Chapter 28
Harper hadn't wanted to engage further, but Chloe's malicious words, aimed at an unborn child, had crossed a line.
She fixed her cool gaze on Chloe. "Tell me, Miss Musk, is it the act of a noble person to meddle in someone else's marriage? Francis and I are legally married. Do you know what they call what you're doing? A mistress. Why would someone of your stature stoop to being a shameless mistress?"
Chloe's face alternated between pallor and rage. She had not expected Harper to lash out and insult her in return.
"What are you even supposed to be? It's nothing but a tool Francis uses to get on Dylan's good side! Francis and I have been childhood sweethearts. We know and love each other deeply! Have you never heard that the unloved is the mistress?"
Harper couldn't help but scoff at Chloe's absurd logic. "That's news to me, Miss Musk. Don't assume everyone in the world shares your lack of shame. A mistress is a mistress, and unless I divorce him, that's all you'll ever be."
"You... you wouldn't dare!" Chloe was clearly triggered by Harper's refusal to consider divorce.
In a flash, she lunged at Harper, grabbing at her collar and trying to claw at her face.
Hiss—
Harper's collar tore open, revealing a glaring love bite on her skin.
The pale flesh, now adorned with that stark red mark, was undeniably alluring.
It was obvious who had left the mark.
Chloe bit her lip, nearly exploding with fury, wanting to tear the woman in front of her to shreds. She could even picture Francis, his eyes misty, leaning into Harper.
'Why does this woman deserve any of that?'
"How shameless can you be?" Chloe seethed through gritted teeth, malice gleaming in her eyes.
Harper looked at her with disdain. "Seems like you've misunderstood something. We're still married. Isn't it normal for a husband and wife to be intimate? Or do you expect me to turn him away? And tell me, do you really have a terminal illness, or is it all an act to gain Francis's sympathy?" After all, Chloe's lively demeanor hardly screamed terminal illness.
"You... you—" Panic flickered in Chloe's eyes, and she was dying to strangle Harper right there.
Yet, remembering her purpose for coming, she forced herself to regain composure with a bitter smile. "I never imagined Francis would go to such lengths for me."
Harper frowned, thinking Chloe sounded delusional. "What are you implying?"
"Don't you know? After Francis left my place yesterday, he went to plead with his mother again. But she said the divorce could only happen with your consent."
It was like a bolt from the blue!
Harper paled, the realization sinking in. 'So, Francis's odd behavior after storming out last night—all of it—was to cajole me into agreeing to a divorce.'
She fought back tears in front of Chloe, but her eyes reddened uncontrollably.
'He doesn't have to do any of this. I never said I want to stay married.'
Chloe watched Harper's face turn ashen, knowing her moment had come.
Suddenly, she tore open her constricting collar to reveal the delicate skin of her neck, marred by an array of violet bruises trailing down from her collarbone—each one a glaring testament to Harper's anguish.
Chloe leaned in, her voice dripping with contempt. "Why do you think Francis would ever touch you?"
Instantly, Harper's face went pale, her entire demeanor fragile as paper, ready to be swept away by the slightest breeze.
'What other reason could there be?
'Francis sought me out only because of his unsatisfied desires with Chloe.'
The thought alone stirred a nauseating tide within Harper's stomach, leaving her feeling utterly ill.
Her confidence, once robust, now felt like slaps striking her face relentlessly from both sides.
Watching Harper's face turn ghostly pale brought a smug satisfaction to Chloe's eyes.
She stood, her words teasing and cruel, "Don't fool yourself into thinking Francis can't live without you after a mere two years. He's just used to you, that's all. I'm the one he loves. Whether it's with you or anyone else, to him, you're simply a means to an end. Do you understand?"
After Chloe left, Harper collapsed to the floor, drained of all her strength, lying on the ground.
Auntie hurried over to help her up but was gently shrugged off by Harper.
"Auntie, I need to go for a walk," Harper said, her voice tinged with misery.
Auntie's face was filled with concern. Though Francis hadn't expressly forbidden Harper to go out, in this state, it left Auntie uneasy.
Once Harper left, Auntie rushed to call Francis's assistant.
Harper strolled down the wide avenue, her destination uncertain, lost in thought. She craved a breath of fresh air.
Her heart ached.
For two years, she had devoted herself entirely to Francis—compliant, never a burden, almost as if her heart was offered up on a silver platter.
Yet, his response was a betrayal, leaving a series of wounds in her heart.
Now, he continued to inflict this revulsion upon her, this insult...
He protected the one he cherished, but had he ever considered that she, too, once was someone's treasure? She was her Grandma's precious grandchild.
The thought of her Grandma filled Harper with a poignant sorrow, prompting her to dial her grandmother's number. It was the caregiver who answered.
"Harper, is everything all right? The old lady's just gone to bed. Do you need me to wake her?"
"No, no, don't wake Grandma," Harper replied hastily before hanging up, feeling as though her mind was unraveling.
If her grandmother knew the depth of her degradation, it would break her heart.
Grandma, with her advanced age, couldn't risk the slightest disturbance.
Harper then dialed Molly's number, her voice a quivering whisper, "Molly, can you pick me up? I feel terrible..."
Molly's voice sounded strange over the phone, laced with hesitancy. "Are you at the Moou Residence? I'm sending someone to pick you up, oh—"
The call ended abruptly.
Harper wandered, not even realizing she had lost one of her shoes.
The Moou Residence was nestled in an affluent neighborhood with vast distances between homes, a place where the bustle of traffic was a rare disturbance.
A fine drizzle began to fall, and Harper cradled her injured arm, shivering from the cold.
"Ouch—"
A sharp pain shot up from her foot, eliciting an involuntary cry of pain.
The sight of her heel slashed by broken glass and blending blood with rainwater against her skin was alarmingly vivid.
Her foot ached, yet it seemed her heart hurt even more...
Suddenly, the urgent honk of a car horn sounded from behind, followed by a vehicle speeding past her.
Harper evaded swiftly, perhaps too swiftly, as her vision dimmed, and she fell to the ground, as lifeless as a sheet of paper.
"Ah—!"
She cried out, instinctively protecting her abdomen with both hands.
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