Harper
Quietly stepping inside the hospital room, I softly shut the door behind me. The lights are dimmed and the only noise in the room is the rhythmic beeping of Evan’s vitals.
There’s a police officer outside of the room and one inside. Mason somehow convinced them to let us in here. He knew the men and promised I just wanted to talk to Evan and get some answers.
I slowly lower myself into the chair next to the bed and watch Evan. Mason’s standing behind me and I know he won't interfere unless I need him to.
It’s so hard to think of Evan as a monster willing to shoot someone. He still looks so much like the boy I met, yet that feels like a lifetime ago.
When we met in our freshman year of college, Evan seemed great. He was easy to talk to and he made sure to make me feel like I was a priority to him.
Now looking back, I wonder if he already knew Dennis and if any of it was real. It’s painful to think about a four-year relationship being a complete lie.
Evan groans and turns his head to the side. His eyes flutter open and closed several times.
“Harper? Is that really you?” He mumbles.
“Yes. I have questions for you,” I say firmly.
Mason reaches inside his pocket and pulls out his phone. He navigates to the voice memo app and clicks record. I frown, that’s an odd thing to do, but I'm here for answers, I don’t care what he’s doing.
“Are you going to marry me?”
“I'm not answering questions, Evan. I'm asking them. I want answers.”
“Ok. What do you want to know?” He groans, trying to readjust himself on the bed. He tugs on his arm and frowns when he can’t move. Does he not know he’s handcuffed to the hospital bed?
“Do you know Dennis Stone?”
His eyes open wide and he stares at me in horror. A little more of a dramatic response than I expected, but he really believed I was still in the dark.
“How do you know him, Evan?”
“He’s… uh… a friend of my parents’.”
“And what deal did you make with him?”
“What are you talking about?” He glances away, unwilling to meet my gaze. Maybe he actually feels slightly guilty about what happened.
“Stop playing stupid. I know everything, I want to hear it from you though. What was Dennis going to give you if you married me?”
“He said he’d give me my dream job and save my parents financially,” he whispers.
“How long? When did he approach you about this?” I squeeze my eyes shut. Somehow, it’s so much more painful knowing everything I was told is confirmed by him.
“Over Christmas break of our freshman year of college.”
“So, it’s all been a lie? Every second we spent together?” My voice raises louder than I expect, but I can’t hold it back. I'm livid.
“Not all of it. When we met, I didn’t know Dennis. I genuinely liked you and wanted to get to know you better. I liked spending time with you.”
“And when did that change?”
“When I went home for Christmas, I found out my parents made some bad investments and we were going to lose everything. I’d have to drop out of college and figure out what I wanted to do with my future.
Two days after I found out, Dennis approached me at the country club and made me an offer.
He agreed to pay all of my parents’ bills and for my college for as long as we dated.
I figured I liked you so it was an easy decision to follow through. ” He sighs and shakes his head.
“How did we get from that to you proposing and cheating on me?” I push, needing to hear it all from him.
“It started with trying to convince you to stay in Pittsburgh even during breaks or the summer. I had no clue why he wanted you to stay at first, but figured that was easy enough. I convinced you if you quit your job during the summer, there wouldn’t be a position to come back to in the fall.
I said you needed to study for finals and going home would be a distraction.
I suggested that taking one or two summer courses would lighten your load during the normal semesters.
Eventually, I found out Dennis wanted more and more distance put between you and your family. ”
“So, you just did whatever he wanted you to do and didn’t ask any questions?” I arch a brow. I can’t believe he could blindly follow every wish someone else had.
“What was I supposed to do, Harper?” He sighs and tries to lift his hand, but realizes quickly he’s still cuffed to the bed. “He was paying for my college and maintaining my parents’ lifestyle. I didn’t have many choices.”
“We always have choices,” I growl.
“As time went on, I didn’t want to date you anymore.”
I don’t expect his comment to hit me so hard, but it’s another blow to my already battered heart.
