Chapter 151 HARPER

Chapter 151 HARPER
I didn’t bother hiding the irritation on my face as I stepped fully into the office.

Principal Kade glanced between me and my mom like he’d been expecting tension. “Miss Lane, I called you down because your mother insisted on seeing you.”

I folded my arms, not taking my eyes off her. “Couldn’t this have waited until after classes?”

My mom didn’t answer me immediately. She turned to the principal instead, her voice polite in a way that felt almost rehearsed. “Thank you for calling her down. I actually wanted to ask if it would be alright for Harper to be excused for the day. We have a legal appointment.”

I frowned, confusion cutting through my annoyance. Legal appointment?

Before I could ask, Principal Kade nodded. “Of course. I understand. Go ahead.”

That was it. No questions. No hesitation.

My mom gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

I didn’t say anything else as she turned and walked out, clearly expecting me to follow.

So I did.

The silence stretched all the way to the parking lot, thick and uncomfortable. The second we got to her car, I let out a dry laugh.

“Wow,” I said, opening the passenger door. “Thanks for checking in, by the way. I’m fine. My shoulder’s doing great.”

She sighed like she’d expected that. “Harper—”

“Seriously,” I cut in, sliding into the seat. “Three months, Mom. You were gone for three months.”

She got into the driver’s seat, closing the door a little harder than necessary. “I know, and I’m sorry.”

“Are you?” I asked, turning to face her fully. “Because I don’t even know what you were doing half the time. You just left. No real explanation, no calls, nothing.”

“I had work—”

“You always have work,” I snapped. “And you left me with Sam. Do you even hear how that sounds?”

Her hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel.

“I went through everything with him here,” I continued, my voice rising before I could stop it. “You sent him to ‘look after me’ yet he’s the one I needed protection from.”

“I didn’t know it would—”

“You didn’t know anything,” I said. “You might as well have just left me alone. At least I wouldn’t have had to deal with that.”

The words came out harsher than I meant them to, but I didn’t take them back.

For a second, she didn’t respond.

I expected her to argue. To defend herself. To say something that would give me a reason to stay angry. But she didn’t.

Her lips pressed together, like she was trying to hold something in, and her eyes glossed over in a way I wasn’t prepared for.

That was when it hit me. She wasn’t getting defensive. She wasn’t even trying to explain herself.

She was barely holding it together.

And just like that, some of the anger in me lost its edge. Guilt crept in before I could stop it.

I swallowed, looking away. “Where are we even going?”

She took a slow breath before answering, like she needed a second to steady herself. “The final hearing is today.”

I blinked. “What?”

“The divorce,” she said softly. “It’s being finalized today.”

The words settled heavily between us.

I leaned back in my seat, my stomach twisting in a way that made me feel slightly sick. “You could’ve told me.”

“I wanted to,” she said. “I just didn’t know how.”

I didn’t respond to that.

The drive to the courthouse passed in silence, but this time it wasn’t the kind you could ignore. Every second felt heavier than the last, like something was building and neither of us seemed to be prepared for it.

When we pulled into the parking lot, I didn’t move. My mom turned off the engine and glanced at me.

“Harper?”

I kept my eyes forward. “I don’t want to have to choose.”

Her expression softened immediately. “You don’t have to.”

“That’s not how it works,” I said quietly.

“It is,” she insisted gently. “You’re seventeen. They might ask what you prefer, but no one is going to force you into anything.”

I shook my head slightly. “It still feels like it.”

She reached over, resting her hand over mine. “Whatever you say in there, I won’t hold it against you. Okay?”

I nodded, even though that didn’t make it any easier. We walked into the courthouse together, the air inside colder than outside, quieter too. Everything echoed in a way that made even small movements feel too loud. I stayed close to her without really thinking about it, my nerves stretching tighter with every step.

When we entered the courtroom, I spotted my dad almost immediately. He was already there, sitting beside Claire.

The sight of her sitting next to him, so comfortable like she belonged there, made something twist in my chest. My dad looked up when we walked in, his expression softening when he saw me.

