Chapter 72
HARPER
Imake my way towards the drawing room, stopping outside the door when I hear raised voices.
“What do you mean she’s pregnant?” Caleb’s voice echoes through the space.
“Keep your voice down,” Kat hisses.
“Where’s the father in all this? Do we even know who he is?” Elijah asks.
“Not sure why they’re asking Kat,” a voice says from behind me, and I turn to find Gabriel looking down at me. “How are you feeling this morning?”
I smile up at my brother, my protector. The quietest of them all, but my rock.
“I’m feeling a lot better. I think I needed a good cry.”
“You’ve been through a lot,” he says.
“I have, and I’m still standing,” I say, shooting him a smile I’m not sure reaches my eyes.
“I never doubted it for a moment,” he says, squeezing my shoulder as he pushes open the door and whispers close to my ear. “Own it.”
I shoot him a look, his eyes flashing with encouragement.
I step into the room and face my family.
“Yes, Caleb. I’m pregnant. I’m not sure how far along I am. I learned yesterday through a voice message from my New York physician.”
“Does the father know?” Elijah asks.
“Was it serious between you?” Caleb asks, earning himself growls from both Elijah and Kat.
He shrugs. “It’s a genuine question. Accidents happen. You, of all people, should know,” he fires back at Eli.
I hold up a hand as Eli goes to open his mouth.
“Before this gets out of hand, I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
” I rest a hand on my stomach as another wave of nausea hits.
“Yes, I was in a serious relationship with the baby’s father.
No, he doesn’t yet know. We took precautions, but they clearly failed.
But whatever the outcome, I’ll raise our baby. ”
I don’t tell them that Alex and I had a falling out before I left or that I’m not even sure he’ll want to speak to me again. I just hope Mitch gave him my letter and that Elise will back up my story.
“Does he know your true identity?” Gabriel, the voice of reason, asks.
I sink down onto the sofa, exhausted.
I nod. “He does, at least I think he does,” I say. “I wrote him a letter when Dan and Mitch said I was leaving. Mitch was due to deliver it.”
“You sent the guy a letter?” Elijah asks.
“I did.”
“Who the hell did he think you were?” he asks.
“Brooke Feldmann, PA, a small-town girl. He had no reason to doubt me. My fake life was very real.”
Caleb drops himself onto the sofa opposite me. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he reads that he was sleeping with Harper Frazer.”
Elijah smacks him on the back of the head.
“Hey,” he says, rubbing the spot. “What I mean is, small-town girl to billionairess. Quite the jump.”
“He has money of his own. You don’t need to worry about me.”
I know where Caleb’s mind has gone, his protective streak has kicked in.
“And you didn’t get to speak to him before you left?” Kat asks.
I shake my head.
“Are you going to contact him?” she says.
“I will. In time.” I don’t want to tell them about how badly things ended between us. “I just want to get the press conference over and done with. Recentre myself.”
“You have three hours before they arrive to collect us,” Pen says, entering the room and sliding an arm around my shoulder. “You’ve got this, Harps. This is a new start.”
* * *
My heart thunders in my chest as I’m escorted to a chair behind a table on a makeshift stage. My eyes dart to every corner.
The room is packed, standing room only. Members of the press fill every available seat, while camera operators line the walls.
I force a smile, picking up the bottle of water in front of me, my hands visibly shaking. I’m grateful when Dan takes it and twists the cap loose before passing it back to me.
“Thank you,” I say, gripping it tightly and raising it to my parched lips.
“You’ve got this,” he says under his breath.
I nod, closing my eyes briefly. Pleased that The Seamstress allowed him to be here.
His presence is a comfort I didn’t realise I needed.
Mum sits on the other side of me, her hand grasping mine, squeezing it for support.
The rest of my siblings are watching the proceedings on a TV screen somewhere inside the police station.
My hair has been dyed back to its natural colour, and my makeup has been done perfectly. There is nothing left of Brooke, only Harper. Why, then, do I feel naked, exposed and vulnerable?
I inhale deeply as the circus begins, letting my Harper mask fall into place, the one I cultivated for years after Dad died. Only it feels different now, as though being away has altered it…
The questions come thick and fast, making my head spin, Mum’s firm grip grounding me.
Harper, where have you been?
Harper, were you in a safe house?
Did you have contact with your family and friends while you were away?
What do you intend to do next?
The chief officer takes the lead, and it doesn’t take me long to realise this is the same way I felt when I first became Brooke.
“That’s enough, ladies and gentlemen. I’m sure Ms Frazer will be happy to answer questions going forward, but this is an update on her whereabouts,” the officer says, finally closing down what has felt like an endless barrage.
Dan gets up and comes to stand behind me, pulling out my chair before guiding Mum and me towards the exit.
Once through the door, I sink back against the wall, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply.
Someone squeezes my arm.
Opening my eyes, I find Pen standing in front of me.
“You did great. In a couple of days, things will have calmed down and something new will have caught their attention,” she says, nodding towards the room I’ve just left. “Let’s get you home where you can put your feet up and rest.”
I offer her a weak smile.
Being back with my family is amazing, but there’s one person I want here with me. Yet there have been no calls, no messages.