Chapter 8
“Bitch! It’s all your fault! Harvey left me because of you!”
“He loves me! Only me! Why do you have to steal him from me?”
“My brother is dead, and now I have nothing left. Can’t you just let me have him?”
Leigh’s face twisted with madness- one moment sobbing, the next laughing manically.
“Your brother died,” I said flatly, “because he deserved it.”
She froze, her body trembling as if the words had finally hit her. A realization seemed to
dawn.
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“Your brother took the flash drive I was supposed to give Harvey. He crashed his car on the way to deliver it.”
“And you? You knew everything. But instead of coming clean, you let Harvey shoulder the guilt.”
“Leigh, you’ve had your fun. It’s time for you to face the consequences.”
The girl in front of her shook her head, denying it. “No… no…”
“Is that true?” A voice interrupted her, trembling–his voice.
Her body went rigid, as if struck.
I didn’t want to be there for their confrontation any longer–it was time to
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leave.
Torin’s car pulled up to the door, and I hurried over to it, opening the door quickly. Harvey
tried to grab my arm, but Leigh yanked him back.
“Get lost!” He shoved her away with such force that she hit the ground.
For a fleeting moment, I thought back to that night outside the police department.
But I dismissed it, rolling up the window and shutting out the noise.
Torin glanced at me. “You good?”
I smiled, brushing it off. “It’s nothing.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Harvey hammering on the window, shouting
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something, but I couldn’t hear a word. The soundproofing was flawless.
As Torin’s car drove away, I leaned back in my seat, catching a glimpse of Harvey chasing us like a man possessed.
Slowly, he grew smaller in the rearview mirror, until he vanished from sight.
Finally, I closed my eyes.
That night, just before the wedding, I was getting ready for bed when the maid knocked on my door with a glass of milk.
“Miss, there’s someone outside asking for you,” she said. “Your mother told us to ignore him, but I felt sorry for him and thought I should let you know.”
After she left, I walked over to the window.
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By chance, my room offered a perfect view of the front yard.
Harvey was standing there, leaning against his car, the ground around him littered with cigarette butts.
Almost as if he sensed me watching, he looked up. Our eyes locked.
In his hollow gaze, there was a glimmer of desperation.
I quickly pulled the curtains shut and instructed the butler to handle it.
Downstairs, I could hear Harvey shouting my
name.
It went on for about ten minutes, right up until the thunder drowned it out.
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“Forget it. Just leave him,” I said, calling the butler back.
The man returned, soaked in sweat, his clothes in disarray. “Miss, he insists on seeing you.”
“Then ignore him,” I said with indifference.
Later, the rain began to pour u
I figured Harvey wasn’t stupid–after being treated like a stray dog, he’d probably leave by now.
But past midnight, the sound of thunder woke me.
I looked out the window and saw Harvey standing under the streetlamp, drenched to the bone.
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He stood there stubbornly, swaying slightly, still looking toward my room.
Unfortunately, late affection means nothing.
I went back to bed and slept soundly through the rest of the night.
By morning, there was no trace of him.
flawless skin and saying I could pull off any look.
The makeup artist smile menting my
The woman in the mirror was perfect, but her smile was absent.
When I stepped out in my wedding dress, Torin was already there, ready to help me into the car.
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At the venue, the air was thick with flowers and applause.
The weather was beautiful–clear skies, no clouds.
In front of my parents, who looked proud, Torin took my hand.
The ring was almost on my finger when suddenly, a voice rang out.
“Wait!”
The room went completely silent, and everyone turned toward the door.
There stood Harvey, dressed in a sharp new suit, but his face was drawn–dark circles under his eyes, his cheeks sunken and
hollow.
