Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Samantha's car stopped abruptly, causing the car behind her to nearly rear-end her. The owner of the car behind was so furious that he pressed the car horn several times.

Samantha seemed dazed and did not react for a moment.

The owner of the car behind drove to her side and lowered the window to scold Samantha. "Do you know how to drive? What the hell's wrong with you!"

Samantha's eyelashes trembled fiercely and she forced herself to return to her senses. She lowered the car window and apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry."

The owner drove away while cursing.

Samantha closed her eyes and calmed her thoughts before starting to drive again. She pulled over to the side of the road and stopped there.

Then, she picked up the phone with trembling fingers and clicked on WeTalk.

Harmony's message was a picture, rather than a text. She clicked on the picture and enlarged it.

The words stated clearly 'Physical Health Report.'

Harmony marked the most important section with a red circle!

Harmony's body had been so badly injured…that she would never be able to get pregnant, ever.

Samantha read the health report calmly, but the floodgates in her mind had opened and all sorts of information poured uncontrollably into her mind.

Her hand trembled even more as she held the phone.

That was something she would never have expected. It was like a hammer that came down hard on her heart that her mind went instantly blank.

There were certain things that she could not ignore despite her best efforts to do so.

The phrase 'ignorance is bliss' had never suited her.

The corners of Samantha's lips curled up slightly but she could not manage to complete a smile. She held back the coldness emanating from her body and typed out a message before sending it.

[Where are you?]

Harmony seemed to have been waiting for Samantha's question because the reply was almost instantaneous.

She shared a location and replied: [I'm waiting for you.]

Samantha looked at the four-word text and felt like laughing.

She put her phone down and took a few deep breaths. Once she steadied her trembling lips and dispelled the coldness emanating from her body, she regained her composure and started driving again.

However, she drove much slower compared to before, without knowing whether she did so for safety or whether she just wanted to give herself some time to be mentally prepared.

The place was not too far and it should have taken only 20-minutes, but Samantha drove at a constant speed of 40 miles per hour. In addition, there were a few traffic jams during the commute, so it took her nearly an hour to reach.

The sky outside was already completely dark when Samantha entered the VIP room.

They were inside a teahouse.

If Samantha remembered correctly, Timothy and Harmony once had tea in that same establishment and ended up being photographed. Those same photographs were then posted on the internet.

Harmony was preparing tea. The water was boiling and the tea's fragrance wafted throughout the room.

When Harmony saw Samantha's arrival, she smiled slightly, "You're here at last, Sammy. I've just finished brewing some tea. Do have a taste."

Samantha looked up at her.

Harmony's efforts had been thwarted several times, and she gradually lost her patience until she finally revealed her true nature in front of Samantha. Her confidence had dwindled severely as well, so Samantha was surprised that Harmony could regain that character she once had when they first met.

Harmony appeared charismatic, dignified, elegant, confident, and even…optimistic about success.

Samantha walked over and sat opposite her.

Harmony place a cup of tea in front of her and said, "This is Tim's favorite. Give it a try."

Samantha did not play along with the charade and there was even a slight change in her expression. She merely said, "You have five minutes."

Harmony's expression froze for a moment.

She had suffered so much in Samantha's hands that she was never going to let go of the opportunity to crush Samantha's heart and rip that arrogance to shreds. Nevertheless, she did not expect Samantha to be so haughty, arrogant, and fearless at such a time!

It did not matter to Harmony though, because it was finally her time to be smug!

Harmony's expression immediately reverted into a smile. "In that case, I'll get straight to the point."

She looked at Samantha's unemotive eyes and spoke clearly, "I know you investigated my past with Tim, right? Well, it wasn't really you, because it was Rochelle who did the investigation at your entrustment."

Rochelle was the one who offered to help Samantha investigate Harmony, but there was no point for Samantha to explain that to Harmony.

She only uttered a single word, "Continue."

Her attitude made it look as though Harmony was a subordinate reporting to her.

Harmony could not help gritting her teeth and cursing at Samantha for always knowing how to push other people's buttons.

She deliberately beat around the bush to make fun of Samantha, not to give Samantha a chance to rile her up. Her expression froze when her ruse failed and she decided to say bluntly, "Rochelle couldn't find anything at all because someone had already taken steps to protect any and all information about me! Any guesses regarding who did that? it's Tim of course!"

Harmony's smile widened in delight when she said that. "You're curious to know what happened between Tim and me, right? You shouldn't have bothered checking! I can tell you—right now—about the two of us!"

"Yes, we grew up as childhood sweethearts, and we were recognized by everyone as the perfect couple. But Tim has a cold personality and he doesn't warm up so easily to others, so we started as friends in the beginning. As we grew up, we became more in tune with our feelings, so it was only a matter of time before we started falling for each other."

"Everyone knew about us. Old Master Barker, Old Madam Barker, Zac, and Jon too. They were all hopeful for us and wished us well."

Harmony's expression softened when she spoke about those past events, almost as if her entire person had been immersed in the wonderful memories of yesteryear. Her voice became tender and soft as she continued, "Then, Tim confessed to me on Valentine's Day and said he wanted to be together with me! Forever!"

"Silly me didn't accept his confession because I was still a reserved girl back then. I only told him I'd consider it for a few days before giving him a reply."

"Those few days caused Tim and I to be separated for so many years."

Harmony's eyes gradually became more painful.

"On the day before I was about to give Tim a reply, I was going home with him when we ended up in a car accident. The car crashed right into Tim's seat, and I threw myself on him to block the fatal crash without even the slightest hesitation."

"I was covered in blood as I lay in his arms and I thought my life was over. I didn't regret it at the time though, and I'd be more than happy to do it again."

"Luckily for me, I was rescued in the end, but the sad part is...I hurt myself and will forever be unable to get pregnant."

Harmony lowered her eyes and laughed self-deprecatingly, "Everyone thanked me when I saved Tim's life, but everything else had changed...."