“Then why not break up with me for good and end our off and on relationship?” I hate myself for how my voice comes out shaky and heartbroken.
“I tried. I begged Dennis to let me. He kept holding college and my parents over my head. I figured if I could finish college, then my parents could fend for themselves. They wouldn’t be happy, but oh well.”
“What changed?”
“About six months ago, Dennis told me if I married you and moved you to California, he’d give me my dream job in his new company.
He’d let my parents be on the board and they’d get a big enough paycheck to live comfortably and I wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.
I knew you wouldn’t marry me, you weren’t in love with me.
You were always in love with Jackson,” he whispers.
“What?” My brows furrow as I stare at him.
“I think that’s why I didn’t want to date you. I had this amazing woman as my girlfriend. One everyone said I was lucky to have, yet I knew if you had it your way, you’d be cuddling up with Jackson every night, not me.”
“That’s not-”
“Please don’t insult me.” He rolls his eyes. “The way you look at him like he’s the only other person in the world… The way your face lights up every time you take his call. Man, even the sheer number of phone calls you two have is insane. I’ve never met two people so in love, yet not together.”
“Then why propose? Why willingly plan on marrying someone who doesn’t love you?”
“Money. Dennis didn’t care if I cheated on you, just that I kept you away from your family.
Somehow marrying you made me feel like I was sticking it to Jackson too.
Even if you didn’t really love me, he couldn’t have you.
That’s why I proposed at the party. I knew you wouldn’t say no with that many people there to witness it. ”
“But you’ve been tracking me,” I whisper.
“Yes. Dennis was getting antsy the closer and closer we got to graduation. He made me install the camera in your study and put the tracker on your phone. He had access to both. When you went home with Jackson, he demanded I put more cameras throughout your house.”
“And you listened? That’s such an invasion of my privacy!”
“So, only the one in her study was there prior to her coming home?” Mason arches a brow.
Man, I forgot he was even in the room. He’s skilled at fading into the background when he doesn’t want to be seen.
“Yes.”
“At least the creep wasn’t watching you sleep then.” Mason sighs, stretching out his back.
“So reassuring.” I roll my eyes. “Why’d you come to the bakery?”
“Well, Dennis wanted proof we were engaged. I had twenty-four hours to send a photo of us together with you showing off your ring. I ran out of time. I couldn’t convince you to do it, I just had to take charge.”
“You shot my dad,” I whisper as tears fill my eyes.
“Yeah… that probably wasn’t the best idea. Even if you didn’t already hate me, you definitely would now.”
“You tried to kidnap me.”
“I did.” He nods his head and I'm not sure he feels a bit of regret over it.
I glance up to find the cop jotting down everything on a notepad. I’m sure since he’s in custody, he can use anything Evan says as evidence.
“How does Dennis have enough money to fund all of this anyway?”
“He has his hands in tons of illegal things. Drug trafficking, money laundering, moving guns, and probably more that I don’t know about. He’s the one who gave me the gun. He gave it to me a few months ago and said if I needed to use it for any reason, it isn’t registered to anyone.”
“Is he into human trafficking?” I swallow hard as the weight of the words sits heavily on my chest.
“I don’t know for sure, but I think so. I’ve been to a few of his warehouses and there were women tied up there.”
“Where are they?” I glance over at Mason and see his jaw clench.
Evan rattles off where the warehouses are and I know within the next hour, Mason will have an entire police force ready to move in. He won't stop until Dennis is behind bars where he belongs.
“How did you know he wouldn’t sell me to someone else?”
“I guess I didn’t really. He said I could have you; he just didn’t want your mom or Maddox to have contact with you anymore.”
I shake my head as my stomach rolls with the thought of what my biological father is capable of. I have no clue how a man like him could ever convince someone like Mom to marry him.
“I’m done,” I whisper. “I can’t listen to any of this anymore.”
I stand from my chair and turn my back on Evan. I never want to see him again.