Chapter 69
"Hey Harper, I know you're in the middle of ignoring me right now but ...if you’re hearing this, then I guess it means I couldn’t stay by your side like I promised.
" To be honest, I'd never planned to fall in love. What I saw that happened between my parents made me believe love was just something stupid, something I didn't need. But then there was suddenly a little woman in my life. A woman who'd defend me in front of anyone who called me a lowly bodyguard. A woman whose smile could light up the whole room. A woman who'd wait for me to come home for dinner. A woman who'd ask me how my day was and would comfort me if I was feeling down after a bad day at work.
The woman who liked me a lot but was too shy to mention it. The woman who'd blush like a tomato at a compliment and looked extremely cute when angry. The little woman who'd ask me for divorce at the slightest hint of anger.
You were... light. Kind in ways the world no longer teaches. You made me feel seen, like I was more than the lies I carried. And somewhere between your laughter and the way you always tried to understand people, I fell for you. Hard"
"I’m really sorry Harper—for hiding the truth from you. For not telling you who I really was. I told myself it was to protect you. Maybe that was true. Or maybe I was just scared—scared of losing you if you knew everything"
"But now, I don’t think I can protect you anymore. Not the way you deserve. And that thought… it’s breaking me."
"So I need to say this: live, even if I’m not there. Move on. Smile that beautiful smile. Forget the man who lied to you, who couldn’t stay, who made mistakes he wishes he could take back."
"But I want you to remember... I loved you. I still love you. And no matter where you are, no matter who you’re with—I always will"
The voicemail ended, and Harper's tears flowed even more. She clutched her phone to her chest and cried her eyes out. "Harrison, I'm so sorry. Please don't leave me, I can't bear to live in this world without you. Please don't go" In the midst of her crying, Harper felt a warm pair of arms wrap around her. She looked up at the figure and sniffled "R-Ruby?" "It's ok Harper, he's a strong man. I'm a hundred percent sure he'll make it, so don't cry anymore uh?" Ruby's words had the opposite effect. Harper's tears flowed even more and she threw herself into Ruby's arms, crying her heart out as she spoke "Harrison, he said he loves me, he won't leave me right?" "I'm sure of it, he won't leave you. He definitely won't"
The scene wasn't uncommon in a hospital, but the rawness of Harper’s heartbreak touched even the passing doctors and nurses. Quietly, they each whispered their own prayers—for the man fighting for his life, and for the girl who refused to give up on him.
A month passed..
Harper sat quietly at Harrison’s bedside. His chest rose and fell slowly, machines softly beeping around him. The doctors weren’t hopeful anymore. They said they weren’t sure he’d ever wake up.
She stared at him, wanting so badly to reach out and touch his chest—just to feel the warmth, the life still inside him. She looked at his chest as it moved up and down, wanting to touch it but not daring to do so.
Tears threatened to fall from her eyes but she wiped them away with her sleeve and sniffled before speaking
"You always did things your own way… even saving me. Why couldn’t you just let me hate you in peace?"
She let out a shaky breath
"I listened to your voicemail. Every word. And I kept waiting to feel anger again, to remind myself of all the reasons I wanted to walk away. But all I felt was this… this ache."
"You say you loved me? That you were protecting me? Do you know how cruel it is to say that and then leave? You should’ve told me the truth and I should’ve looked past the lies sooner. Maybe then, we wouldn’t be here."
Harper paused for a moment and brushed away a few strands of hair from his forehead
“I’m not ready to lose you. I don’t want this to be how our story ends.”
"So… if you can hear me—if some part of you is still holding on—please, fight. Come back to me. Because I…"
Harper swallowed hard before a tear came sliding down her cheek
"I love you too."
"Har-Harper" At the sound of her name, Harper stiffened. Why did the voice just now sound so much like Harrison's? There had been several times when she thought she heard Harrison calling for her and she'd look at him hopefully only to be disappointed. She must be having auditory hallucinations again.
"Harper" hearing her name for the second time made her rethink. Maybe she really wasn't imagining it? Could Harrison really have woken up from his coma? Harper swallowed hard and she slowly looked up— and what she saw moved her so much she almost started to cry again. Her Harrison had woken up!