Chapter 195: The Edge of the Shadow

Harper’s POV

I picked up my phone off the cushion again.

My very first instinct was to text Justin. I opened our private chat and just stared at the last harsh message I had sent him yesterday.

My thumb hovered over the small keyboard on the glass screen. I didn’t even know what I really wanted to say to him anymore.

I’m sorry.

Can we please talk?

Please come back.

None of those short words felt like enough to fix the tear between us.

I let out a heavy sigh and was just about to type a message when a fresh notification banner popped up at the top of my display.

An unknown number.

My brows pulled together as I tapped the screen to open the thread.

Unknown: I know who you are. Can we talk?

My entire body went completely still.

I stared at the black letters on the white screen, the room spinning around me. For a few long seconds, I couldn’t draw a single breath into my lungs.

It was the exact same number that had called my phone earlier. The exact same woman who had screeched into my ear.

You lied to us! You fucking lied to us!

And now... now she knew who I was.

My fingers tightened so hard around the phone that my knuckles turned bone white.

"No..." I whispered into the quiet, dark room. I shook my head, my throat burning. "Please... I cannot deal with this right now. Not today."

I had barely finished speaking those words out loud when the phone in my hands burst into life, vibrating wildly.

Justin’s name flashed across the screen.

I hit the green button and brought it straight to my ear. "Hello?"

"Baby."

His voice was so soft, so warm, that it nearly tore a sob right out of my throat.

I closed my swollen eyes, leaning my head back against the sofa. "I was actually about to type a text to you..."

There was a tiny, hesitant pause on the other end of the line.

"I’m standing outside your house, Harper," he said quietly.

My eyes snapped wide open. "What?!"

"I’m right outside. Please come out and talk to me."

I scrambled off the couch, turning toward the window. "Justin..."

"Please, Harper. Just step outside for a minute. Let’s just talk."

I looked down at the cold, ominous text message from the unknown number sitting in my inbox. Then I looked at Justin’s name at the top of my call screen.

My chest tightened until it felt hard to breathe. "Okay... I’m coming out."

I ended the call and tossed the phone onto the cushion for a second.

I looked down at what I was wearing. Just a pair of old shorts and a thin singlet, with my hair sticking up in a messy, chaotic bun from lying around the apartment all day.

I glanced over toward the wooden chair where my long house robe was hanging. I should probably throw it over my shoulders before going out into the chilly air.

But it was only Justin. There was no need to hide from him.

I slipped my feet into my fluffy house slippers and hurried straight out the front door, skipping down the small steps.

The very moment I saw his dark sleek car parked near the curb, my heart squeezed tightly in my chest.

Justin was already stepping out of the driver’s side. He barely had time to shut his car door before I walked straight into his open arms.

He caught me instantly.

His strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me tightly against his body, and I buried my face straight into the warm crook of his neck.

For a few long seconds, neither of us said a single word.

I just stood there on the cold pavement. Breathing in his familiar cologne. Feeling the solid, steady thud of his heartbeat beneath my cheek. Feeling the deep, comforting warmth of his chest pressing against mine.

It was almost ridiculous how fast being in his arms made all the terrible tension leave my tired body.

Justin tightened his grip around me, holding me like I was something precious.

Then, against my hair, I felt him smile.

"Oh," he murmured softly.

I lifted my head from his chest, blinking up at him. "What?"

"Seems like I’m already forgiven," he teased gently, a soft light in his dark eyes.

I rolled my eyes at him, though my voice lacked any real bite. "Please."

He laughed softly, the sound low and rich.

"I’m still very mad at you," I added, biting my lip.

"I know you are, baby."

We slowly separated a little bit, but his big hands remained resting warmly around my waist, refusing to let me go too far.

His handsome face shifted. All the teasing vanished in a second, replaced by deep, sincere regret.

"Baby, I am so sorry," he whispered, searching my eyes.

I stared up at him.

"I am really, truly sorry," he repeated, his voice thick. He rubbed his thumb gently back and forth over my bare arm. "I called the ad manager guy this morning. I’ve been trying to reach him for hours. I wanted him to stop all the ad campaigns immediately, but apparently the guy went hiking deep in the mountains somewhere and he’s completely out of cell service."

I blinked, taking that in. "What?"

"I know," Justin sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. "I tried everything. I can’t get through to his office or his personal line."

I stared at him for a quiet moment, looking at the dark circles under his tired eyes.

Then I slowly shook my head. "Don’t worry about it anymore, Justin."

He frowned, looking confused. "What?"

"Everything has already blown up," I told him, my voice flat but calm. "Shit is already happening everywhere."

I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and unlocked it.

"Look at this," I said, opening the YouTube dashboard app and showing him the glowing screen.

Justin leaned in closer to look at the numbers.

I turned the screen directly toward his face. "Two point one million views."

His thick eyebrows shot up toward his hairline. "Already? In less than a day?"

"Yes," I said, scrolling down the analytic page. "And... I’ve already made about eleven thousand dollars directly from the video ads."

His mouth literally dropped wide open. "Eleven thousand dollars? In twelve hours?!"

I gave a short nod. "Eleven thousand."

He stared at me, then at the screen, then back at me. "How long is this video, Harper?"