“Hey,” he said quietly.

“Hi,” I replied, my voice coming out smaller than I intended.

We took our seats.

The hearing didn’t drag the way I thought it would. It was structured, almost detached, like everyone there had done this a hundred times before. Lawyers spoke, papers were passed around, and the judge listened more than he talked.

Still, I could feel the weight of it pressing down on me. At some point, my name was called.

I stood, my legs feeling heavier than they should as I stepped forward.

The judge looked at me over his glasses, his expression not unkind. “Harper Lane, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

He nodded. “You understand why you’re here today?”

I hesitated. “Kind of.”

A faint smile touched his lips. “That’s fair.”

He leaned back slightly. “You’re seventeen, which means your opinion matters in this situation. You are not obligated to choose between your parents, but we would like to know if you have a preference.”

My chest tightened.

“Do I have to?” I asked.

“No,” he said calmly. “You don’t.”

Relief flickered, but it didn’t last long.

He continued, “However, I do need to ask a few questions regarding your current living situation.”

I nodded slowly.

“Is it true that your cousin, Samuel, has physically harmed you in the past?”

“Yes,” I said quietly.

“And that he was recently involved in an attempt to abduct you?”

My throat felt dry. “Yes.”

The courtroom went still.

The judge nodded once, making a note.

He asked a few more questions, nothing too invasive, but enough to make it clear that everything that had happened wasn’t being ignored. When he was done, he dismissed me gently, and I returned to my seat.

I didn’t look at either of my parents. I just stared ahead, waiting.

When the final decision came, it felt like time had slowed down.

“Given the circumstances presented,” the judge said, his voice even, “and considering the safety concerns surrounding the minor, full custody will be awarded to the father, Ethan Lane.”

The words sank in slowly, leaving a tight ache in my chest.

“Visitation rights will be granted to the mother under scheduled conditions.”

I didn’t hear much after that.

My ears rang slightly, the rest of his words fading into the background.

It was over.

Just like that.

I turned slightly, catching sight of my mom. She was already crying.

Not quietly either. It looked like she was trying to hold it in, but it wasn’t working. The kind of crying that came from somewhere deeper than just sadness.

She stood and walked toward me before I could react, pulling me into a tight hug.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice breaking. “I never meant for any of this to happen. I never meant for you to go through that with Sam. I’ll fix it. I’ll come see you as often as I can, I promise.”

I didn’t hug her back.

I couldn’t.

My arms stayed at my sides, my body stiff, my mind too full to process what I was even feeling.

It wasn’t just anger anymore.

It wasn’t just hurt.

It was everything at once, tangled and overwhelming.

She pulled away slowly, wiping at her face.

My dad stepped forward then, placing a hand lightly on my shoulder. “Come on,” he said gently.

I followed him.

Claire was already heading toward the exit, giving me a small, careful smile as we passed her. I didn’t return it.

By the time we got to the car, I felt… empty. That was the only word for it.

“Hey,” my dad said once we were inside. “You okay?”

I stared out the window. “Can you take me back to school?”

He glanced at the time on the dashboard. “It’s almost closing hours. There’s no point going back now.”

I nodded faintly.

“Then… can I go to Tyler’s?” I asked. “I don’t really feel like being home right now.”

He hesitated. I could feel it without even looking at him.

Claire reached over, placing her hand lightly on his. “It’s okay,” she said softly.

He sighed, then nodded. “Alright.”

“Thanks,” I murmured.

But I barely registered the answer.

My mind had already drifted somewhere else—to my mom. To the way she looked when the decision was made. To the fact that she didn’t just lose the case. She lost me.

And then, without meaning to, my thoughts shifted again. To Tyler. To everything we’d talked about that morning. To distance. To the future. To the possibility of losing him too.

My chest ached at the thought, a quiet, hollow kind of pain that sat there without warning.

Because now I knew.

Distance didn’t just create space.

Sometimes, it created endings.