You Owe Me Forever

Chapter 11 You Still Think I'm the Villain?

　　"Please stop asking. I don't want to be the reason for any fights between you two," Harper mumbled, head down, voice small, looking like a scared rabbit that had been wronged but didn't dare speak up.

　　"I'm really sorry, Mrs. Johnson. I'll leave right now. I had no intention of causing any problems between you and your husband. I really am sorry!"

　　"Mr. Johnson, I think it's better if I just go. This isn't my home, after all. Me staying here doesn't feel right," Harper said and left without looking back.

　　Staring at her retreating figure, Ethan asked coldly, "What happened to your hand?"

　　"Exactly like she said. I called her a fake, and she poured hot soup on my hand," Scarlett replied flatly, not bothering to explain more. If he didn't trust her, further talking was pointless.

　　Ethan looked at Scarlett, whose expression hadn't changed at all. It was like no matter what he did, he couldn't touch her heart-and that somehow made his mood even worse.

　　"You deserved to be burned."

　　Scarlett listened to his footsteps fade away, mouth twitching into a sorrowful smile. But it didn't take long before that smile turned bitter, and somewhere along the way, tears started falling.

　　*****

　　Harper vanished the second night after leaving the Johnsons'. Ethan spent two full days searching like a madman before finally finding her.

　　When he did, she was tied up in an abandoned factory, barely breathing. The doctor told Ethan if they'd gotten there even a little later, she wouldn't have made it.

　　"You're awake?"

　　"You saved me? I'm... still alive?"

　　"I thought I was done for... thought I'd never see you again!" Harper burst out crying as soon as the fear hit her all over again. She was clearly traumatized-shaky, paranoid, completely on edge.

　　"What the hell happened? Who did this to you?"

　　"I don't know... they all wore masks. Said someone paid them to kill me..."

　　"It was terrifying... Mr. Johnson, I'm so scared!" Her voice broke as she spoke, fear washing over her again like waves. That night... the k********g, the beatings, what those men did-she couldn't even bring herself to think about it.

　　"You've got me. Don't worry now."

　　"But we need to get to the bottom of this. I can't just let it go."

　　"Did they try to get ransom or anything, or was it just straight up murder?"

　　"They didn't want any money, just said they were hired to kill me," Harper recounted the whole story, leaving out one horrifying detail-what they'd actually done to her. That was something she couldn't tell Ethan. What if he looked at her differently? What if he left her?

　　"Who the hell would pay to have you killed? Have you made enemies?"

　　She shook her head, confused herself. She tried to be kind to everyone, never picked fights... no one should hate her that much.

　　"No one really... I'm usually nice to people. I can't think of anyone except..."

　　She trailed off.

　　"Except who?" Ethan pressed.

　　"No one. Just forget it." Harper's gaze flickered, clearly hiding something, but Ethan already had a good idea.

　　Who else but Scarlett? If anyone hated Harper to that extent, it was her.

　　Hiring a hitman? Wouldn't be a shock for someone like Scarlett. She'd once killed the man who raised her - Ethan's father - with her own hands.

　　So if she's planning to get rid of the woman she sees as a homewrecker now, she probably wouldn't even blink.

　　"I'm gonna confront that b***h myself!"

　　"Don't! It might not be her-we could be wrong!" Harper grabbed his arm urgently, eyes full of panic.

　　"If we don't teach her a lesson, she's just gonna keep pushing it!"