AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Betrayal pushed through me so quickly at Brandon’s words that it stole my next breath.
I looked between them and then down to Harper’s left hand, only then noticing the rings on her and Brandon’s fingers.
“Wife?” The word fell like ash from my tongue as my stare dragged back to hers.
“A few months ago. You were Brandon’s best man,” she informed me softly. “Chase, I can see how much this is hurting you, and I’m sorry. But none of that ever happened.”
I was so stunned by his claim and the way she’d effortlessly confirmed it that I wasn’t able to deny what she was saying. Wasn’t able to call them out for continuing this fucked-up prank by pretending to be married.
And as much as I wanted to maintain that everything hadjusthappened days ago, the subtle differences in everyone’s appearances now seemed glaring. Because I just realized Harper wasn’t looking at me the way she always had.
Even when I’d aggravated her or wrecked her heart, there had always been an unmistakable desire in her eyes. A love that had kept me close. That had drawn us together, even when we should’ve kept our distance.
And that was gone.
For a moment, I wondered if I really was missing years. If I really had dreamt up everything.
But my need for Harper refuted that as quickly as she about broke my fucking heart all over again.
“First, you and I have never kissed,” she said resolutely. “Second, Brandon and I have never broken up, and I’ve never cheated on him. And third, I have no idea what lilies have to do with anything—you mean the flower?”
“Yes,” Scarlet said from my side.
“Okay?” Harper said as if lilies weren’t her favorite flower. “Regardless, as sorry as I am that you’re in this situation and that this is hurting you, you’re putting doubt in your relationship and mine when there shouldn’t be any.”
My head moved slowly before stopping as a thought occurred to me. “Show me,” I demanded softly. “Show me your lilies, and then tell me none of that happened.”
Because I remembered drawing them up. I remembered preparing for that moment with her—giving Harper her first tattoo. Four large orange lilies wrapping around her left hip to her stomach because they were her favorite, and I’d known there was no way to give her flowers without risking Brandon’s wrath all over again.
I remembered the torture of touching her and being so close to her. Her soft gasps and the way I’d had to constantly stop her from moving as if I didn’t want tomakeher move beneath me.
I remembered the way she’d crushed her mouth to mine when she’d first seen what I’d done. The way I’d passed my mouth across hers again as I’d finished covering it...and the way she’d taken those hours and shattered me all over again when she’d answered the call from Brandon when I’d still been inches from her lips.
“What lilies?” Harper asked as Scarlet whispered, “She can’t.”
I sent a frustrated look Scarlet’s way before focusing on Harper again. “Your tattoo. The tattoo I gave you.”
“She can’t,” Scarlet repeated.
Harper looked between us before hesitantly adding, “I don’t have any tattoos.”
It was odd to know you were on a solid surface and to feel like you were falling. To feel like you were no longer tethered to the earth.
The vertigo that had been lessening over the past two days came back in an instant, making me feel off-balanced. The sudden ringing in my ears was deafening as I tried to understand what she was saying.
“You’re lying.” But for the first time, I sounded unsure.
“I assure you, she isn’t,” Brandon argued.
My gaze pulled to the side, hesitation warring as I studied Scarlet. Wondering exactlyhowshe’d known Harper wouldn’t be able to show me the lilies before Harper had.
With a hard shake that only amplified the lightheadedness, I looked at Harper. “Left hip. Four of them. I know they’re there.”
Regret marred her expression. “Chase—”
“Harper, I know you,” I said through clenched teeth. “You can’t tell me we weren’t real. I can feel you. Taste you.”
“Fuck, enough,” Brandon snapped. “That’s my wife, and can’t you see you’re hurting Scarlet?”
