Chapter 78 The Past

Harper took a quick glance at Emily, then dropped her gaze and finished off her coffee.

"Emily," Harper's voice was barely a whisper, sounding really down.

"What's up?" Emily waved over the waiter to get herself a coffee and was about to order one for Harper too, but Harper stopped her with a raised hand. "No need, Emily."

Emily gave Harper a puzzled look. Harper seemed unusually down; what was going on?

Harper was torn. She didn't know if she should spill the beans or not. Finally, she shook her head. "It's nothing, I just missed you."

Emily sighed and gave Harper a long look. "If it's nothing, I'm gonna head out."

She made a move to get up and leave.

Harper quickly called out, "Emily, don't go!"

Emily tilted her head, looking at Harper without saying a word, urging her to spill with her eyes.

Harper let out a heavy sigh and nodded under Emily's intense gaze. "Alright, I'll tell you."

Emily sat back down, ready to listen. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Emily, I slept with Samuel," Harper blurted out, her face turning red.

"And?" Emily wasn't shocked at all. She had sensed the chemistry between them last time; it was only a matter of time before they hooked up.

Harper looked at Emily in surprise, realizing that her relationship with Samuel might already be out in the open.

She rubbed her face and continued, "I'm worried I might be pregnant."

With that, Harper rested her head on Emily's shoulder, finally letting out the anxiety and fear that had been eating at her for days.

"Didn't you take any birth control?" Emily's voice was calm.

"No, I forgot," Harper's voice was muffled.

Emily glanced at her and, for some reason, thought of her own fling with James.

Except for the time Ava wanted a kid, she always took birth control whenever they didn't use a condom.

She didn't want a kid because she and James had no real feelings for each other and didn't want a child to suffer.

Emily held Harper's hand, feeling how cold it was, knowing she hadn't been doing well lately.

She knew Harper didn't need blame or empty comfort; she just needed someone to be there.

Harper closed her eyes, feeling sorrowful.

She and Samuel had been engaged since they were kids; they were always supposed to be together.

Unlike Emily, she had liked Samuel since she was young, always following him around until he told her he didn't feel the same, and then she had hidden her feelings.

She had accepted her teacher's suggestion to go abroad, partly because of a medical accident and partly to avoid Samuel.

Her background wasn't great; no one liked someone who was considered cursed.

Because of her engagement to Samuel, she had a place in the Smith Family; otherwise, she would have been kicked out long ago.

She had felt inferior because of her background since she started school. If it weren't for James's care, she would have been bullied to death.

But James couldn't always be there for her, so she was still bullied for a long time.

It wasn't until Samuel stepped in that her school days got better.

Samuel was known for being a tough guy at school; no one dared to mess with him.

When she was cornered and beaten by bullies, Samuel walked up, put his arm around her shoulder, and said, "She's my fiancée. Try messing with her again."

After that, those bullies never bothered her openly again.

Maybe from that day on, Samuel's cool image was burned into her mind. Even though he had mellowed out as he grew up, she could still remember that day clearly.

She even drew a picture of Samuel that day, standing in the sunlight while she looked up at him from the shadows.

She drew herself really small, only about one-fifth of Samuel's size.

She thought she was destined to look up to Samuel her whole life.

She worked hard in her studies and life, just to be with Samuel.

But when they finally had sex, she was a bundle of nerves.

They were fiancés, destined to get married, so having sex was inevitable.

The funny thing was, even though they had done such an intimate thing, she still hadn't had her first kiss.

That night, in a moment of passion, she tried to kiss his lips she had longed for many times, but he always dodged it.

She wasn't drunk to the point of losing consciousness; she was just doing things she didn't dare to do before, fueled by alcohol.

Samuel's actions told her he wasn't drunk either but just didn't want to kiss her.

Afterward, they hugged and slept until morning.

She knew Samuel visited her in the hospital because of his family's arrangement, not his own will, but she still indulged in her wishful thinking.

When Samuel said it was an accident and quickly left, as if nothing had happened between them.

She called and messaged Samuel, but he didn't respond.

Her heart felt torn apart, and she lay at home for a day, missing the best time to take the morning-after pill.

She had a selfish thought that having a child might keep Samuel, but that thought lasted only a second before she dismissed it.

She didn't want to go through what Emily did, and Samuel wasn't James; he truly had no feelings for her.

Thinking of this, Harper couldn't stop crying, her tears rolling down her cheeks.

Emily reached out and patted her head, not knowing how to comfort her.

Suddenly, Harper said, "Emily, you don't know how my dad died, do you?"

Emily looked at Harper in confusion, not understanding why she brought this up.

She had been in the Smith Family for three years and had only vaguely heard others mention that Harper's father was a hero.

Harper opened her mouth to speak but ended up just holding Emily and crying loudly.

Emily sighed inwardly and hugged Harper tightly.

"Alright, let's not talk about sad things," Emily comforted her.

From Harper's words, Emily felt there was something unusual about his father's death. After comforting Harper and sending her home, she wanted to leave but was held back by Harper. Emily had no choice but to agree to stay with her.