CHAPTER 401
Arianna let out a slow breath, her expression carefully crafted into one of reluctant concern. She glanced between Xander and Zach, as if searching for the right words, then settled her gaze on Xander, her voice soft but insistent.
"I am only trying to help, I watched her just now—closely—from an outsider’s perspective. She’s still struggling, Xander. It’s obvious. I don’t know if it’s the accident, or… or something else, but she’s not okay." She hesitated for just a moment, letting the weight of her words settle before adding,
"And she tried to hurt herself."
She turned to Zach now, as if pulling him into the conversation, her voice laced with quiet urgency. "What if she was alone when this sudden attack of depression came on? What if she wasn’t here, in your apartment, where you could stop her?" She shook her head, her eyes flickering with a carefully placed worry. "God knows how badly she could have hurt herself."
Arianna exhaled and pressed a hand to her chest, as if steadying herself, then looked back at Xander, her eyes filled with feigned sincerity.
"I was just looking out for her safety. That’s all. But she—" She flicked her gaze toward Harmony, whose jaw was clenched so tightly it looked like she might snap,
Arianna let out a slow breath, her voice measured, almost as if she were trying to make sense of it all herself.
"She thought I was being possessive," she murmured, shaking her head slightly.
"That I was jealous because you always come running whenever she calls… that I was trying to stop you, to send her away." She let out a soft, almost bitter laugh, then looked up at Xander, her expression unreadable.
"She really believed I wanted a doctor to take her away just so I could have you all to myself. And I won’t lie, Xander—maybe before, I did feel jealous. Before I knew the whole story, before I understood what she’d been through." Arianna’s gaze flickered to Harmony, her eyes gleaming with something unreadable.
"But that was before."
Harmony's hands curled into fists, her nails digging into her palms as she struggled to control the storm brewing inside her. Her breathing was shallow, her jaw so tight it looked like she might shatter it. She could feel Xander’s gaze shift to her now, studying her reaction, reading into the tension vibrating beneath her skin.
Arianna tilted her head slightly as if she were truly sympathizing.
"But I get it now," she said softly. "She’s been through so much, hasn’t she?"
Harmony's nails bit into her flesh, her breath shaky. She could feel it—Xander's doubt creeping in, the weight of his scrutiny. He was watching her too closely now, his expression unreadable.
And Arianna knew it.
Xander exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand down his face as if trying to make sense of the scene in front of him. His expression wasn’t anger, nor was it disappointment—it was exhaustion. The weight of the situation settled heavily on his shoulders as he looked between Arianna and Harmony.
Harmony, still caught in the moment of rage, suddenly seemed to realize what she had done. Her expression crumbled, and just like that, the anger vanished, replaced by wide, wounded eyes and trembling lips.
"I—I didn’t mean to," she whispered, her voice barely audible. She turned to Zach, her body sagging under an invisible weight.
"She just kept pushing, Zach… she doesn’t understand."
Zach, standing beside her now, placed a firm but gentle hand on her shoulders. His voice was steady, protective.
"Arianna doesn’t know a thing about Bunny. She had no right to say anything." His words were clipped, his tone sharp, but his eyes flickered with concern as he glanced at Xander.
Xander shook his head, his brows furrowing in thought.
"Maybe Arianna’s right." His voice was quiet, almost reluctant, but it sent a shockwave through the room.
Zach tensed. Harmony stilled.
Xander continued, his tone thoughtful.
"You’ve been to so many doctors, Harmony, but you barely stay with them for more than two sessions. And today… you almost tried to kill yourself with that knife." His voice dropped lower, his jaw tightening.
"If Zach hadn’t been there…" He trailed off, the unspoken words heavy in the air.
Harmony's eyes went wide, panic flashing across her face.
"Xander, no! That was one time! I was just… I was overwhelmed!" Harmony’s voice wavered as she shook her head, stepping closer to him. Her fingers brushed his arm in a desperate plea, her eyes wide with raw emotion.
"I don’t need a doctor," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.
"I need you."
Xander exhaled slowly, his face softening as he looked at her, his grip gentle as he placed his hands on her shoulders. His gaze was full of concern, but there was something else beneath it—something resolute.
"And I’ll always be here for you, Bunny," he said, his voice steady, reassuring.
"You know that."
But then he sighed, his expression shifting, clouded with something heavier.
"But I can’t overlook what happened today. What you did." His fingers tightened just slightly, grounding her.
"Arianna’s right… You could have hurt yourself badly. And worse, you could have—" He stopped himself, his jaw clenching at the thought.
"I won’t take that risk," he finished his voice firm. "Not with you."
Arianna smirked, tilting her head slightly as if she were enjoying the unravelling.
Harmony saw it, and her entire body stiffened. Her desperation turned to something colder, sharper.
And just like that, the battle lines were drawn again.
.........
The car ride home was heavy with silence.
Xander gripped the steering wheel tightly, his gaze locked on the road ahead. The dim glow of streetlights flickered through the windshield, casting fleeting shadows across his face. Arianna sat still in the passenger seat, her arms crossed, her thoughts tangled in a storm of anger and frustration, but her mind wasn’t on the city outside. It was on her.
Harmony.
Xander exhaled, his fingers drumming lightly against the steering wheel before he glanced at Arianna. His voice was quieter now, more thoughtful.
“Thanks for coming with me… and for being there for Bunny,” he murmured. “She doesn’t have many people in her corner. Zach, John, and I—we’re the only family she has.”
Arianna didn’t respond right away. She sat still, her gaze fixed on the city lights flashing past the window, her expression unreadable.
