Harriett arrived at her father’s house and was immediately welcomed by her parents. Her father, Jake Edwards engulfed her in a bone crushing hug as he wept silently. He couldn’t believe that his daughter was being labelled as a cheater. The humiliation was too much for him to bear.
The Edward’s family had only one child, Harriett and they raised her with everything they had. They made sure she never lacked any material or emotional need. One thing her mother made sure of was that she didn’t allow the many privileges to get to her head. She always reminded her to be kind to people.Their Christian background helped them instill those values in her and so, they didn’t need any proof to know that that their daughter was being falsely accused.“Su-ji!” Harriett’s mother called her by her Korean name and gave her a warm hug, her heart aching at the thought of the things her daughter had to go through in Damien’s house.Her family was well aware of how much she loved him which was why when Damien’s father brought up the idea of wedding the children, they happily agreed. To them, they were making Harriett’s dream of getting married to Damien come true.Now that they saw how sad their precious daughter was in the marriage, they regretted their decision. They should have never forced her to marry a man that didn’t love her.If It was three years ago, Jake Edwards would have been happy with the thought of having their daughter married to the son of his best friend but during the course of their marriage, he saw through Harriett’s sadness. He noticed how much she had changed in those few years. At first she was elated to be Damien’s wife. However, a few months later, he saw his daughter beg for love. This broke his heart because she never lacked love growing up. For his own precious daughter to feel unloved and become a shadow of herself hurt Jake Edwards the most.“If he doesn’t trust you, he doesn’t deserve you, my angel.” Jake Edward said, holding her hands lovingly. “You did the right thing by leaving. The truth will come out soon enough and he will regret his decision.”Ha-young, her mother took out a tissue and cleaned her daughter’s tears. Her own body shaking in anger. “You will find someone who will love and trust you, Su ji. Damien never loved you so it is no surprise that he would easily believe that lie. I can bet he is doing this so that he settles with that liar he brought with him from England.” Her mother spat bitterly, referring to Evelyn James.Harriett smiled because she knew so well that her mother was right. A part of her was convinced that the fabricated picture was done by Evelyn James but she lost every will power to fight. This was the eye opener she needed to finally leave Damien after three years of silent torture.It was time to love herself and also find someone that will love her just as her father loves her mother.As Harriett pulled from the hug, her mother suggested. “Take some time away from this city and pull yourself together. You need it.” She nodded in response but then suddenly remembered that her parents weren’t aware of her pregnancy.‘Do I tell them?’ She thought to herself. She was scared of how they would react if they found out about her pregnancy. Knowing her father, he would do everything in his power to make Damien pay for sending her away while she was pregnant.But, she didn’t have any option. Her family is all she has at this moment.She placed her hand on her tummy and raised her head. “I’m pregnant.” She blurted out with tears in her eyes.“Oh my goodness! That wicked man!” Her mother exclaimed furiously.“How cruel of him to mention a divorce when you are carrying his child.” Jake Edwards said with gritted teeth. He balled his fist as he thought of ways to make Damien pay for the damages he had caused his daughter.“He doesn’t know about the pregnancy. I never got to tell him. I was about letting him know when he mentioned the divorce and I just never got the chance to say it.” Harriett explained, hoping to get them to calm down a bit.Her mother nodded and took her daughter’s hand. “You have us, Su ji. You have a family and we will take care of you and your baby.” Her mother assured, taking her hand to Harriet’s flat tummy.Jake Edwards was furious with Damien Daniels but he was happy that they were finally getting divorced. Damien might have initiated the divorce but he was glad that his daughter was strong enough to go through with it first and move out. He knew exactly what she needed to completely get over him so, he urged.“Let’s go somewhere far away. Where he won’t be able to find us. We could stay there for a few years and then come back when the child is grown.” He suggested with a smile.To Jake Edwards, taking Harriett away from this city was the best option because he knew no matter how strong she appeared, Damien knew her so well and he could easily make her crawl back to him. He understood that she was completely in love with him and if the truth were to come out this day and Damien asked for her forgiveness, she would do it in a heartbeat. He couldn’t let that happen.