Chapter 460 Another Mutual Selection
That day was a total mess for Francis. Ryan and Abigail had the nastiest fight ever. They were throwing around swear words you wouldn't believe, especially from a couple who always acted all high and mighty.
Then Ryan hit Abigail, and Francis stepped in and took a punch for her. He couldn't handle the drama, so he jumped in the car and told the driver to just head south. The driver had no clue where to go, so he just kept driving until they almost ran over Harper, who was picking up a practice book from the ground.
The driver didn't see her and nearly hit her. He got out and started yelling at Harper. Harper started crying, apologized, and stood there by the road with her torn book and soaked coat. That's when Francis noticed she was barefoot on such a cold day, and even her pants were wet.
The driver, feeling kinda bad after yelling at her, realized how pitiful Harper looked. He was just freaked out, thinking if he didn't scare her, she might get hurt next time.
Harper seemed to feel the stare from the boy in the car. She looked down, embarrassed, put on her shoes, bowed to the driver, and was about to leave.
Francis told the driver to give her a ride, but Harper waved it off, saying, "Nah, I'm all wet; I'll mess up your car."
Francis grinned, looking at her muddy face, and said, "You're very clean."
Harper looked down again.
Francis asked, "You think I'm a bad guy?"
Harper shook her head. It was the first time she'd seen a boy so handsome, with such clean and sharp features, and he felt oddly familiar. Her gut told her he wasn't a bad guy.
Just then, Delaney's neighbor passed by and offered to take her home. Harper quickly thanked them and got in the neighbor's car.
Francis saw the torn book and remembered how Harper had cried so hard. Curiosity got the better of him, and he told the driver to follow them. After seeing Harper go into a house, he had the driver take him to a bookstore.
When he met the store owner, he roughly described the practice book to him. The owner found the set of books for him. When Francis saw the price on the back, he found it pretty ironic.
Harper cried over such a small amount of money, while his parents, with millions of dollars, argued over ugly stuff.
Back at Harper's house, Francis didn't bother her; he just left the books at the door. It was a small, unplanned act in his life, but he didn't know he had saved a soul.
Harper smiled, "Do you remember it now? I looked like a little mud cat back then. Of course, you wouldn't recognize me. When I opened the door and saw the books, the first person that came to my mind was you. You said I was very clean; that was the best compliment I've ever heard. I remembered the beginning numbers of your license plate. Someone told me it was a Northfield plate."
"Later, I studied hard and got into Northfield. When I first arrived, the education in my small town couldn't keep up with the pace of the big city. I was very discouraged and thought about giving up. It was at that time that I saw your interview on the LED screen in the square. The magazine called you a young genius. At that moment, I didn't feel joy at finding you; I only felt a greater sense of inferiority due to the gap between our statuses." Harper continued, her eyes misty from the memory. "I felt like I couldn't hold on any longer. But at the end of the interview, you looked at the camera with determined eyes and said, 'Chase your dreams without fearing setbacks. Let setbacks shape you instead of defeating you.'"
That line hit her like a warm beam of light on a freezing winter night, lighting up her path and giving her a reason to keep going. Because of that light, she got tougher and better. The rough patches in her youth shaped her into someone who could really make a difference. And the kindness Francis showed her made her heart warm and kind.
Francis lowered his red eyes. Honestly, he didn't even remember ever being in Silvercrest before she mentioned it today. He didn't even know the place was called Silvercrest when he stopped there that day. It was just a quick half-hour in his life, but it left a mark on Harper's heart that would never fade.
Right now, his heart ached like crazy. Harper had gone through so much to get to him, and he had pushed her away over and over because of misunderstandings.
Francis pulled Harper into his arms, his voice shaking with emotion as he sobbed, "Harper, I'm so sorry for all the crap you went through."
Now he got why Jasper spoiled Harper so much. She was the Murphy family's daughter, a little princess who should've been pampered, but she went through hell because she got lost as a kid.
"Francis, you really saved me back then, but later..." Harper's voice cracked, "You hurt me too. I worked so hard to be with you, but when Chloe came back, all my efforts went down the drain overnight."
Hearing this, Francis felt a sharp pain in his heart. He felt unforgivable. Harper didn't just see others' mistakes; she saw her own too. If they wanted to be together, they needed to lay everything out and fix their issues completely.
Harper clarified, "But I was wrong about Keith too. I really didn't know he was a rotten guy. In college, he took care of me and other classmates, so I didn't guard against his kindness. I know his deliberate provocations hurt you too. Our biggest problem was that we never sat down and talked things through."
Keith's involvement had really messed up their already shaky relationship. This had also troubled Francis for a long time. Now, Harper clearly told him that the man she liked was him. It had always been him, and no one else ever. It was all a misunderstanding.
A sudden hatred surged up. Why hadn't he thought to talk it through and instead chose to domineeringly keep her by his side?
Harper now wanted to work on their relationship. Since they both had each other in their hearts, another mutual selection wouldn't be out of the question. Plus, they had Agnes, and Agnes adored Francis as her dad.
Life's too short. She didn't want to go through the pain of separation and loss again. Harper sincerely said, "I hope we can be open with each other from now on. If there's a misunderstanding, we talk it through right away. No silent treatment, and no letting others mess with us, okay?"
Francis's heart felt lighter as Harper was too kind. Harper was not only willing to let go of the past and forgive him but also willing to work on their relationship. She was like an angel. Once she fell in love, she would work hard for the relationship. How lucky he was to have met such a kind woman!
Seeing Francis stay silent, Harper felt a bit uneasy. Before she could think further, Francis lowered his head and planted a pure, clean kiss on her forehead, without any desire.
Francis said, "Harper, I swear, if I ever let you down again, I won't deserve a happy ending."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
