Chapter 7
The rain got to me after all
I came down with a fever and ended up curled in bed at a budget hotel for two full days, too weak to move
It was the front desk who helped pick up so
kup some cold medicine for me just enough for me to stand upright and catch my flight out. As I boarded the plane, a message notification lit up my screen.
It was from Harper.
A video.
Julian helped move her
She was sitting out on my old private garden terrace, panning the camera across the room as Dad, Logan, and Julian help things in
“Claire,” she chirped sweetly, “your room’s mine now!”
“Jealous? Not only did they give me your room, they’re taking me on an Aspenridge Wildlife Cruise to see the penguins–just like I always wanted!”
I smiled faintly and typed back: [Congrats. You got everything you ever wanted.]
[Not just the room. Everything t
that came with it is yours now.]
Then I pulled out my domestic SIM card, snapped it in half, and tossed it in the nearest trash bin.
Time to go.
Time to leave Claire Evans behind for good.
Back at Lakeview Estate, once Harper had the room redecorated to her liking, the whole family packed up and whisked her away on
Vacation
Aspenridge. Penguins. Luxury cruise.
But after just a week, Logan started fidgeting. Restless. Checked his phone every five minutes.
But no matter how many times he unlocked it, the screen stayed blank.
Yesterday had been his birthday.
For years, Claire never missed it. Even if she couldn’t be there in person, her gift and message always arrived without fall.
This was the first year… nothing came
And the silence sat in his chest like a stone.
Something wasn’t right.
“Dad,” he said, “I want to head home.”
Richard flicked th
the ash off his cigarette–his third in the last hour–and let out a slow breath
Before he could respond, Harper piped up from the deck where she’d been trying to coax a penguin closer.
“Lopan, don’t go home yet,” she pouted. “We just got here. It’s so much fun!”
Logan frowned. “We’ve been gone long enough. There might be things we need to take care of,”
Harper’s pout deepened. “What’s the big deal? She doesn’t even live there anymore.”
Logan’s brows drew together.
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“Watch your tone when you talk about her.”
Harper blinked, caught off guard. “What? I was just stating a fact,”
But she then gave him a sweet smile and looped her arm through his. “Didn’t mean anything; by it.”
Logan shook her oft. “She’s still family. Try sounding like you actually care,”
Harper’s face fell.
She looked toward Richard for support–but this time, he didn’t come to her defense,
Instead, he crushed the cigarette under his boot and muttered, “Logan’s right. We should head back.”
“I just remembered… she was really upset last time because we didn’t show up to her college graduation.”
“She’s already graduated. She wouldn’t be allowed to stay in the dorms anymore.”
“God knows where she’s even been sleeping these
few nights.”
When we get home, I’ll give her a call. If she’s willing to apologize to Harper, she can come back. No one’s holding: a z
Logan nodded.
“Okay,”
Because that was the lin
line, wasn’t it?
No grudges in a family.
But when was the last time they sat down and actually talked like a family?
When was the last time they traveled together and it wasn’t just… like this?
Logan tried to remember.
But every vacation photo, every memory, was filled with Harper’s smile. Her voice. Her presence.
And Claire?
She wasn’t there.
Not once.
A chill settled over him.
When had it started?
He dug through his memories like a man searching through smoke.
It all led back to one thing-
Harper’s arrival.
That was when Claire began to fade.
That was when she started crying Screaming, Begging them to believe her.
“It wasn’t me. I didn’t do it. Please just listen.”
“She’s lying. She’s not who you think she is.”
“Kick her out. Please.”
But no one had listened.
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And soon… she just stopped talking altogether.
She stayed away. Moved into the dorms as often as she could.
Sometimes, they’d cross paths at school.
One minute she’d be smiling, laughing with friends-
The next, she’d see him and drop her head like a scolded child.
A pit opened in Logan’s stomach. He didn’t know when he lost her.
But he knew now–he’d lost something.
Something important.
“Can we
e pack up
in an hour?” Richard’s voice cut in, low and strained, “Next flight leaves in two.”
Logan looked up sharply.
There it was
That same fear in his father’s eyes.
He didn’t even hesitate.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll pack now
The plane touched down the following evening
And the moment they landed, both men made a beeline for the car.
Harper trailed behind, whining about her luggage. But neither of them turned back Not this time.
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