“Yes, daddy. I agree with you.” She said and her parents nodded. She knew that her father could easily relocate to wherever he wished and their company will be unshaken. Jake Edwards was the richest man in the country and had investments all over the world. Moving to another country for a few years will do nothing to his fortune.Harriett smiled at this idea. Leaving the country was the only way of completely getting over Damien. Whether or not the truth is revealed was no longer her concern.***DAMIEN DANIELS“Mr. Daniels, you don’t need to worry. I already cleared your schedule for the week as you instructed.” Fiona, his secretary said into he phone as he drove back to his house for the first time since he brought up the divorce. Today, he was going to finalize the discussion with her and go to the court to get the papers.Unwillingly, his mind drifted while his thoughts were everywhere and he found himself thinking about Harriett.’How has she been these past few days?’‘Did she worry about my whereabouts?’He didn’t want to worry about a cheating wife but he was unable to control himself. He hated himself for this.The sooner he gets this over with, the better.He strolled into the house and was met with a silent welcome as there wasn’t a single soul in the house. Not even Mrs Smith‘Perhaps they went to Harriett’s.’ The thought came to his mind and shivered as he imagined Harriett telling her father about the divorce. He knew how much Jake Edwards loved his daughter. He would protect her with all he had even if she was in the wrong.Damien took out his phone and dialed Harriett’s number but he was immediately directed to the voicemail. He frowned at the phone but decided to call Mrs Jane since Harriett might be with her father.“Mrs Smith. Is Harriett with you? When will she be coming home to finalize the divorce?” He said bluntly, walking to his room.“Good day to you too, Damien. Harriett has processed the divorce papers, signed them and has delivered them to you. All that is left now is your signature.”Damien couldn’t understand a word of what Mrs Jane was saying. What the hell did she mean by ‘ Harriett has processed the divorce papers, signed them and has delivered them to you?’ Wasn’t he the one that asked for a divorce? Why the hell did she already process the papers when she wasn’t sure if he had made up his mind or not? She didn’t even ask for his opinion before going ahead with this. Why? ‘Because you were away for three days.’ A voice whispered in head. Damien was shocked that Harriett would do this. He always thought that she was the one who wanted to cling to him forever. “Where is she?” Damien asked, ignoring everything Mrs Smith said. “I’m sorry but Harriett has moved out of your house. Since she has already signed the divorce papers, you both aren’t married anymore. She wants you to not call her or look for her. Oh and, have a great time with Evelyn.” Mrs Smith harshly said and cut the call. She didn’t get any direct orders from Harriett but she hated Damien for ac
Without wasting any second, Damien rushed to the kitchen to check if the maid had gone to the court with the papers. When he got there, he met the younger maid who was busy clearing the place.“Where is Ma Clara?” He asked, holding his breath as he hoped that she would still be in the house.“She left for the court a few minutes ago. According to her, you gave her some papers to submit to Mrs. Harriett’s lawyer.” The young maid said and Damien felt his heart break into a million pieces.“How long has it been since she left the house?” He asked, feeling restless.“Ten minutes, sir.” The young maid said and in a split second, Damien was out of the house and on his way to the court. “If I make it on time, I might be able to stop the divorce processing.” He assured himself as he drove like a madman to the court. But, it seemed that God was not on his side as he is met with Traffic along the road that was caused by an accident.“Fuck!” Damien cursed aloud and hit his steering wheel
FOUR YEARS LATER“Where are my favorite twins?” Tony’s voice could be heard from the kitchen which caused loud laughter from Addison and Adrian who immediately ran out to him, knowing he came bearing chocolates. He always did. Harriett and her family had moved to Paris after the incident with Damien. They decided that in order for her to fully get over him, she needed to be far away from him.They also made sure to keep a low profile in Paris as they didn’t want to be easily found by Damien if he ever tried looking for them.Two months after Harriett moved to Paris, she found out that she was pregnant with a pair of twins- a boy and a girl. Her joy knew no bounds and even her parents were excited. They had been expecting just one child but they were blessed with two. Harriett met Tony Martinez in the hospital while she was getting her checkup. He was the doctor who was in charge of her and they got closer to each other with her every visit. When Harriett gave birth, Tony wa
