly closing elevator doors, frowning slightly.

After a moment, he suddenly asked an unrelated question"

"Don't you guys think Sean has been acting… off these past two months?"

Everyone blinked in confusion.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Ever since the breakup with Hannah, Sean had been completely free.

Drinking, partying, racing—he was back to his usual reckless lifestyle.

Oh, except for the occasional moments when he stared at his phone, lost in thought.

But other than that?

Nothing seemed different.

Inside the elevator.

Sean's eyes were stormy as he glared at the changing floor numbers.

His jaw was clenched so tightly that his frustration practically radiated from him.

Then, without warning, he slammed his fist against the elevator wall.

Teeth grinding, he spat through clenched teeth"

"Hannah, you dare?!"

Gerald went for another cold shower.

The good news was—the drug had finally worn off.

The bad news was—he was completely drained.

A loud thud sounded from the bathroom, startling me.

I rushed inside without thinking—

Only to see Gerald, one knee bent, slumped against the wall.

Cold water was still pouring down from above.

He looked up through the mist, his wet lashes clumped together.

Glancing at the fallen shelf beside him, he gave me a helpless yet apologetic smile.

"No strength left. Sorry."

For a split second, I felt like I was looking at a drenched, pitiful golden retriever.

He didn't even need to say anything—just gazing at me with those water-filled eyes was enough to send my guilt skyrocketing.

I hurried forward, turning off the water and helping him up, letting him lean against me for support.

The cold seeping from his body at such close proximity startled me.

It was the dead of winter, and he was soaking in cold water like this—wasn't he afraid of catching a serious cold?

"Bath towel."

I quickly grabbed the large towel from the side, spread it open, and stood on tiptoe to wrap it around his head.

But I hadn't expected—

As my heels dropped back to the ground, the towel in my hands tightened involuntarily due to the height difference.

And just like that, I accidentally tugged Gerald forward.

In the next second, the distance between us shrank to zero.

Our noses bumped.

Both of us froze.

Gerald was a whole head taller than me, yet he simply stood there, quietly lowering his gaze to look at me, his eyes deep and unreadable.

Droplets of water slid from his damp hair, tracing along his chiseled features.

Finally, they gathered at his chin, dripping down onto my clothes.

The air between us suddenly grew thick with something unspoken—