All through that night, Damien found it hard to sleep as he kept remembering the look on Harriet’s face when he tried forcing himself on her. He shouldn’t have done that but his mind was clouded with jealousy and the whiskey he took a few minutes before going to her room made things worse.
He wanted to give himself a punch in the face for doing that to her.
Now, all he could do was think of a way to rectify his mistake. That was a really foolish move on his path. Knowing Harriett, it would take a lot to get her forgiveness.
Their relationship had just taken steps backward because of that act.
The next morning, Harriett woke up early as she wanted to join Stacy in preparing breakfast. While in the kitchen, she overheard some of the maids gossiping about how she was trying to act like a wife as a way of winning Stacy’s heart. They thought she was trying to come back into the house permanently as Damien’s wife.
Harriett scoffed. She was no longer certain of her decision to give Damien a chance and have a fresh start. He was becoming too possessive and dominant for her liking.
Maybe he has always been this way and she never knew as they barely spent time together. She could count the number of times they spoke during the course of their marriage.
“Is everything okay with you and Damien? I heard you guys arguing before dinner yesterday.” Stacy couldn’t help herself as soon as it was just her and Harriett in the kitchen.
Harriet stiffened as she clutched the plate in her hand, careful not to drop it.
Where was she going to start? Was she going to tell Stacy that her Damien is suspicious of his brother? What would that make of him?
Different thoughts flooded Harriet’s mind as she thought of the best way out of Stacy’s question.
“Oh, dear. I know it’s not my place to ask. I was just curious.” Stacy voiced out a few seconds after she got nothing but silence from Harriet.
Snapping from her daze, Harriett turned to Stacy, shaking her head.
“Don’t say that, mother. You have every right to ask. Damien is your son and I am your daughter.” Harriett said with a warm smile.
Hearing Harriett refer to herself as ‘her daughter’ made Stacy’s heart flutter and a smile grazed her lips.
She was blessed with every thing in life but a daughter. Not that she wasn’t happy to be blessed with her sons. She just wanted a relationship with a daughter, a mother-daughter relationship.
This was one of the reasons she always loved Harriett. Since she was the daughter to her Close friend, she watched her grow up, so to her, Harriett was the daughter she never had.
“I’ll be very honest with you, mother. Things are not good between Damien and I. I thought that coming here for the weekend would help us but, I was wrong.” Harriet confessed with a sigh, sadness enveloping her once bright face.
Stacy’s heart sank once more by Harriet’s words. She had been thrilled to know that Harriett and the children would be spending the weekend with them. She felt that it would be perfect for the family but hearing Harriett call it a mistake? It was too much for her to bear.
“We have too many differences, mother and while I am willing to change, Damien isn’t. I came here to give our relationship a chance but it doesn’t seem to be working out, mother.” She revealed.
Harriett gave herself a pat on the back at how well she was able to explain things to Stacy without revealing what really happened.
“Don’t give up on him, dear. I know he has said this more times than you can count but he is deeply sorry for what happened four years ago. He hasn’t even been able to forgive himself since that incident happened.” Stacy took a seat on one of the kitchen stools and Harriet followed suit, sensing that there was more to what Stacy was saying.
Without cajoling her to speak further, Stacy continued.
“You have no idea how much Damien beat himself up for making you leave. He was miserable for a really long time, Harriet. He was only getting better when you saw him at Eric’s wedding. Believe me, he wants nothing else but for you both to come back together. Maybe he’s going about it the wrong way but, he means well, my dear.” Stacy said, her eyes begging Harriett to give Damien a chance.
Harriett sat there in disbelief. Damien was miserable after she left?
Unbelievable!
The same Damien who didn’t care about her or even spared her a glance during the years they spent together?
Harriet knew that Stacy would never lie to her but this, this was just unbelievable.
“I understand mother. I’ll do what I can but, at the end of the day, it’s up to Damien. If he wants us to work, he’ll do things the right way.” Harriett said, trying not to remember the incident from the night before.
Her and Stacy rounded up their conversation and announced that it was time for breakfast. Stacy went up first to get the twins ready while Harriett went to call Adrian out but when she went to his room, he was no where to be found.
The breakfast went smoothly with Adrian out and Damien being oddly quiet. It was awkward for Harriet but it was better than having to listen to the brothers fight.
*
*
Tony stared at his phone, shaking anxiously. It was Saturday already but Harriett was still at her ex-husband’s house.
“She won’t actually spend the weekend there, would she?” He asked no one in particular but his sister who was in his room with her son heard him mutter those words for the umpteenth time and she was getting fed up.
“If you’re going to keep getting worried about that woman like a psycho, pay her a visit already!” She said out of frustration.
Her brother was getting obsessed with Harriet each passing day. Naturally, he should have gotten over her a little bit after spending almost a month away from her but, she was wrong. The man was still crazy about her.
“Right? I can just show up. She doesn’t know I’m in New York so, I’ll be surprising her.” His eyes widened as his lips parted in a grin.
“Wait, you’re actually buying that idea? Are you crazy?” Rachael almost screamed.
“I don’t see anything wrong with it.” He shrugged and her eyes widened.
“You can’t see anything because of your foolishness, brother. She’s at her ex in-law’s house. A whole family and you want to show up there, as what?” She crossed her arms on her chest as she waited for his reply.
“Her best friend?” He replied and Rachael busted into loud laughter.
“Best friend huh? And she hasn’t bothered to call you for three whole weeks. Do a rain check, brother. You might just be fooling yourself.” Rachael said, earning a frown from Tony who was embarrassed by the fact that she might be right.
“All the more reason to pay her a visit, don’t you think? Who knows, it might just be a misunderstanding.”