I've Missed You

**POV: Harper**

Ethan stepped into the living room, the light behind him casting a shadow that fell heavily over Harper and Liam. His presence was both intimidating and overwhelming. The cozy atmosphere in the room shattered instantly, the laughter dying on my lips as his expression changed from exhaustion to fury in the blink of an eye.

Liam sat properly, his back resting against the backrest. He crossed his leg and put one arm on the backrest while the other rested on the armrest. His attitude showed that he wasn’t the least bit scared of my husband; he was not intimidated by Ethan's presence and didn’t even feel guilty for being seen with me in this position.

I mean, we weren’t doing anything, but the way Ethan walked in, the position in which he found us—it just looked so wrong because it seemed intimate. It was as if we were about to make out on the couch, and that’s just not right because I’m still married to Ethan.

Even though I knew that we weren’t doing anything, I still felt guilty about it. But not Liam; he didn’t seem bothered by Ethan’s presence. If anything, he looked proud and challenging, giving Ethan a look that suggested something else. I didn’t know if he was doing it on purpose, but I did know it was pissing off my husband. Liam's attitude and the intimate position in which Ethan found us were making Ethan angrier—more furious than he’d been at the hospital when he thought I wanted to harm his ex-girlfriend.

“What the hell is going on here?” he barked, his voice cutting through the room with a sharpness that startled both Liam and me. My heart raced with confusion, and I suddenly felt defensive as I stood up straighter, trying to regain composure and stop looking as guilty as a child caught with their hands deep in a candy jar.

“Ethan, it’s not—”

“Who is he?” Ethan demanded, his eyes narrowing as they flickered between Liam and me. His glare was deadly, full of misunderstanding.

“You must think that I’m stupid, Harper. You think I didn’t notice how close you two were before I walked in? Who the fuck is he, Harper, and what the hell is he doing here? What were you two doing before I got here?” he asked again, yelling furiously at us.

“Stop yelling at me, Ethan. This is Liam, and he is my friend.” I yelled back, my voice steady, though anxiety and guilt remained in my heart.

“He’s my friend from college. We were just talking—”

“Just talking?” Ethan interrupted again, his tone dripping with disbelief. “It looked more than just talking. Are you really going to pretend that looked innocent? You are either dumb to think I don’t know what I saw when I walked in, or you are plain stupid, and this idiot is taking advantage of you. Which is it, Harper, are you dumb or stupid?” he scoffed, his tone accusatory.

“Ethan, you of all people should know better!” I shot back at him, my pulse pounding. “You have no right, Ethan! You have no right to question my relationship with Liam. You don’t get to question my friendship with Liam when you haven’t even told me the whole truth about Emma! Who the hell do you think you are? What is wrong with you?” I demanded furiously, irritated by his accusations. The name Emma hung heavy in the air, and Ethan’s face faltered momentarily, his anger contorting into defensiveness.

“I don’t owe you an explanation right now, Harper. I’m not the one locked up in a room with a guy. You’re the one who looked like you were about to cheat on me!” he refuted defensively.

“Oh my God! Hold on a minute! Is this some kind of payback? Are you trying to cheat on me because of Emma? Is this your way of trying to get back at me for not telling you about her? What the hell is wrong with you, Harper? Why would you ever think of cheating on me with this… this…”

“Enough, Ethan! You are being ridiculous!” I warned him, hating his accusations even more.

“No, Harper, you are the one acting crazy right now. You don’t need to do this to get my attention or to get back at me. It’s stupid and annoying!” he added in that cocky tone that made me want to smack his head and kick him in the gut. My anger flared; I couldn’t believe that he would even think of me as a cheat. If he thought all these accusations would get him off the hook, then he needed to think again. I wasn’t letting him off so easily, not without a proper explanation about Emma.

“You don’t get to act like some judge and jury without first explaining yourself. You’ve been in contact with your first love, your first girlfriend! You think you can just sweep that under the rug while interrogating me about Liam? Well, think again, Ethan! You are not getting off so easily. I’m not falling for your cheap tricks and baseless accusations about Liam. He is my friend and that’s it. You can choose to believe me or not; you can do whatever you want. You always have, anyway, and I don’t care anymore. My relationship with Liam is none of your business, Ethan. Just leave me alone and go back to your first love. Leave here, Ethan! Leave!” I told him angrily, trying not to cry in his presence.

