I Once Married You (Harper and Benjamin)

Harper was stunned.

She didn't know how to answer that.

Harper could only press her lips, looking helplessly at Benjamin. It was as if he had received her silent plea for help but chose not to intervene. Instead, he said coolly, "Harper, Mom's asking you a question. You have to back me up here, otherwise I'll be misunderstood."

His deep gaze fell on her, seemingly carrying a hint of amusement.

'What did Benjamin mean by that?' Harper thought.

It was clear Benjamin was throwing Harper under the bus.

Feeling awkward, Harper replied softly, "Mom, since grandpa is fine, Benjamin and I will head out now. We've planned to go watch a movie together."

Then, pulling Benjamin along, they headed out, Lily's voice following them, "Grandpa would be so happy to hear you're going on a date, he'd wake up right away."

Harper let go of Benjamin's hand once they were in the car.

Benjamin turned to look at Harper beside him and asked softly, "What movie are we going to see?"

"I was just lying to Mom," Harper replied indifferently.

"You always say we shouldn't lie, right?"

"It was a white lie. Even if mom finds out, she won't blame me."

"A white lie?" Benjamin stared at her intently. "So, what are you trying to suggest to me?"

Harper frowned, realizing what he meant.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I didn't say anything. Could you not jump to conclusions," Harper retorted.

"Alright, I won't overthink it. Now that it's just the two of us, tell me, is there anything wrong with my health?" Benjamin asked it sanctimoniously.

"It's your body. How would I know?"

Harper quickly turned her head away, not wanting to continue the conversation.

Yet, Benjamin seemed to insist, as if he wouldn't let it go unless she answered.

He even grabbed her, forcing her to face him, and looked into her eyes. "You're my wife. If you don't know, who does?"

Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes darted away.

"What did he mean by that?

Had she and Lauren never indeed been together?" Harper thought.

Harper pressed her lips, and her actions caught Benjamin's gaze. Images of her stifled moans and murmurs under his kisses invaded his mind, along with her pleading voice, making his breathing grow heavier.

Just then, a cell phone rang, snapping him back to reality.

It was Harper's phone.

The caller was Frank.

Benjamin's face darkened when he saw the name on the screen.

However, Harper, unaware of his reaction, answered the phone in his presence, "Hello, Frank."

Her voice was gentle, exactly how she used to talk to him, but now she seemed like a hedgehog showing its spines to him.

Whatever Frank said made a faint smile appear on Harper's face, irritating Benjamin deeply.

Without knowing why, Benjamin suddenly suggested in a low tone, "Harper, since mom misunderstood us going out on a date, why don't we just stay out tonight?"

Harper was startled, her eyes lifting to meet Benjamin's.

Frank's voice came through the phone. "Harper, are you with him?"

She then softly affirmed.

Frank said, "You guys are getting a divorce, so why is he acting like this?"

Harper didn't know the answer to that question either.

Indeed, they were about to divorce, and Benjamin acted as if nothing was wrong. In Harper's mind, it must be because he didn't care that he seemed so indifferent. Thinking about this made her feel exceedingly awful.

Feeling much more sober and calm, she told Frank, "Let's leave it at this for now; we can talk more at the office tomorrow." After hanging up the phone, Harper looked at Benjamin and said, "Let's just go home. It's not the right time to go to a movie." "Why would it be inappropriate?"

"It was just an excuse; you didn't have to take it seriously," Harper said softly.

"Harper, are you worried Frank might misunderstand something?" Benjamin asked accusingly.

Frowning, she replied, "Why would you think that? Didn't you say we shouldn't involve others in our matters?"

Benjamin didn't respond. He just stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped off.

The atmosphere was silent the whole way.

Harper felt wronged. She hadn't said anything incorrectly, but he was upset about it.

Although they weren't ignoring each other like last night, everyone at Pineview Villa could sense Benjamin's foul mood.

Harper naturally wouldn't coddle him. She had figured it out. It was better to rip off the band-aid. If she appeased him, it would only make her more dependent; better to keep their relationship lukewarm.

*****

Thanks to Chris stepping in, Harper's company maintained its partnership with Summit Realty.

Today, the two companies officially signed their cooperation agreement. Summit Realty explained their previous misunderstanding, "Ms. Mitchell, we're truly sorry. We had no idea you were connected to the Mitchell family and such good friends with Mr. Martin. You should have told us earlier, and we could have avoided these misunderstandings."

Harper just offered a faint smile in response.

Her marriage to Benjamin was known only to their families and close friends, and to the outside world, it was a secret. Unexpectedly, Benjamin explained to others that they were just excellent friends. Although it wasn't a problem, it still hurt her a bit inside.

After resolving this issue, Harper and Frank had lunch together. Frank brought up a sensitive topic. "Since you and Benjamin are getting a divorce, are you planning to stay in Mayby?"

"No, I'll leave here once the divorce is finalized. You'll stay to manage the company..."

"Harper," Frank interrupted, "I've told you, wherever you go, I'll follow. If you want to keep the company, I'll arrange for someone to manage it. If not, we'll dissolve it."

"It has to be preserved. I can't let them lose their jobs."

Harper insisted that. She never considered dissolving the company as it would be unfair to others.

"Alright, let's do it your way. Is the divorce date set yet? Once you leave this place, you're still the same person you used to be."

Frank watched Harper and waited for an answer.

Harper responded softly, "It's not set yet. Grandpa can't accept it yet. I can't hurt grandpa no matter what."

Harper spent the entire day at the office. Lately, she visibly lost weight as she ate very little each meal, mainly sticking to bland food and avoiding anything oily, spicy, or stimulating. Frank still drove her back to Pineview Villa in the evening.

Although it was a bit of a bother, it was unsafe for her to drive recently as her concentration was poor.

The car steadied in front of Pineview Villa. Harper was just about to reach for her seatbelt, barely touching it before she could unbuckle.

They heard a loud bang, a tremendous force struck from behind.

The inertia jolted forward the car's occupants and then snapped back, but luckily, they were wearing seatbelts and weren't hurt, just severely shaken.

Harper sat there, stunned, her hands instinctively protecting her abdomen, worrying silently, "Did I scare you, baby?"

Frank noticed her movement and thought she was injured, quickly asking, "How are you, Harper? Are you okay?" Harper took a deep breath, indeed shaken, but she believed the baby was fine.

She shook her head. "I'm fine, let's see what happened."Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Exiting the car, they saw a familiar black car.

Frank instinctively looked at Harper as she stared unblinkingly at the man in the driver's seat.

He was hunched over, his head bowed. They didn't know what had happened to him.

Harper walked over, quickly pulled the car door open, and softly called out the man's name, "Benjamin?"