Page 165 of Broken Destiny

We reached the hotel, and Harper walked back with me to my room.

The hallway was quiet, the soft carpet muffling our footsteps, the faint ding of the elevator fading behind us.

“It turned out to be a lovely evening,” he said, gently taking the cup of green tea from my hands after we had stepped inside the hotel room.

“It was.” I managed a small smile. “I just wish I had a chance to talk to him.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Harper said, taking a sip. “But I’m glad you had a good time even though it was cut short.”

I nodded, though the truth was more complicated than that.

The evening had been pleasant on the surface, but underneath it all, tension had followed me like a shadow. Emotionally drained, I let out a yawn before I could stop myself and then giggled softly, embarrassed.

“Gosh! Sorry about that.”

“Someone’s tired,” Harper said, glancing at his watch. “And it’s only—whoa—it’s past eleven. When did we become so old? Remember the days when we stayed up till two?” He laughed. “We still had energy the next day.”

“God! I remember,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not the same with two kids anymore.”

We both laughed, the sound carrying the comfort of old memories.

“I’ll get going,” he said after a pause. “And I’ll pick you up on Sunday at quarter past three. Is that fine?”

I nodded and walked with him to the door.

“Good night,” he said, leaning in and softly brushing his lips over mine.

The unexpected brush of his lips pulled me back to earlier that night when I had placed my hand in his, letting him guide me to the dance floor.

Seeing Caleb with Tatiana had made my stomach twist. It didn’t matter who stood beside him—Tatiana or any other woman—the ache would have been the same. I was still in love with him, even if his feelings for me had turned into anger and hatred.

The song playing in the background—I Hate U, I Love U—had felt painfully fitting, as if the lyrics had been written for us.

I swayed with Harper, but my attention kept drifting to Caleb.

Even from across the floor, I could feel his gaze on us.

At one point, my head had rested lightly against Harper's shoulder while we danced. He covered my hand with his and guided me gently across the floor. I had laughed at something he whispered, the sound soft and automatic, though my heart wasn't fully in it.

The memory dissolved as quickly as it had surfaced, leaving me standing in the quiet hotel room, Harper still in front of me.

“Sorry... too soon?” Harper asked, tilting his head slightly.

My mind had gone blank, unable to process what had just happened.

I had thought we were pretending earlier in front of Caleb andTatiana when he held my hand and kissed my cheek. That had been part of the act—something harmless, something strategic.

But this kiss was different.

This was real.

Why did he do this now? Especially after what I had just told him—after admitting that my heart still belonged somewhere else. Could Elle have been right?

I nodded slowly.

“I’m sorry, Harper.”

I lowered my gaze for a second, gathering my thoughts, then looked back at him.