Agreed To Follow Him Back Home

**POV: Harper**

He said that all the feelings he had for Emma and Serena were nothing but guilt and pity now. I actually feel pity for Emma as well. It’s so sad to be in love with someone who doesn’t share the same feelings.

“If I could take it all back, I would, Harper. If I could turn back the hands of time, I would go back and make the right decisions. The guilt is taking a toll on me. You have no idea how happy I feel to be sharing my deepest secrets with you, Harper. It feels like a huge burden has been taken off my shoulders,” he admitted excitedly, caressing the back of my palm.

“Then tell me how you feel about me, Ethan. Did you choose me because I have an uncanny resemblance to Emma? Do you see her when you look at me?” I challenged, arms still crossed, my heart racing in fear of the answer. I wondered if he was in love with me because of her; I wondered if he was treating me this way out of love or pity as well. Ethan stepped closer, his eyes searching mine.

“You, my love… You are my world. I fell in love with you the moment I set my eyes on you,” he declared, passion igniting his words.

“You’re not Emma’s replacement, Harper. You’re… you are the missing piece I never knew I was searching for. With you, I found peace, happiness, a love that doesn’t come from obligation or expectation,” he confessed, making me teary all of a sudden. His gaze bore into me, filled with sincerity and passion.

“You made it easy for me to fall in love with you, Harper. Your laughter, your smile, your kindness… they captured my heart in a way I never imagined possible. In you, I found that missing piece of the puzzle, a part of me that I never even realized was missing. It’s deeper than looks or comparisons; it’s about us, Harper. Only us,” he affirmed, bringing his hand forward to caress my cheeks.

I felt my heart begin to melt; my anger subsided as I looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity in them. The truth in his words crippled my defenses, melting the ice around my heart, coaxing me to throw myself in his arms and tell him how happy I was that he didn’t choose me because I looked like Emma.

“And how can I prove that you are telling the truth?” I teased, pretending not to believe him.

“Come on, my love, you only have to look into my eyes to see that I’m telling the truth. Besides, if I don’t love you as I claim, why couldn’t I sleep without you in my arms?” he asked, drawing me closer for a quick kiss.

“You have no idea how restless I was when you left. I went crazy when I thought you had left me. I can’t live without you, Harper. A day without you is like torture to me. I would go crazy if I lost you,” he confessed, his eyes conveying his sincerity.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to shoulder the guilt from my past. I was scared to burden you with my guilt. But I swear, I’ll never lie to you again. I’ll do whatever it takes to rebuild your trust. Please, give me another chance, my love. Let’s put this behind us and rebuild our relationship. Let’s go back to the way we used to be,” he pleaded. I looked at him as if I was trying to decipher his sincerity.

“You promise?” I finally breathed, my voice fragile.

“I promise,” Ethan replied, his voice steady, determination radiating from him.

“I want to make this right. I love you, Harper. Only you,” he admitted. His words brought tears to my eyes, the tears brimming at my lashes.

“Okay, my love. I’ll try to trust you again. I’ll work hard to rebuild our relationship and trust. But you have to be honest with me from now on, Ethan. No more lies, and certainly no more secrets,” I whispered, my voice firm and stern.

“Never again, my love. I promise,” he vowed, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close. At that moment, the world outside faded, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I allowed myself to believe in the possibility of our love and the strength of second chances.

“Come back home, my love. I’ve missed you so much. The house doesn’t feel like home without you; I feel so lonely without you,” he let out pleadingly, holding my hands as if I was going to vanish if he let go.

“I miss you too, my love. You have no idea how much I missed you. I thought you were just toying with my heart, I thought I was going to lose you to Emma; I thought I was just a replacement. I’ve missed you too, my love. I miss home too,” I confessed, letting the tears flow down my cheeks. He pulled me into his arms, kissing me passionately, pouring all his pent-up love and desires into that one kiss. I shut my eyes as I locked my arms around his neck, matching his kisses with mine.

I heard silent footsteps down the corridor and opened my eyes to see who it was. When I saw Liam’s retreating form, I recalled that he was still in the house. He had offered to stay back and keep watch over me while I patched things up with Ethan.

I had totally forgotten about him; I thought he went to the bedroom to give us some privacy. I didn’t know he was hanging around, keeping watch over me in case Ethan tried to hurt me. He is such a great friend, and I’m glad to have him back.

“Come on, my love, get your things and let us go home. I’m not spending one more minute without you,” Ethan told me, urging me to leave with him immediately.

“Hold on a minute, my love. This is my friend’s house, and I need to put a few things in order before I leave,” I told him with a smile, already feeling excited to go back home. He made me leave immediately to get my things together. I decided to grab my purse and phone because I didn’t bring any bags to Kate’s house.

“I can see you are all settled and excited to go back home,” Liam commented the moment I walked into Kate’s bedroom. I flinched at the sound of his voice because I was not expecting to meet him here.

“You scared me, Liam. What are you doing here?” I asked him, giggling as I put my few things together, getting ready to leave.

“I can’t believe that you forgave him so easily, Harp. What if he’s lying just to get you away from us and take you back home? You should have taken a few more days to think about it carefully before making a decision,” he told me sternly, more like scolding me for forgiving my husband. Can you believe that?

“He’s my husband, Liam. And I love him. I can tell when he’s lying and when he’s not. He may have lied to me about Emma before, but he has explained the whole situation to me, and I believe him,” I stated firmly, stressing every word to make my point.

“So, in a nutshell, you are going back to him right now, just like that!” he asked again, sounding a bit judgmental in his tone.

“Husband, remember?” I repeated to him, flaunting my wedding ring in his face in case he didn’t understand what I was saying. He giggled at my dramatics, shaking his head.

“Fine! Go back home with your husband. But I want you to know that he doesn’t deserve you, Harp. You are special and unique; you deserve someone better. Someone who would love you unconditionally and would never lie to you,” he told me firmly, refusing to look at me. I know he is looking out for me, but he needs to take a chill pill.

“Look, Liam, I love my husband. Yes, he made a silly mistake, and I’ve forgiven him because I love him. What would you have me do, end my marriage of three years because of one mistake that he apologized for?” I asked him, my eyes fixed on him.

“No, Harper, I’m not asking you to leave your husband. But at least think about it carefully before running back home with him,” he repeated, sounding a bit annoyed this time.

“I’m happy you are back, Liam. I’ll be seeing you around,” I told him, refusing to argue further.