Chapter 3
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m on my way now.” Harvey’s voice was anxious as he quickly threw on whatever clothes he could find, ready to leave.
Just as he reached the door, he paused, as though something had just occurred to him.
“What were you about to
say earlier?” But I’d already tucked away my emotions, burying
them deep.
“Nothing. We’ll talk when you’re back.”
The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed, his side untouched.
With only a few days left before I was planning to leave, I went ahead and quit my
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Chapter 3
+ 5 Points
job. Most of the clothes I’d packed the night before were meant for donation anyway. I
carried the bags outside to meet the delivery guy, but the noise across the hall caught my attention.
The place was buzzing with workers hauling in brand–new furniture.
Even in the crowd, my eyes immediately found Harvey. He had his arm around Leigh’s shoulder, directing the workers as they arranged the furniture.
That attention to detail? Classic Harvey.
When we moved in together, he’d done the same–taken time off work to oversee everything personally.
“Home should feel just right, he’d said back then.
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Chapter 3
But now, the home we shared barely had any trace of him left.
“Miss? Hey, Miss? Your shipping code?” The delivery guy’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
The noise must’ve caught their attention too, because just as the delivery guy left, Leigh came bouncing out.
“Hey,” she began, her tone all sweetness. “I’ve been having too many nightmares, so Harvey bought this place for me. We’re neighbors now!”
She leaned in close, flashing those wide, innocent eyes. Her exaggerated blinking was almost comical.
But I couldn’t bring myself to like her, no
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matter how hard I tried.
I turned to leave, but before I could get far, she suddenly stumbled backward, as if some invisible force had shoved her.
She crashed into a worker moving a cabinet and hit the edge with her lower back.
Her cry of pain was laced with tears, and Harvey came rushing out at the sound.
He immediately pulled her up, his hands gently massaging the spot where she’d hit. Concern poured out of him in waves.
“Berenice, can you stop acting like a jealous little girl?” His disbelief stung almost as much as his words.
Leigh looked pale, waving her hands weakly.
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“Harvey, don’t… don’t be mad at her. This… this is my fault,” she said, her voice shaking. “I shouldn’t have moved in and caused
trouble. I’m just… not supposed to be here.”
“Don’t say that,” Harvey replied softly. “You’re my sister!”
A headache throbbed at my temples. Watching their little “family bond” unfold for the hundredth time made me sick to my stomach.
Before I could
close my door, Harvey blocked it with his hand. “Berenice, apologize to Leigh!”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Why the hell should I apologize for something I didn’t
do?”
“You’ve done worse plenty of times!” he shot
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back.
I let out a bitter laugh. He always believed what he wanted to believe.
Leigh, meanwhile, shook her head dramatically, playing the martyr. “Please don’t fight because of me. I’m sorry–it’s my fault I didn’t stand properly…”
Harvey took her hand, glaring at me like I was the villain.
“I cave
I never saw you for what you
are” he said. “So petty, so vicious–you can’t tolerate even the smallest things.”
His words sliced deeper than I cared to admit.
But I still didn’t apologize.
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Leigh kept whining about the pain, so Harvey scooped her up and carried her downstairs.
Watching his back as he walked away, I suddenly remembered I had to visit the hospital myself.
My sleep had been a mess for ages. I couldn’t even pinpoint when the insomnia started.
After going through bottles of melatonin, I finally decided to get some actual help.
The hospital wasn’t too crowded that day, and I got my prescription quickly.
But on my way out, I saw them again.
It wasn’t surprising, really–this was the closest hospital to our place.
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Leigh was in Harvey’s arms, cradled like a princess, while he carried her meds in one hand. People couldn’t help but stare as they passed, envy written all over their faces.
“Look at her boyfriend,” I overheard a pregnant woman whisper, elbowing her partner.
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