Xander sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I’m sorry she attacked you,” he added, his tone laced with something heavier—guilt, maybe.
“I’ve never seen her like that before.”
Still, Arianna said nothing. Her fingers traced the seam of her dress absently, lost in thought.
Xander stole another glance at her, his brows knitting together at her uncharacteristic silence. The weight of the night still hung between them, unspoken but suffocating.
“You’re awfully quiet,” he murmured, his voice softer now, edged with concern.
“Are you okay?”
Arianna gave a small shrug, her fingers toying with the hem of her dress.
“Just tired,” she said, though there was something distant in her tone, something guarded.
Xander exhaled slowly, gripping the wheel a little tighter before finally breaking the silence. His voice was rough, like the words had been clawing at him for a while.
“You were right.”
Arianna turned her head slightly,
"About what?"
“I should have gotten her help a long time ago,” he continued.
“Maybe if I had, she wouldn’t be in the state she is now.”
Arianna hesitated, gripping her fingers together. “Xander…”
Something in her tone made him glance at her.
She exhaled slowly, then forced herself to say the words.
“Harmony loves you.”
Xander frowned. “Of course, she does—”
“No.” Arianna shook her head, turning to fully face him.
“Not like a friend. Not like a sister. She. Loves. You!”
Xander exhaled, his brows drawing together.
“Ari, of course she loves me—like a friend, like a sister. That’s what we are. That’s what we’ve always been.”
Arianna let out a humorless laugh, crossing her arms.
“You really believe that?” She stepped closer, her voice firm.
“She’s in love with you, Xander. And she told me directly that she’s going to get you back.”
Xander’s jaw tightened, his hands flexing at his sides.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” Arianna challenged.
“Because I saw it in her eyes, heard it in her voice. She’s not just clinging to the past—she’s waiting for you. And every time you run to her, every time you put her first, you prove to her that she’s right to wait.”
The car jerked slightly as Xander pulled off to the side of the road. He shifted the gear into the park and turned to her, disbelief written all over his face.
“Arianna,” he said, his voice laced with exhaustion. “You misunderstood.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “No, I didn’t.”
Xander shook his head, rubbing his temples.
“Harmony has been through hell. She’s lost so much. She confuses attachment with love, that’s all. I’m like family to her.”
“She doesn’t see you as family,” Arianna snapped.
“She sees me as an obstacle, Xander. She hates that I’m your wife.”
Xander’s expression remained unreadable, but his silence told her everything.
He didn’t believe her.
"You can’t see it, can you?" Arianna’s voice was quiet, but there was no mistaking the sharp edge beneath it.
"Her manipulations, the way she twists everything… You’re blind to it, Xander."
She exhaled, shaking her head as she met his gaze, her eyes burning with frustration.
"Since she got here, she’s done nothing but cause problems for me. And now, she’s coming between us. She wants you, and you’re too blind to see it. You go running the moment she calls, like she owns a part of you that I never will."
Xander’s jaw clenched, his hands already reaching for her, but Arianna took a step back, refusing to let him pull her into his arms.
"One day, Xander, you’ll finally see that I was right all along." Her voice wavered, not with doubt, but with something dangerously close to resignation.
Xander ran a frustrated hand through his hair, his gaze locking onto Arianna’s with a mix of desperation and determination.
“I don’t know why you’re saying this…” His voice was rough, raw with emotion.
“I love you, Ari. You know that. But I can’t just turn my back on Bunny because you think she’s—” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head.
Xander let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck before meeting Arianna’s gaze head-on.
“Because you think she’s in love with me,” he said, his tone filled with disbelief.
“Ari, Bunny has been in my life for years. We’ve been through hell together. Of course, she cares about me—I care about her too. But it’s not what you think.”
He took a cautious step closer, his voice gentler now.
“She’s been broken since the accident. She lost so much… her future, her dreams, even the ability to have kids. And through all of it, I was the only person she could rely on. I was there when she had no one else when she felt like giving up. That kind of bond—it’s deep, it’s complicated. But it’s not love. Not in the way you’re thinking.”
He searched Arianna’s face, his frustration barely contained.
“I get it. You don’t trust her. You think she has some ulterior motive. But Ari, this is Harmony we’re talking about. She’s fragile. She’s not scheming to steal me away. She just… she just needs me.”
His voice dropped to a whisper, almost pleading.
“And I can’t turn my back on her. Not after everything.”
He places his hand over Arianna’s, leaning towards her.
“After the accident, I made a promise—to myself, to her—that I would always be there. That no matter what, she wouldn’t have to go through this alone. And what kind of person would I be if I broke that promise?” His voice softened, his eyes pleading. “She’s been a rival to you since she got here, I won’t deny that. But that’s just how Harmony is—she’s always been competitive. It doesn’t mean she’s trying to come between us.”
He reached for her then, his fingers brushing against her arms, trying to anchor her to him.
“Arianna, I know she gets under your skin. I know she pushes too far sometimes. But she’s not a threat to us.” His voice dropped lower, more insistent.
“You and I—we’re solid, aren’t we?”
But the look in Arianna’s eyes told him she wasn’t convinced.
He thought she was exaggerating. Misinterpreting. Twisting things out of proportion.
Arianna clenched her jaw.
She had told him. She had warned him. And yet, he still refused to see it.
Fine.
If words weren’t enough, she would just have to show him.
She needed a plan. A solid, undeniable way to expose Harmony’s true colours once and for all.
And when she did… Harmony would finally be out of their lives.
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