Chapter 151: Unanswered Questions 2

HAPER’S POV

"He apologized," I explained gently. "He admitted that he ruined his own life, that Vanessa used him, and that he regretted how he treated me." Then, my voice dropped into a troubled whisper. "But Justin... he told me something else. He said someone paid him to make those fake posts about me months ago."

Dead silence stretched across the line.

"Someone paid him?" Justin repeated, his tone dropping an octave, deadly serious.

"Yes."

"Did he give you a name?" Justin said after some time.

"No. He claimed it was all done through anonymous accounts."

"Does he have the messages? Any proof?"

"He said the accounts were deleted and the transaction logs were gone."

Justin let out a low, frustrated growl. "And you were completely alone when he told you this?"

"We were in a bright, open store. There were shoppers around and security cameras right above us. I was safe."

"Okay." Justin’s breathing began to steady, though his voice remained tightly coiled. "Listen to me, Harper. I don’t want you stressing yourself out over this while I’m stuck at camp, okay?"

"Justin, how can I not stress? Someone went out of their way to buy lies about me!"

"I know. I get it," he said, his tone softening with pure tenderness. "And I promise you, we are going to handle it. Just hold on until I get home. Once development camp wraps up, I will look into it myself."

"You will?"

"Of course I will. Nobody gets to target my girl and get away with it."

A quiet warmth blossomed in my chest. "You’re supposed to be focusing on your hockey future, Justin."

"I am focusing on it. But protecting you comes first, always. Just leave it to me."

"Okay," I whispered.

"And Harper?"

"Yeah?"

"Don’t you dare go searching for Ethan or trying to investigate this on your own."

"I wasn’t planning to."

"Good."

Silence settled over us again a heavy, thoughtful quiet.

I shifted on the bed, another dark detail crossing my mind. "Justin... what about your stepmother?"

Justin went noticeably still on the line. "What about her?"

"Have you heard anything about her case? Is she going to trial?"

"My dad’s lawyer said her formal court date is set for about two weeks from now."

"Two weeks?"

"Yeah." He paused, his voice turning somber. "I’ll be back home long before the trial starts."

"Did your dad tell you that?"

"He texted me this morning," Justin said, a sharp note of irritation lacing his words. "And my grandfather called last night. My grandparents have hired a private investigation firm to dig into everything."

I sat up straighter. "Everything?"

"Everything surrounding my mother’s illness, her medical records, and her death," he explained heavily. "They’re trying to figure out if there’s a pattern... if my stepmother was involved long before we ever suspected."

A chill ran down my spine. "So it’s still ongoing?"

"Yeah. But they don’t have anything concrete yet."

"I see." I squeezed my eyes shut.

So much was breaking open at once. The anonymous figure who paid Ethan. The impending trial of Justin’s stepmother. The dark, hidden history of his family. The weight of it all felt like a storm gathering on the horizon.

Justin let out a sudden, exaggerated sigh through the speaker. "Okay. Stop."

I blinked. "What?"

"Enough gloomy stuff," he declared firmly.

A small laugh escaped my lips. "Enough gloomy stuff?"

"Yes," he grunted, and I could hear the smile returning to his voice. "I didn’t call my gorgeous girlfriend to talk about court dates and scumbags. I called because I wanted to hear your voice."

I leaned back against my headboard, pulling my knees to my chest. "Well, you’ve heard me."

"Not nearly enough."

"Justin..."

"I miss you so much, Harper. It’s actually driving me crazy."

My cheeks flushed warm. "I miss you too."

"I feel like kissing you right now," he murmured, his voice dropping into that low, intoxicating register that always made my heart skip a beat.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I’d kiss you until you couldn’t breathe, and then I’d just hold you."

My chest tightened with an aching sweetness. "And then?"

"And then I’d fall asleep with you in my arms."

"Please come back soon," I whispered, closing my eyes.

"I’m coming home to you the second camp ends, my love. I’m counting down every minute."

"Me too."

I leaned my head back, letting his presence fill the silence between us. For a few beautiful, uninterrupted minutes, the darkness surrounding us dissolved. There were no court trials, no anonymous enemies, no past trauma just Justin and me, connected across the distance.

"Take care of yourself for me, okay?" he whispered softly.

"You too. Eat all your food."

"Yes, boss. I love you, Harper."

"I love you more."

"Impossible."

I laughed quietly. "Bye, babe."

"Bye, my love."

The line went dead.

I lowered the phone to my lap and stared up at the ceiling, my heart still fluttering from his words.

There was so much chaos swirling around us. Too much, perhaps. I just wanted an easy going life after graduation but seems life was playing a cruel joke on me.

Who would pay Ethan such amount to spread so much information about me? And looking at it now, Ethan did not have access to most of the things he posted online that day. It seem like someone had taken their time to dig dirt on me and post it online.

But as I sat there in the quiet of my room, one final, eerie thought surfaced above all the rest a detail that sent a cold shudder straight through my veins. Could it be my father that paid Ethan?

My father had been silent.

For weeks now, he hadn’t reached out. He hadn’t called, he hadn’t threatened, and he hadn’t made a single demand.

And somehow, his absolute silence scared me far more than his rage ever had.

Why had he stopped pushing? Why had he suddenly gone cold and quiet?

I sat up slowly, a terrible knot forming in the pit of my stomach.

What was he planning?