The familiar buzz of New York City brought a smile to Harriett’s face as they drove to the Edward Mansion. It had been four years but nothing had change. She hated how normal it felt to her. Almost like she never left. Addison and Adrian on the other hand had never been to New York and for some strange reason, they already loved it. “I like how tall the buildings are… look at that. There are people everywhere, mummy.” Addison said, pointing out the window with a wide grin. “There are people in Paris too, Addy. You’re just being dramatic.” Harriett’s mother said, making everyone in the car laugh. Harriett looked back to see Tony’s car following behind them. It wasn’t his first time in New York and he could easily get a hotel to stay in but her parents wouldn’t have it. “You’re family now, Tony. Family stays together.” Her mother had told him. Harriett couldn’t understand why her parents liked him that much. As much as he was her best friend, she was uncomfortable with the way they
The priest began the wedding ceremony and Harriett couldn’t help the smile that was plastered to her face as she watched Eric exchange vows with his beautiful bride. The way he looked at his bride made it obvious that he was completely smitten by her.Harriett made a mental note to thank the lovely girl for capturing Eric’s heart and causing him to settle down. As Damien stood beside Eric as his bestman, he was completely unaware of the woman who was seated a few meters away from him. It is only when he turns his head to catch a small glimpse of the crowd that he sees her, dressed in red and smiling at an unfamiliar man.Damien felt the air seep out of him as he found it hard to breathe. He had searched the whole earth for her for four whole years but it was to no avail.She looked different. Too different. When she lived with him, she looked pale and worn out, always having eye bags and her eyes lacked warmth. No matter how much she tried then, she could never look appealing to him
Damien couldn’t believe how much Harriett had changed in just four years. He didn’t know what to believe anymore. Hearing the little girl who looked just like him call the strange man ‘ daddy ’ made him tremble as he feared that Harriett had remarried and given birth. But, the years weren’t adding up so Harriett was definitely hiding the truth from him.He opened his mouth to speak when Evelyn snuck up from behind and linked her arms together with his. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, my love.” She wore a pretentious smile on her face to make Harriett jealous, little did she know that Damien was getting pissed off by her act instead.She turned to Harriett, acting like she had only just noticed her presence.“Harriett. So good to see you. I’m so happy for you, you know. You have a husband and two beautiful children. It seems like you were in the wrong marriage after all.” She smiled. When Damien heard the word ‘ husband ’ he looked at Harriett’s finger to see if she had any ri
Harriett was too busy with helping her children not make a mess of themselves that she didn’t see Damien walk to her table. It is only when she heard his voice that she realized that he was now standing before her.“We need to talk.” He said, ignoring the glare from Tony who was ready to pounce on him the second he tried touching Harriett.Harriett looked up at him and shook her head with a low sigh. “We have nothing to talk about.”“Do not make me create a scene, Harriett. Come with me while I am being nice.” Damien replied and Tony growled angrily from his seat and was about to give Damien a piece of his mind when Harriett reached out to him.“I’ll be fine. Take care of the them.” She said, referring to Addison and Adrian. She got up and let Damien lead the way as they both walked out of the hall. Immediately Evelyn saw this, she abandoned her wine and hurried after them to eavesdrop on their conversation. Damien led her to a secluded spot where he was sure it would be hard for Ton
The wedding finally came to an end and Harriett went back to her parent’s house with Tony. When she arrived, her mood was sour as she occasionally remembered her previous encounter with Damien.“How dare he come up to me when he is still with that woman.” Harriet grumbled, referring to Evelyn as she tucked her children to bed and retired to her room.While she laid on her bed, she tried forcing herself to sleep but it proved to be fruitless as she found her thoughts continuously drifting to her ex-husband. By the time she was finally able to sleep, it was already 12:45am.**“Su ji. Since it is Tony’s first time in New York after ten whole years, why don’t you show him around. I’m sure New York has changed a lot since the last time he was here.” Harriett’s mother suggested and Jake Edwards nodded in agreement.“Mum, please. It’s not like I’ve been here all along. You’re forgetting that I have been away for four years.” Harriett countered with a groan. “Oh, come on. Four years isn’t a