Chapter 18 #3
Harper’s voice dropped to a whisper. "I felt like I was floating. Like I was outside my body but still trapped in it. I could feel him stripping me out of my clothes. He put me in some lingerie set... and then this random woman showed up. She did my makeup. My hair. I didn’t even know her name."
Sevyn’s whole body went still, her mouth slightly parted, frozen in disbelief and horror. The pieces of Harper’s pain were beginning to fit together, and the full picture shattered her.
Harper wasn’t just guarded. She wasn’t just cold. She was broken in a way that no healing words could fully fix.
"They put me in the back of a car and drove me to some rundown motel," Harper continued, her voice breaking but steady.
"By the time we got there, the drugs had finally kicked in. I was blacking out, but I could still feel it... big ass hands all over me. I didn’t have to be conscious to know what was coming. I was about to get raped."
Her hands shook now, but her eyes never wavered. Sevyn sat silently, the tears falling freely down her face, scooting closer to hold space for her.
"I was still a virgin, Sev. And the thought that this—this sick shit— was how I was going to lose it… it broke something in me."
Harper’s voice faltered, but she kept going.
"I woke up to a dead man lying next to me. His neck was snapped— his head damn near hanging off—and Hassan was standing over me, blood all over him, cold as fuck. He didn’t say a word. Just picked me up, carried me out of that room like I was glass, and put me in his truck."
Her voice was barely a whisper now, like if she spoke too loud the memory would swallow her whole.
"He took me back to Madea’s house. She was at work—her night shift—and he took care of me.
Cleaned me up. Made sure I was okay. I didn’t remember much until about two weeks later.
My father came over, drunk as hell, and admitted everything.
Every fucked up thing he did. Me and Hassan just stared at him while he ranted like it was a fucking confession booth. "
Harper’s hands balled into fists as the tears poured down. "Hassan was ready to kill him. Right there. In the middle of the living room. But I stopped him."
Her whole body shook now, not from fear—but from rage.
"Why did I stop him?!" she cried out, voice raw and ripped open. "Why didn’t I let Hassan kill that sorry motherfucker?!"
Sevyn didn’t speak. She just pulled her in, wrapping her arms around her as Harper screamed into her shoulder.
"Because..." Sevyn finally said, gently pulling back to look her in the e yes, "because you still saw him as your father.
No matter how evil he was, some part of your heart still clung to the idea that he was supposed to love you.
And that small part? That was the only thing standing between him and death. "
Harper shook her head through clenched teeth. "I’m so fucking weak. I let that piece of shit breathe because a tiny-ass part of me still gave a fuck."
"You are not weak, Harper." Sevyn’s voice was firmer now. Sharper. "You are the strongest woman I know."
Harper scoffed, brushing tears away. "You only sayin’ that 'cause you love me. 'Cause we best friends."
Sevyn mugged her instantly. "Nah, I’m sayin’ it because it’s the truth."
"You went through hell—literal fucking hell—and didn’t let that shit break you. You graduated college with honors, built your gym from the ground up, and made something out of yourself when that man tried to take everything from you."
"And you still walk around with a heart big enough to carry the people you love. You didn’t let what he did to you harden you. That’s not weakness. That’s power. That’s strength most people could never touch."
"You are resilience, Harper. And I’m blessed as hell to call you my best friend. Because even after all that? You still got light in you."
Harper broke again, but this time it wasn’t from pain. It was from release.
And Sevyn didn’t let go. She just held her tighter.
Harper looked at her with the same tear-filled eyes, but now with a smile. "Thank you, Sev. I needed that."
Sevyn pulled her into another hug, holding her close. "Just being honest," she said once they pulled away.
"That’s why that nigga Hassan hugged me." Harper smirked, the weight in her chest finally lighter. "You be hugging that nigga a lot."
The name made Sevyn freeze for a second, her nerves flaring all over again. The butterflies she’d been trying to suppress since this morning suddenly kicked back up, fluttering wildly in her stomach. But she masked it quickly, letting out a soft laugh.
"Yeah... even the toughest niggas on earth need a hug."
Harper laughed too, playful again. "I swear you made my cousin soft. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m glad you did."
That genuine smile from Harper made Sevyn’s chest ache in the best way. Despite the confusion still swirling inside her, she smiled back.
Trying to change the subject, she leaned forward slightly. "So... what’s next with your father now that he’s back? "
Harper’s face shifted again, but this time there was clarity behind her eyes. She shook her head slowly. "I don’t know. I do know I won’t heal properly until I confront him. I just need some time and space to figure that out. Sit with it."
Sevyn nodded, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Take all the time you need, Harp. That nigga doesn’t get to walk back into your life like bygones are just erased. If he wants a place in your world, he’s gonna have to earn it."
Harper nodded in agreement, feeling the conviction in her best friend’s voice.
She glanced at Sevyn while picking up her food again, heart fuller than when she walked in. Sevyn had always been like this—gentle but firm, caring but honest, the kind of woman who could help you pick up the pieces without making you feel broken. Harper knew she owed a lot of her healing to her.
But it wasn’t just her.
What Sevyn was doing with Hassan... it hadn’t gone unnoticed either. The shift in him, the softness beneath his steel, the calmness that slowly crept into his presence—it was all Sevyn. She wasn’t just healing Harper. She was healing the man everyone thought was too far gone.
They spent the rest of their lunch talking about lighter things— before cleaning up and getting ready to head back to work.
Neither of them said it, but they both left the room carrying less weight than when they entered.