Invisible to My First Love (Harper and Maddox) novel Chapter 120

Maddox

Two weeks ago, I wasn’t prepared to hear whatever Harper had to say. But now, standing face to face with her, I felt ready—ready to take whatever words were about to spill from those soft, red lips.

“That night, you never even let me get a word in,” she said softly, her voice tinged with frustration. “You just walked away.”

I let out a slow breath. “When I told you how I felt and saw the look in your eyes, I thought, ‘Damn, here comes the rejection.’ Whatever you were going to say—I didn’t want to stick around to hear it.”

“You’ve got it all wrong. I wasn’t going to say I didn’t feel the same,” she replied firmly.

“But you also weren’t going to admit you did. I knew that pretty well.” I paused, then added with a hint of regret, “You know what? If I could rewind that night, I’d still tell you how I felt.”

“Then run away afterward?” she teased, trying to lighten the mood with a playful smirk.

“Absolutely.” I leaned in closer, my tone growing serious. “Here’s the thing—you have to understand, I’d never done anything like that before. Saying it out loud for the first time felt strange, especially when I realized you didn’t feel the same. I was a fool because deep down, I’d always known.”

She turned her gaze away, jaw clenched tightly. After a moment, she spoke again, voice barely above a whisper. “My whole life, it’s always been Grayson who held my heart, even when I was with Mike. Now, I regret every damn second I spent hoping there was a chance. Even saying that asshole’s name tastes bitter in my mouth. He’s a fucking—”

“Whoa,” I interrupted, narrowing my eyes. “Are you okay?”

She forced a shaky laugh. “Nope. But this isn’t the time to get into it.”

“Actually, this is exactly the time.” I glanced down at her hand trembling on the table. “You’re shaking.”

She exhaled heavily. “It just hurts so damn much.”

Her eyes glistened, on the verge of tears, and I wasn’t about to let her break down like that.

“You don’t have to say anything more right now,” I said gently, squeezing her hand to offer some comfort.

“I’m fine. Really, don’t worry about me.” She managed a small, reassuring smile and took a moment to compose herself. “Yesterday started off well. Grayson told me he’d spoken to Anna in London, and she was coming to Los Angeles. She wanted to meet me.”

“What?” I tilted my head in surprise.

“Yeah! I was so excited—”

“Wait a second. When exactly did Grayson meet Anna in London?”

“Yesterday morning, on his way back to San Francisco,” she answered confidently.

“That can’t be right.” I shook my head firmly. “He never left San Francisco. He had back-to-back meetings all day—even the day before, he didn’t go to London. He and Tiffany spent the evening at a friend’s place here in San Francisco.”

Confusion crept over her face as she leaned back, brows furrowing. “That doesn’t add up. He told me—”

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