Chapter 7
I said to Harper, “Don’t panic. Since Grace is already at the hospital, the doctors will definitely cure her. She’ll be fine. Is there anything you need me to help you with?”
To make myself sound more convincingly unwell, I clutched the couch and deliberately made retching sounds.
After hearing my words and voice, Harper fell silent for a few seconds. She said, “I’m fine now. Since you’re not feeling well, you should get some rest.”
After hanging up, I patted my round belly. I was indeed
“indisposed” because my stomach was full of the fried chicken and pizza I’d just eaten.
That afternoon, Harper posted an obituary on Instagram, saying Grace had passed away. She took leave from school and went home to hold a funeral for Grace. After the funeral, Harper posted another Instagram message: “Maybe everything happens for the best.”
I was deeply puzzled and felt Harper’s reaction was very
strange.
After returning from the funeral, Harper became extremely sleepy and increasingly irritable. She’d always loved wearing tight–fitting clothes, but now she found that many of her outfits no longer fit. She consoled herself by saying she’d just gained
1/4
00:10
Chapter 7
+2 Bonus
weight recently, then replaced all the clothes in her closet with loose–fitting ones.
However, I could clearly see that her belly was slightly bigger than before, and her legs showed signs of swelling. I knew in my heart that Harper was pregnant.
By the time she realized it, the baby was already four months along. Her protruding belly couldn’t be hidden no matter what. When the pregnancy test showed positive results, Harper completely lost control and rushed into my elective class like a madwoman, then lifted up my shirt in front of everyone.
But when she saw my flat stomach with absolutely no signs of pregnancy, Harper went completely insane.
Ignoring the teacher’s and classmates‘ attempts to stop her, Harper lunged at me, punching and kicking. She screamed, “Charlotte, weren’t you pregnant? Why is your belly still flat? You lied to me! You lied to me! Why aren’t you pregnant when I am? Did you pull some kind of trick again?”
Harper had completely lost her mind at this point, repeatedly shouting “why.” The teacher quickly had two strong male students pull her away and restrain her.
Seeing the scratches of varying depths that Harper had clawed across my body, my classmates all spoke up for me. One girl said, “Harper, what are you talking about? Charlotte doesn’t even have a boyfriend–how could she be pregnant? You change
2/4
00:10
Chapter 7
+2 Bonus
boyfriends every three days and have ambiguous relationships with so many guys. Isn’t it perfectly normal for you to get pregnant? What’s so surprising about that?”
The teacher couldn’t stand it anymore and said to Harper, “We’re in the middle of class right now. Please don’t disrupt the classroom. Leave immediately. Also, fighting in school is punishable. If it’s serious enough, you might not be able to graduate. Apologize to Charlotte right now, or I’ll report this to Jonathan.”
Seeing so many people criticizing her, Harper’s emotions calmed down slightly. However, she still couldn’t help but make false accusations against me: “She insisted on moving out instead of living with everyone else, won’t join group dinners, and goes straight to her rental place after class. She must be secretly keeping a boyfriend there. Plus, she always wears loose clothes. Isn’t that enough proof that she’s pregnant?”
Luna couldn’t take it anymore and stood up to defend me: “Charlotte video calls with us every day and plays games together. If she had a boyfriend, how could I not know? Besides, what’s wrong with her liking loose clothes? Do you think everyone’s like you, willing to sleep with any guy?”
Harper was furious: “You!”
After thinking for a moment, she suddenly yanked the crystal bracelet off my wrist and shoved it into Luna’s hands. She said, “I’m giving this to you. It can bless you with safety. Since
3/4
00:10
Chapter 7
+2 Bonus
Charlotte doesn’t know how to cherish it, I’ll give it to you to wear, okay?”
Harper was nearly insane at this point. Everyone looked at her with disgust. Seeing that no one paid her any attention, Harper stormed off angrily, not even returning the crystal bracelet to
- me.
4/4
