Chapter 191: THE AFTER EFFECT

HAPER’S POV

When I opened my eyes, the bedroom was much darker. Shadowy dusk filled the room.

For a few confused seconds, I lay completely still, not knowing where I was or why my throat felt so dry.

Then everything came rushing back in a violent wave.

Justin. The documentary. The screaming argument at his apartment.

I sat up slowly on the edge of the bed. My eyelids felt heavy, swollen, and tight from crying.

I stood up, smoothed my messy shirt down, and walked out into the quiet living room.

Emma was still sitting on the couch, the pale glow of the TV casting light over her face.

"Where’s Mom?" I asked, my voice raspy and thin.

Emma looked up from her phone. "She’s inside her room sleeping."

"She hasn’t woken up at all?"

"No. She came back earlier and went straight to bed."

I nodded slowly and walked over, sitting down beside her on the sofa.

I pulled out my phone from my pocket. The screen was completely quiet now.

Justin had stopped calling.

I hadn’t expected the sudden silence to hurt so much. But it did. It felt like a heavy, cold weight sitting right on my heart.

There were new notification banners on my screen, though.

Mason.

Mason: Hey Harper.

I tapped the notification to open the chat.

Mason: Ava and I heard what happened with the video.

Another text followed right below it.

Mason: We’re really, really sorry.

Then:

Mason: Do you want us to come over to the apartment?

I typed back quickly, my thumb moving fast across the glass.

Me: No. It’s okay. I just need some time right now.

A few minutes later, another text popped up. From Mason again. This one was much longer.

Mason: I know you’re probably still very angry, and honestly, I completely understand why. What Justin did wasn’t his decision to make, Harper. I talked to him earlier and told him straight up that he should have asked you before running those global ads. I know he was just trying to help and he genuinely wanted your mom’s story to reach as many people as possible, but that doesn’t change the fact that he crossed a line and should have asked you first. I’m really sorry for what my friend did. I hope you know I’m not sitting here trying to defend him. I just know how Justin gets when he thinks he’s protecting someone he loves. He gets completely carried away. But you had every right to be furious with him.

I read the long message twice, my eyes lingering on the words.

A tiny, tired smile touched the corners of my lips.

Mason was still defending Justin in his own subtle way. Of course he was they were best friends. But at least he acknowledged that I wasn’t crazy for being angry. At least he understood why I was terrified.

I clicked the side button and locked my phone, setting it down on my lap.

Suddenly, the phone began to vibrate violently against my thigh.

BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.

I frowned, looking down at the screen.

The incoming caller ID wasn’t a saved contact. No name. Just a long string of numbers.

Unknown Number.

My thumb hovered over the red decline button. I almost ignored it completely.

But a strange, cold knot twisted in my gut, forcing me to slide the green icon across the glass.

I lifted the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I said quietly.

Silence on the line.

Nothing but the heavy, ragged sound of breathing coming through the speaker.

I sat up straighter on the couch, my heart skipping a beat. "Hello? Who is this?"

A woman’s voice suddenly exploded through the phone, sharp, screaming, and filled with pure rage.

"YOU LIED TO US!"

I froze instantly.

My blood ran completely cold, turning to ice in my veins.

The woman screamed again, her voice screeching into my ear, deafening and wild.

"YOU FUCKING LIED TO US!"

My entire body froze into ice.

I was still holding the cold phone pressed against my ear, but I couldn’t move a single muscle. I couldn’t even draw air into my lungs properly.

The woman’s wild, screaming voice was still ringing inside my skull like a striking bell.

You lied to us! You fucking lied to us!

My eyebrows pulled together, a tight knot forming between my eyes.

Who was this? Who was screaming at me?

I opened my dry mouth to force out a word. "Hello?"

There was a sudden, abrupt silence on the other end of the line.

Then, muffled by distance, I heard another voice speaking in the background. A man’s heavy voice.

"She said she didn’t know..."

My stomach dropped straight into my feet.

I knew that voice.

Not well. Not intimately. But I had heard it before. I had listened to recordings of it.

And suddenly, like a terrifying flash of lightning, something clicked in my brain.

My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it felt painful.

No. No, no, no.

My entire body went numb and ice-cold. That woman’s screeching voice... that sounded like her.

My father’s wife.

I yanked the phone away from my ear, staring down at the glowing unknown number on the screen with pure horror. My thumb scrambled over the glass, and I slammed the red end button.

I sat completely still on the couch, unable to breathe. My fingers were trembling uncontrollably in my lap.

Emma noticed the sudden change immediately. "Harper?"

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t form words.

Noah, who had been sitting across the room, looked up from his screen. "What’s wrong with you?"

I slowly raised my head, looking at both of my siblings. Their faces blurred for a split second behind the unshed panic in my eyes.

"Why are you looking at us like that?" Emma asked, her tone shifting into subtle alarm.

I swallowed hard, my throat feeling like sandpaper. "Have either of you checked the documentary since I got back?"

Noah frowned, his brow furrowing. "What?"

"The video, Noah. The YouTube upload."

He pulled up his phone. "Yeah, what about it?"

My heart thudded wildly against my chest. "How many views does it have right now?"

He tapped his screen, his eyes scanning the page. Then, his eyebrows slowly rose toward his hairline. "Uh..."

"What is it, Noah? Tell me!"

He turned his phone around, showing me the glowing white numbers on the display.

"One point five million,"