Chapter 20
"Harper," Francis called as he approached.
Maybe it was being so close to death today that it had delayed all her thoughts.
Just hearing him say her name made Harper's heart twinge, and she yearned to throw herself into his arms without a second thought.
'So close!’
'Just a hair's breadth away from never seeing him or our baby ever again...’
'There was so much I hadn't had the chance to say, even if I was no longer fond of him. Our baby had the right to let its father know it existed!'
"Francis..."
Just as Harper tried to speak up, the door burst open again.
In came Chloe!
"Harper, what happened to you?"
Chloe's face showed genuine concern. "Francis and I were on our way to the Marriage Registry Office when we heard you were in the hospital. It scared us to death."
Harper was stunned.
One second, just a single second, had passed.
Just moments ago, her heart had been a tumultuous ocean, but now it tranquilized into a quiet lull, the gleam in her eyes fading bit by bit.
'Right. How could I forget?’
'We were on the verge of a divorce...
'How could I still cling to such a laughable fantasy?’
'Had I lost too much blood, so much so that my brain had drained away with it?'
"Why are you here?" Francis's tone carried a tinge of displeasure, his gaze growing colder.
"Francis, it's so cold outside, and I dressed too lightly today. I'm freezing..." Chloe said with a forlorn pout.
Harper noticed that Chloe was in a white lace dress with a revealing design that made her look even more frail and touching.
She realized that Chloe was wearing the very dress intended for their marriage registration—a sign of her own insensitivity, dampening their spirits.
In just a moment, Harper no longer wanted to utter another word.
"Harper, are you feeling better now?" Chloe edged closer, feigning concern, yet beneath her eyes lay an unmistakable resentment.
'I had dressed up early in the morning, putting on a custom-made gown I had waited a half month for, anticipating a radiant day at the marriage registry with Francis.’
'I had staked out the Getty Corporation early, waiting for Francis to finish his meeting. After weakly popping a few heart-relief pills, I tearfully coaxed him to go to the Marriage Registry Office.’
'I had everything planned out. As soon as they got the divorce certificate, I would find a way to make Francis marry her.’
'But I hadn't anticipated that yesterday's incident wouldn't deter that wretch.’
'There she was, causing trouble again.’
'Indeed, I couldn't let my guard down against this little scourge!'
"It's nothing," Harper replied coolly, her right hand wrapped up and unnoticed in her blanket.
"Can we go this afternoon?" asked Chloe.
Francis's brow twitched. He was about to speak when Harper interjected, "Of course."
She'd intended to go herself that afternoon. Her left hand might be inconvenient for most tasks, but signing her name wouldn't be a problem.
Francis's eyes narrowed at her response, his expression turning sour.
Chloe, oblivious to the tension, joyfully linked arms with Francis, her face beaming, "Harper, we owe you one."
Francis frowned as Chloe continued, "Harper, even after the divorce, we'll take care of you. You'll be like our little sister."
Crash—
The door swung open with force.
"Since when can anyone make decisions for the Getty family without my knowledge?"
Abigail strode into the room, wearing a striking crimson dress.
She placed a thermal lunchbox on the cabinet and put a cushion behind Harper, her voice tender, "Harper, are you hungry? The meal was delayed because I made it fresh at home."
Abigail ignored Chloe and Francis completely.
Just as swiftly as a gust of wind, Chloe barely caught a glimpse of who had entered, but the commanding presence of the woman was unmistakable.
'I won't be outdone, that's for sure.
'Besides, what kind of influential people could this drab-looking woman possibly know?'
Chloe struck a haughty pose, asking with disdain, "And what's your relationship to Harper?"
"I...?" With a derisive snort, Abigail turned to face Chloe, her look one of utter contempt. "I'm her mother-in-law!"
The air seemed to freeze.
Upon recognizing Abigail, Chloe's knees buckled. If not for her grip on Francis, she might have collapsed right then and there.
'What on earth was she doing here?'
Abigail's piercing gaze sent Chloe scurrying for cover behind Francis.
Francis's lips barely moved as he asked, "Mom, what brought you back to the States so suddenly?"
Abigail laughed coldly, "If I hadn't come back, would I have witnessed such a spectacle?"
"Not a word of comfort for your injured wife, just cozying up with a mistress. I can't understand how I gave birth to someone like you—constantly finding ways to hurt others with your deeds."
Even in the face of her own son, Abigail was unsparing and frosty.
Upon hearing herself called a mistress, Chloe's face turned ashen, followed swiftly by indignation.
'This woman had never liked me, and now she was blatantly humiliating me.'
With a bitten lip, Chloe said pitifully, "Abigail, it's me, Chloe. My dad is Nathan Musk. Don't you remember me?"
"Chloe?" Abigail mused for a moment, and then recognition dawned, "Oh, the daughter of the Musk family?"
The mention of Nathan softened Abigail's expression.
Chloe's eyes lit up as she began to smile. "Yes, when I was a girl, I even..."
But before she could finish, she heard Abigail shake her head. "I remember that the Musk family come from a lineage of scholars and uphold strict family values. Their daughter would never shamelessly cling to a married man!"
Chloe's smile froze on her face.
Then Abigail's eyes shot toward her like daggers, "If you really are a daughter of the Musk family, I should pay Nathan a visit and discuss whether he's been too occupied with his company to supervise his child properly!"
Her tone shifted as she scoffed, "Or is it that Nathan also condones his daughter being a homewrecker?"
Abigail had always been a forthright and dominant figure who couldn't stand the slightest filth. When she spoke, she didn't mince words, ruthlessly writing off Chloe and the whole Musk family as if they were nothing.
Harper was left utterly stunned. It had never crossed her mind that Abigail could turn out to be her mother-in-law. Two years into her marriage, she'd never met Francis’s parents since they lived abroad.
Harper knew she wasn't the daughter-in-law the Getty family wanted. Coming from a humble background, she didn't match the blue-blooded Gettys, who wielded considerable influence in Westerlyn.
She had always believed that her mother-in-law must dislike her. Yet now, upon recognizing Abigail as her daughter-in-law, Harper found Abigail's defensive stance was shocking. Seeing Chloe's frustration, Harper was slightly satisfied.
However, she couldn't help but think that she'd been spending too much time with Chloe, and her thoughts were turning wicked by association. Right now, Chloe looked as if she'd been slapped silly. Her face was a mix of purple and red as if she was on the verge of passing out.
Francis furrowed his brow, trying to intervene, "Mom, it's not what you think..."
"Not what?" Abigail cut him off sharply, pointing at Chloe with an intimidating edge, "Is she not the other woman, or is Harper not your wife?"
At those words, Chloe's face went as pale as a ghost.
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