Fell For My Husband's Best Friend

ch 9

Harper kept driving until the city lights faded away, leaving her on a road that slipped into quiet darkness. Her pulse was still racing, fingers stiff around the steering wheel. She pulled into an empty overlook by the cliffs and killed the engine. Harper leaned her forehead against the steering wheel and closed her eyes, feeling empty.

A soft vibration of her phone startled her.

Liam: Please come home. We need to fix this.

Liam: I’m not losing you.

Liam: Just tell me where you are.

She dropped the phone onto her lap, rubbed her palms over her face. “I don’t even know where I am," she murmured, her voice cracking in the small space of the car.

A car engine echoed in the distance. Harper stiffened, lifting her head to see headlights appearing from the fog. It was Grace’s small silver hatchback. She stepped out with an umbrella, squinting through the mist. Harper let out a breath of pure relief. Grace jogged over and knocked on the window. “Open up, dummy.”

Harper unlocked the door. Grace slid inside, a wave of perfume rushing in with her. “What are you doing here?” Harper whispered.

Grace shrugged. “Your husband called me like he was ready to rip the world apart. I figured you were either at the pier or up here.”

Harper let out a shaky laugh. “Am I that predictable?” “Uh, yeah," Grace replied gently.

Harper stared out at the fogged windshield. “Grace… Liam is cheating on me, and he admitted everything. He slept with her.”

Grace’s face turned serious. “Then why are we sitting here instead of packing your things?”

Harper rubbed her arms. “Because everything is a mess. Because Jaxon...because I...” her voice faltered. “I don’t know who I am right now.”

Grace reached out and squeezed her hand. “You don’t have to figure out your whole life tonight. You just have to decide where you want to spend the night, as of now.” Harper closed her eyes, feeling utterly drained. “I can’t go back to that house.”

“Good,” Grace said instantly. “Then you’re coming home with me.”

Grace stepped out of the car heading back to hers.

Suddenly, a second pair of headlights flickered through the fog, speeding and swerving right toward them.

Grace turned to look. “Who the hell...?”

Harper’s breath caught. The car screeched to a stop behind them, and Liam stepped out into the mist without an umbrella, his hair soaked. “Harper!” he yelled, his voice cracking. “Please...don’t go.”

Grace’s eyes widened. “Oh, hell no.”

But Harper slowly opened the car door and stepped out into the rain. Liam’s face was a mess. “You can’t just disappear like that. You scared the hell out of me.”

He took a step closer, but Grace stepped between them. “Back up.”

“Grace, stay out of this,” Liam snapped.

“Not a chance,” she shot back.

Harper’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Liam… just go home.”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “I’m not leaving without you. We can fix this. We can go to counseling and start over.”

“Start over?” Harper asked, rain dripping from her chin. “With what? Lies and cheating?”

Liam flinched. “I made a mistake.”

“You made your choices,” she corrected, “Don’t call them mistakes.” He stepped closer, eyes red. “I love you.”

She shook her head. “You don’t lie to the person you love and expect them to keep holding your hand.”

Liam’s breath shattered. For a second he just stood there broken, and lost like a man watching his whole world crumble. Then his voice dropped lower. “Is this because of him?”

Harper froze. “What?”

“Jaxon,” Liam spat. “Is that where you were running to? Did he convince you I’m the bad guy?” Grace took a step forward. “She ran because you broke her, not because someone else picked up the pieces.”

Liam ignored her. His eyes were locked on Harper. “It’s him, isn’t it?” he whispered. “You chose him.”

Harper’s voice trembled. “I didn’t choose anyone. I chose myself.” He stumbled back, dragging a shaky hand through his soaked hair. “I can’t lose you…” His voice choked, almost desperate. “Please.”

Harper swallowed hard. “You already did.” Grace grabbed Harper’s arm gently. “Let’s go.”

Harper took one slow step backward. Liam’s face twisted into pain and disbelief. “Harper…” he whispered.

She didn’t answer. She got into Grace’s car and shut the door. Liam didn’t move. He just stood in the rain, watching as Grace started the engine, the taillights glowed red through the fog as the two women drove away.

He watched her choose a world where he didn’t get to follow. As they pulled onto the highway, Grace reached over and squeezed Harper’s hand.

“You did the right thing,” she murmured.

But Harper stared out the window, rain streaking the glass, her heart pounding painfully. “If this is the right thing…” she whispered, “why does it feel like everything is falling apart?”

And somewhere far behind them, Liam stood in the road, broken, watching the woman he loved slip out of his life.