Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Harmony clenched her hands little by little and spoke in a faltering voice. "Tim is the heir—the sole heir—of the Barkers. He needs to have a child."

"Old Master Barker and Old Madam Barker liked me very much. They were happy to let Tim be with me before the accident, but once they found out that I could no longer get pregnant, they still treated me well but forbade Tim from being with me again."

"Before I was discharged from the hospital, Old Madam Barker even planned on accepting me as her granddaughter-in-law."

Harmony then looked up at Samantha. "It's pretty obvious what Old Madam Barker is trying to say. She's more than willing to repay me for saving Tim by promising me wealth and prosperity, but she won't allow me to be with Tim."

"I was still recovering from my injuries at that time and was heartbroken to hear such terrible news. I hated Old Madam Barker for being so ruthless, and I rejected her outright because I loved Tim very much."

"I never wanted wealth and prosperity. What I wanted was just Timothy. That's all."

Tears began streaming down Harmony's eyes. "From the moment I refused, I became a thorn in the side for the old Barker couple. They believed I didn't know what was good for myself and felt that I was demanding too much. They even thought I was being inconsiderate of Tim, and I was condemned even though I had earlier been his savior!"

"Now you know why Old Madam Barker hates me so much. But can you honestly say that this is my fault?"

Samantha's eyelashes trembled slightly but she did not speak.

The Old Madam Barker she knew was not that kind of person, and she would never just believe that one-sided story from Harmony.

Harmony looked at Samantha's unwavering eyes and could not help but sneer, "You won't feel anything if you weren't in my place, right?"

Samantha rolled her eyes before looking back at Harmony. She replied insipidly, "I can't comment without first getting the complete picture."

"Heh." Harmony shrugged. "Go ahead and verify it for yourself. May lightning strike me if any one of my sentences was a lie!"

Samantha said nothing.

Harmony saw that Samantha was not buying any of it and continued to say, "Tim didn't know what Old Madam Barker did, of course, because she wouldn't say it. I didn't say it either, since I wouldn't want Tim to be caught in a dilemma between me and his grandmother."

"Tim was super kind to me at that time. He took care of me every day and accompanied me. He said that he'll never let me down in the future, and once I was discharged from the hospital, he'll officially tell everyone that we were in a relationship."

"I can remain unmoved in the face of Old Madam Barker's threats and promises, but watching Tim treat me like that broke my heart. The better he treats me, the more difficult it was for me to be inconsiderate of him. He could have gone against the world just to be with me, but I can't let him bear the burden of being labeled as disobedient. I can't have children either, and the issue of having an heir will forever be a problem for us."

"I was finally discharged from the hospital after more than a month, and on the day that I was discharged, Old Madam Barker came to me again with good news."

"She told me that she had contacted a famous doctor from abroad, a doctor who was fifty percent confident about treating me, so perhaps I might still have the chance to get pregnant in the future."

Having mentioned that, Harmony paused and sipped some tea before continuing, "I was very happy at that time, thinking that God was looking favorably upon Tim and me, so I promised to do as she said. I rejected Tim's confession without telling him the reason and left under the old lady's arrangement."

"Tim was sad and confused at the time, but I held on to the belief that nothing could stop us anymore if I came back after getting treatment."

"It turned out that I was being too naive. I trusted Old Madam Barker too much, and after she sent me abroad, there was no sign of the famous doctor and I received no treatment. She tricked me, manipulated me into going abroad, and refused to ever let me come back. She also forbade me from having any further contact with Tim."

Harmony's tears slid down from the corner of her eyes.

"I was young and alone in a foreign country at that time, so I couldn't resist at all. The only thing I could do was study hard and live a good life so that I'll have the power to fight back in the future."

Samantha received a notification on her cell phone.

She held her phone up, glanced at it, and saw a message from Timothy. [Dinner's ready. What time will you be home?]

Harmony looked over as well but was not at all jealous. Rather, she looked at Samantha with a pitiable look.

Samantha did not reply to the message. She put the phone back into her bag, looked up at Harmony, and said icily, "Everything you mentioned happened in the past."

She was implying that the past was not representative of the present.

It all happened at a time when she was not yet at Timothy's side. If that alone bothered her so much, then she was the one who was being unreasonable.

"I knew you would say that."

Harmony took a tissue and wiped her tears gracefully, "But when it comes to Timothy and me, there is no such thing as 'the past'."

"Remember the first time we met? It was at the airport when you and Tim were heading to Barrkjaer Island for your honeymoon."

Harmony could not control herself from laughing when she brought that up, "It's a bit cruel, but I'll tell you the truth anyway. Tim went to Barrkjaer Island not for your sake, but mine.

"He knew that I was going to Barrkjaer Island to set my mind at ease, so he came all the way to look for me. You...were just a cover."

"I was saddened when I found out that Tim finally married you, so I decided to end all contact with him. That was the reason he chased after me, to tell me that he married you only so he could have an heir."

"As for why he chose you, it's simply because Old Madam Barker likes you. Tim is filial after all, especially since Old Madam Barker is the only family he had left after Old Mister Barker passed away. He was more than willing to fulfill Old Madam Barker's wishes."

"I didn't agree with what he did at first, because in my opinion, it was very unfair to you. He insisted on doing it for me though, so my only choice was to give you hints using every method possible. Unfortunately, you interpreted my kindness as malice and wasted all my effort."

Harmony's smile turned cold slightly. "Then again, Samantha, after we got to know each other, I realized that you're the kind of person who isn't worthy of my help."

"You're making a lot of claims," Samantha spoke in a tone that was as indifferent as before, "but where's your evidence?"

Harmony seemed astonished that Samantha would be so difficult to break, but she quickly sneered, "Tim told me that you've always been wary of him after he broke off the marriage, so he had no choice but to pretend to be on your side to persuade you into carrying his child."

"Don't trick yourself into believing that I lost to you twice before this because of your ability.. I let you win, while Tim helped pull the strings from behind."