Chapter 604 The Wedding 1
Abigail was floored. She figured even if Harper forgave her, they'd never be tight again.
But Harper didn't hold a grudge and even asked her to help with the babies.
Abigail was so touched she started crying again, feeling more motivated to take care of herself.
"Thanks, Harper," Abigail sobbed, barely holding it together.
Harper hugged her and said softly, "Agnes and I thank you too."
After that heart-to-heart, Abigail wasn't as stiff as before. She knew Harper had really forgiven her, and it made her happy. She started thinking about plans for Harper.
She turned to Francis and asked, "So, Francis, when are you planning Harper's wedding?"
Harper's face went blank, and Francis was caught off guard.
Seeing their reactions, Abigail realized they hadn't talked about it yet.
She said, "Listen, if you don't plan a proper wedding, Clayton won't let Harper marry you. You need to figure it out soon, or I won't let Harper go through any trouble with you."
Francis just kept looking at Harper, not saying a word.
Abigail pressed, "What’s with the silence? Do you not want a wedding?"
"Mom, of course I do, but I don't know if Harper wants to." Francis definitely wanted to. They had divorced and remarried, but only did the paperwork without a wedding.
The last fake wedding with Audrey was later explained by the police as a trap to catch the international criminal Stanley.
So everyone thought Francis was still single.
But after all the ups and downs, Francis really wanted to announce Harper as his wife.
However, Arthur had just passed away recently. He was Harper's dad, and Francis worried it might be too soon to talk about a wedding.
Abigail looked at Harper, knowing they were both too shy to bring it up without a push.
She asked, "Harper, do you want a wedding? We'll all go with what you want."
Harper looked at Francis and saw the hope in his eyes.
She wanted a wedding too. The one on Emerald Isle was fake, and they skipped a lot of steps.
Harper herself had suggested skipping them.
She felt some rituals should only be done in a real wedding with the person she loved.
Now that all the drama was over, she didn't want to wait any longer.
She looked at Francis and was about to speak when he cut her off, "Alright, Mom, you should rest. We'll visit you next time."
Abigail was taken aback for a moment, then saw Francis making a gesture behind Harper's back. She muttered, "Francis must have something planned."
With that, she stopped worrying and just waited for their wedding.
Francis suddenly pulled Harper away.
She hadn't even answered when he hurriedly dragged her out.
Outside, there was no sign of Agnes and Zoey. Harper got anxious and wanted to call, but Francis stopped her, "Agnes said she was tired, so I asked Victor to take them home first."
Harper nodded, put down her phone, and didn't suspect a thing.
But on the drive, Harper couldn't stop wondering why Francis didn't let her answer earlier.
Then, the car suddenly stopped.
Francis asked, "Thirsty? There's a coffee shop here. Want a drink?"
Harper saw the coffee shop. She used to love coffee but had quit because of breastfeeding.
Unsure, she looked at Francis and asked, "Can I have some?"
"Of course you can." Francis, leaning on his cane, helped Harper out of the car and ordered a cup of coffee.
Once it was ready, he took her to sit on a park bench to enjoy it.
Harper felt blissful in that moment.
After finishing the coffee, Francis asked, "Wanna take a walk in the park?"
Harper nodded, and they strolled hand in hand.
Before they knew it, they walked into a sea of flowers.
Thousands of red roses formed a huge heart-shaped flower bed, and they were right in the middle of it.
Harper was stunned.
"These flowers are gorgeous," she said to Francis.
Francis smiled warmly, "As long as you like them."
Harper didn't get it until Francis suddenly let go of his cane, slowly knelt down, and pulled out a ring box with a beautiful diamond ring inside. "Harper, will you marry me?" he asked.
Harper then realized why Francis didn't let her answer earlier—he had planned a proposal.
Her eyes welled up, and she nodded, "I will."
Francis was so excited his eyes turned red too. This proposal wasn't rushed at all.
He had a team ready, waiting for his signal to set everything up.
When Francis understood Harper's feelings at the hospital, he immediately had people start the arrangements. To buy some time, he delayed at the coffee shop before coming over.
Luckily, it turned out perfect.
As soon as the ring was on her finger, countless white doves were released.
Red balloons and white doves filled the sky, creating a spectacular scene.
Harper covered her mouth, too excited to speak.
Francis stood up with his cane, then bent down to hug Harper.
At that moment, people gathered around, and there were many voices of blessings.
The atmosphere was filled with sweetness.
After that, Francis started preparing for the wedding.
To make it perfect, many things needed to be arranged in advance.
Many items and flowers needed for the event had to be custom-ordered from abroad a month in advance.
Everything was moving along smoothly.
The wedding was set for February 14th, Valentine's Day.
Francis decided to have surgery before the wedding to fix his bad leg completely.
Harper knew what he was thinking. He wanted to be perfect at the wedding and didn't want to leave a broken image.
No matter how much Francis pretended not to care, he still cared about his lame leg.
Harper carefully consulted about the surgery risks and heard that the success rate of the planned procedure was 95%, which was very high.
Harper had to agree, but she was also scared of the 5% risk.
She lay in his arms and whispered, "Don't forget your promise, no matter what happens, you won't leave me."
She was reminding him that even without a perfect leg, being together with their children was the most important thing.
Harper was anxious, "Francis, how about we skip the wedding and just go on a honeymoon trip instead? Can't we?"
She was really just trying to avoid him having the surgery.
