Chapter Two

Harper

It felt like the longest day of my life.

With the check still in my hands, I drove in a hurry to meet with the manager at the family bank.

The Harts had a rule of giving part of the inheritance to all members of the family- even their spouses.

The sooner I cashed out my part of the inheritance and left this godforsaken place, the better for me.

I tried to act calm as I arrived at the bank and shook hands with the manager.

It became harder to act calm as he looked at his documents after I had told him my name and he shook his head.

‘I’m sorry ma’am,’ he said, looking at me. ‘Mr Hart exempted your name from part of the inheritance.’

‘What do you mean?’ My eyes widened.

‘It means that you aren’t acknowledged here anymore,’ he shrugged. ‘Maybe there’s been a mistake?’

The rest of the things he said just faded into the loud ringing in my ears. I didn’t know how long I sat still, trying to understand everything.

‘When did this happen?’ I asked in a solemn tone, trying to hide the shakiness.

‘About two years ago,’ he replied, tapping his pen against the desk with impatience.

That was my cue to leave. I thanked him and went out of the office. Finally alone in my car, I allowed the tears flow freely. Stan had exempted me years ago from my only source of livelihood after this marriage.

Thoughts of going to beg him for forgiveness and take me back began sifting into my head. At least I would have enough money to take care of Mom then.

I pulled out my phone to call my mom, when I saw that I had missed some calls from

Melissa.

Curious, I called her back.

‘What’s up, Mel?’ I cleared my throat.

‘Your mom had a relapse this morning,’ Melissa replied. ‘I’m here with her at the hospital now.’

Without waiting for a response, I ended the call and began to drive. I knew the hospital mom had always been going to the hospital ever since she was diagnosed with stage three cancer.

Stan had always been the one footing the bills for her chemotherapy and medications.

Gosh! How had I become so dependent on him without even knowing?

I arrived at the hospital a few minutes later and was led straight to where my mom was.

She was in the ICU, oxygen masks and appliances plugged into her. And she was not moving.

‘She’s in a coma,’ the doctor said to me without looking up from his checkboard.

My chest heaved.

‘When will she wake up?’ I asked him.

‘When? I don’t know. But she’d wake up, don’t worry about it, okay?’

I nodded.

‘We’d need you to deposit for her admission, coupled with some of the tests and treatments we’d be running on her while she’s here.’

I didn’t reply, just stared blankly at my mother, lying so vulnerable and almost lifeless.

At the cashier’s, I was given the deposit amount to pay: twelve hundred dollars.

I froze.

‘What’s wrong?’ Melissa noticed how I stared at the bill.

‘I- nothing,’ I forced a smile. ‘It’s just the bill…’

‘Well that’s why you have Stan,’ Melissa chuckled. ‘And you’re lucky. If I had a man like that, I would never leave him. Not even if he had a child with another woman.’

I looked at her, trying to decipher any subtle details from her words. What was she trying to say?

Instead of probing, I simply nodded, trying to force the tears back.

She pulled me into a bear hug. Melissa and I have been friends since childhood. She was the only one I could trust and lean on, giving me advice I never doubted heeding.

Any wonder why this advice was difficult to follow?

I went in to say goodbye to my mom while Mel stayed with her. I had to go home and pack up. The doctor encouraged talking to her, because her hearing was still active even while she was in the coma.

As I reached the parking lot of the house, I noticed Stan’s car parked outside. That was odd because Stan never came home during the day…after things had gone sour between us.

Was this the universe’s way of telling me to beg him?

I entered the house and saw him giving some house staff instructions.

‘There you are,’ he said, as if I had been missing, not escaping. ‘Get dressed. We’re going to my parents’ house tonight. They’re hosting a celebration and Father expects you there.’

‘We’re divorced, Stan,’ I faced him squarely. ‘You and your family aren’t my concern anymore.’

He dismissed the staff and came closer to me. ‘They’re not your concern when I say so, Harper. When it comes to me, you have absolutely no say!’

I tried to sound firm, but my voice was barely steady.‘You don’t get to order me around anymore, Stan.’

“Harper,” he sighed, rubbing his temple like I was a migraine he’d been fighting for years, “please don’t start.”

Start? I wanted to laugh. My whole world had ended, and somehow, this was me starting drama.

‘I’m not going to your parents’ house. You don’t control me anymore.’ I whispered.

His eyes met mine, steady and unreadable.

‘Yes,” he said quietly, ‘I do.’

My fingers tightened around my bag strap. I wanted to leave, to run away from this nightmare but my feet didn’t move.

‘You forget something, Harper.’

He leaned in, close enough that his breath touched my cheek. ‘You walked away like you didn’t owe anything. Like nothing was binding us anymore.’

He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice dropped to a soft tone:

‘You killed our only child. You don’t get to walk away from that.’

My breath cracked in my chest.

Before I could speak he stepped back, composed, like he hadn’t just ripped open a grave between us.

‘I’ll be outside,’ he said, already turning away.

‘Wear something appropriate.’

The door closed quietly behind him.

I pressed my hand against my stomach as the memories flashed back in violent torrents.

Divorcing him hadn’t freed me. It had reopened a grave we had forgotten about.

And suddenly I knew that leaving wasn’t the end.