CHAPTER 363
Zach felt a rush of anger when he saw Harmony's injuries. His body tensed, and he stood up with clenched fists.
"Who did this to you? I'll make them pay."
Harmony sipped from her glass, her hand shaking a bit. She wiped her mouth, staring off into space. Instead of answering, her voice came out soft and sad.
"Zach, do you think... maybe I shouldn’t have come back?"
Her unspoken feelings hit him hard. He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. In a fit of frustration, he kicked the coffee table aside.
"It’s Arianna, isn’t it? She did this to you."
He started pacing, unable to stay still.
"Why does she keep doing this? Why does she always try to bring you down when you only want to help?"
Zach's frustration boiled over, and he grabbed his phone without a second thought.
"You can't keep taking this, Harmony. You need to tell Xander what’s going on. He has to know how far she’s pushing it! He needs to know what his so-called wife is up to."
Before he could call, Harmony took hold of his wrist. Her grip was firm despite her shaky state.
"No, Zach. Don’t tell Xander. I don’t want to make things worse for him."
He shook his head in frustration.
"You’re still thinking about others, even now, aren’t you? You shouldn’t have to go through this. It's not just about Xander. It’s about Arianna crossing the line. It doesn’t matter who she is!"
Harmony met his gaze, her eyes filled with sadness. She let go of his wrist and whispered,
"She's very manipulative," Harmony murmured, her voice thick with bitterness.
"And Xander... he's too innocent, too trusting to see it." Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as if the weight of the truth was too much for her to bear.
"He doesn’t see how she manipulates every situation to work in her favor, twisting the truth until it suits her agenda. His devotion to his grandmother clouds his judgment, and her constant interference keeps him trapped. I can tell he’s not truly happy with her—there’s no spark, no genuine joy. He’s merely enduring her presence, playing along out of duty rather than love."
Harmony’s words tumbled out unintentionally, her gaze flickering for a brief moment before she quickly shifted the conversation.
"The most important thing is this—please, I’m begging you, promise me you won’t tell Xander about my injuries. He doesn’t need to know… it’ll only make things harder for him."
Zach, sensing something was off, leaned in with a sharper focus.
"Have you lost your mind? Xander has to know! And what are you even talking about, Bunny? Why do you keep saying Xander is just tolerating Arianna? That she’s manipulating him? What aren’t you telling me?"
Harmony’s eyes betrayed her, flickering with uncertainty as she avoided his gaze. She hesitated before speaking again, her voice soft and unsure.
"Well... it’s because Grandma King is fond of Arianna, and Xander has always been dutiful toward her."
She repeated the same reasoning from before, but this time, Zach's mind raced. He hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but now, the underlying truth seemed far more complicated than he’d thought.
Could Xander’s kindness toward Arianna stem from something deeper than affection?
Zach pressed further, his voice concerned.
"Bunny..."
"Zach," Harmony interrupted, her tone almost pleading.
"Please, don’t push. Just forget what I said, okay?"
Zach’s concern was evident, but he could see that Harmony wasn’t ready to share everything.
His instinct to understand the situation was strong, especially because he cared so much about both her and Xander.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he made a decision not to push her further.
“I won’t pry,” he said, his voice softening.
“But just know, I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
“Thank you,” Harmony whispered, her gratitude barely audible.
His eyes lingered on the visible marks on her body, a pang of frustration building.
“You need to get these treated, Harmony. I’m taking you to the hospital.”
She shook her head quickly. “It’s fine, Zach. I’ll handle it when I get home.”
But Zach wasn’t going to let her brush it off.
“No way. If you’re not going to the hospital, I’ll have a doctor come here. You’re not dealing with this on your own.”
Without waiting for her response, he picked up his phone and dialled the number of a trusted doctor.
After finishing the call, he turned to her and offered gently,
“Why don’t you head to the guest room to clean up? I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
"Alright," Harmony replied, her voice soft but steady.
Zach gently helped her to her feet and guided her towards the guest room.
“I don’t have any women’s clothes, but I can grab one of my T-shirts for you. Is that okay?”
“Of course, that works fine,” she said with a small smile.
As Harmony went into the bathroom, Zach walked into his bedroom and rummaged through his dresser for a T-shirt.
When he returned to the guest room and stood by the bathroom door, he suddenly felt a flush creep up his neck as he heard the sound of running water from inside.
He cleared his throat, feeling an odd tension in the air.
"The clothes are on the sofa outside," he called out, trying to sound casual.
Without waiting for a response, he quickly turned and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
He felt a strange heat lingering even after he left the room, so he immediately grabbed the air conditioning remote and lowered the temperature.
He then made his way to the kitchen, pulled out a cold bottle of water, and took a long drink, the cool liquid helping him calm down.
From the moment he met her as a child, Harmony had always been like a goddess in his eyes. He admired her deeply, but his feelings never extended beyond that.
In his mind, Xander and Harmony were a perfect match, the ideal couple who belonged together. He had always seen himself as someone who could quietly support their relationship, watching over their love without needing to be the one in the spotlight.
But when Arianna entered Xander’s life, everything changed.
His growing resentment turned to hatred as he saw the damage she was causing to Xander.
That hatred grew even more when he saw how Arianna repeatedly hurt Harmony. It was then that his calm admiration for her faded entirely, replaced by a deep-seated anger he could no longer ignore.
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