Francis reassured her, "Don't worry, this surgery is safe. No matter what happens, I won't leave you all."
Harper anxiously waited for the day of Francis's surgery.
She brought Agnes and the two babies, waiting outside while he underwent the procedure.
Before going in, Agnes saw Francis in hospital clothes and almost burst into tears.
Harper had to explain for a while before Agnes stopped crying, but she still wanted to talk to Francis.
Francis patted Agnes's little head and smiled, "Agnes, what's wrong?"
"Daddy, why do you need surgery?"
"Because Daddy wants to be able to run with you next time," Francis explained.
Agnes thought about it and realized she didn't really need Francis to run with her anymore.
But Harper had just said that Francis's surgery was necessary.
Agnes lowered her eyes and said softly, "Okay, Daddy. Actually, there's a kid in my class whose dad can't carry her either, but she told me that as long as the family is together, it's enough to be happy."
Francis kissed Agnes's forehead and said gently, "Don't worry, Agnes. Mommy and I will always be with you."
The surgery was underway.
Harper was extremely worried, but fortunately, everything went smoothly. Francis came out of the operating room and woke up shortly after.
In the following days, Wesley checked on Francis post-surgery and was extremely happy, "Francis, it looks like we succeeded. You're a hero, millions of patients will gain a new lease on life!"
Harper was puzzled.
Seeing Harper's inquisitive look, Wesley coughed and said, "You two can talk it over."
With that, Wesley quickly slipped out without looking back.
Harper looked at Francis, who had already improved a lot over the past few days.
He could stand for more than half an hour each day and walk several dozen feet without any issues.
Things were getting better day by day.
Only then did Francis dare to tell Harper the truth, "I was the first to undergo this surgery!"
Harper's mouth dropped open, "Didn't you say it had a 95% success rate?"
Francis explained, "It is 95%, but that was in animal trials. I was the first human."
Before Francis could finish, Harper started hitting him with her fists.
She cried uncontrollably, "Francis, you lied to me again!"
She cried so hard that she could barely breathe.
"Harper." Seeing that calling her name was useless, Francis hugged her tightly to stop her tears.
"Listen to me. The anatomy of animals and humans is very similar. I only dared to try because of the 95% success rate, and I have faith in Wesley," Francis said.
"You shouldn't have kept it from me." Harper was full of blame for him, but she couldn't say much more.
She should have noticed how much Francis cared about his leg. He would stare at it in a daze when no one was around, sometimes for a long time.
He would also show a longing look when he saw other dads playing with their kids in the park.
Harper felt she had been so foolish. She hadn't realized what Francis was thinking during those times.
But even if she had noticed, what could she have done?
Could Harper have stopped Francis from having the surgery and given up his chance to get better?
Fortunately, everything turned out fine, so there was no need to waste time worrying.
Francis knew Harper was worried, but he didn't regret the surgery.
He wanted to give her the best, including the best version of himself.
Because Harper deserved it.
Francis recovered quickly; the surgery was indeed a success.
Although he couldn't do anything too strenuous yet, he could walk like anyone else and stand for seven to eight hours a day without any issues.
Soon, the wedding day arrived.
Harper put on a beautiful wedding dress, one she had designed herself back in college but never had the chance to wear.
Now, she finally wore the dress she had designed at eighteen for her wedding with the man she loved.
Harper waited in the dressing room for the time to go to the front.
At that moment, the door to the dressing room opened.
Hearing the light footsteps, Harper thought it was her assistant Ronald and asked, "Is it time?"
But the person didn't answer and kept approaching her.
Harper suddenly became alert and turned quickly, seeing an unexpected man.
Keith, dressed in a white tailcoat, looking handsome and refined, as if he were the groom.
"Keith?" Harper called his name, wary. "How did you get in?"
After Ryan was caught, he took the blame for everything to protect Keith.
But how could there be no loose ends in doing bad things?
The police had found solid evidence of Keith's shady dealings to get into the board, and he was now a wanted man.
Harper had thought Keith had fled the country, never expecting to see him at her wedding.
Keith said calmly, "It's your wedding. Even if I can't be the groom, I had to come and see."
"Mr. Bolton, I don't think we have the kind of relationship where you'd be invited to my wedding," Harper said.
Keith smiled, "Harper, you're so heartless. I don't intend to do anything."
Keith's gentle demeanor didn't make Harper let her guard down.
She remembered all too well his past scheming and treachery.
"Am I heartless?" Harper laughed. "I thought you understood at the Serene Haven Hotel that we were destined to be strangers."
With one sentence, Harper clarified their relationship.
Keith's departure from the Serene Haven Hotel had also signified his surrender.
He liked to weigh the pros and cons, and it was clear that Harper wasn't worth risking his life for.
Keith's face turned cold for a few seconds after being exposed, but he quickly regained his composure.
"Harper, does love only mean sacrificing one's life?" Keith looked at her and said, "If I hadn't left last time and was willing to die with you, would you have loved me?"
"I wouldn't," Harper answered firmly.
Keith sneered, "You see, that's why I hesitated."
Harper replied, "And that's why I could never love you. You calculate every move, whether it's family, friendship, or love. They're all tools for you to use, and that's why you're left with no one around you."
With that, Keith's face instantly changed.
The people who once followed him had all left after seeing his true colors.
Ryan was in prison, and his former fiancée Saskia had gone mad after learning she had been used.
Keith looked at Harper and sneered, "It seems you've been paying quite a bit of attention to me."
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