He sighed deeply and stepped closer, frustration evident in the clenched fists at his sides.

“You’re being ridiculous, Harper! You have no idea how hard it’s been since you left me at the hospital to stay here with your friend. I’ve been miserable, my love. You can’t tell me to leave. Please, my love, don’t do that.” He pleaded.

“Ridiculous?” I shot back in disbelief, my voice rising. “Are you fucking kidding me right now, Ethan? I have every damn right to be angry! You let me believe I was your everything, Ethan! You told me I meant the world to you while you were climbing back to your old flame when you thought no one was watching! You used me, you fucking bastard!”

You used me as a replacement for her because I happen to look just like her, so it’s all the same to you. You think of her when you're with me; I’m pretty sure you see her face in mine, and it makes you feel like you are still with her, even if it’s a lie. I’m nothing to you. You never wanted me; you just wanted her. For some reason, you used me to fill that space she occupied in your heart, Ethan.

So don’t give me that crap about missing me or needing me. It’s her you miss; it’s Emma you want!” I told him sadly, tears building up in my eyes.

In a flash of impulsiveness, Ethan seized my wrist and pulled me closer, holding me close to his heart.

“Harper… Please don’t say that. It’s not true, and you know it. You know exactly how I feel about you; you know that I would never do anything to hurt you. I can never…” His voice broke slightly, the anger at the edges tinged with desperation.

“I miss you, my love. I’ve missed you every second since you left. It’s been hell without you. I couldn’t sleep last night. I need you back home. I need you in my arms again. You have no idea how much I need you. You mean the whole world to me, and you can never be just a replacement,” he told me, his eyes filled with sincerity.

His arms around me sent chills down my spine. The intensity of his grip rattled me for a moment. I was torn between anger and longing, memories of the quieter moments between us crawling back to the surface, gnawing at my heartstrings. Part of me wanted to melt into him, yet the ache of his betrayal was still too fresh, still too painful.

“Do you still love her?” I asked him sternly, my voice barely a whisper as I wrestled with my own emotions.

“If you are still in love with Emma, then you have no business being here because there is nothing we need to talk about. I can’t do this. I can’t be her replacement; I won’t be put in second place.” I told him firmly. His expression crumpled, and he stepped back slightly, the tension in his body giving way to a crashing wave of hurt. I could see the pain in his eyes.

Why do I care about the pain he is feeling? I shouldn’t care about him because he doesn’t care about me. His pain shouldn’t bother me because he doesn’t love me, right?

“It’s not like that,” he breathed, pain lacing through every syllable.

“It feels like that,” I replied in a firm and strong voice, but my heart was wavering.

“I believe that there is something between you and Emma. There is more to your involvement with her than you’ve let on, and I won’t be able to handle it, Ethan. I don’t want to be your second choice. I don’t want to be put in a situation where I have to explain my feelings to Emma and her sister. I can’t do it, Ethan; I won’t do it.” I told him furiously, walking away from him and freeing myself from his grip.

“It’s obvious that you still have feelings for Emma. I can’t tell you not to care about her, but I can’t let you use me as her replacement anymore. I want a divorce, Ethan. I can’t tolerate being treated as a replacement. Let’s just get a divorce and go our separate ways,” I suggested, looking away from him so I wouldn’t see the pain and hurt in his eyes.

He remained silent after hearing that, and so did I. The silence between us stretched out for a few minutes. Finally, it was Ethan who broke the silence, taking a step forward, raw vulnerability and guilt written across his face as he approached me.

“Please, my love… just give me a chance to explain. I didn’t want this to happen; I never meant to hurt you. I’ll tell you everything you want to know, I promise. It was just a mistake… I didn’t want my past to affect my relationship with you; I only wanted to protect you from my past. I thought we could create a happy family without the past coming to hurt us. I’m so sorry, Harper. Please let me explain,” he begged, sounding so broken and sad.

I crossed my arms over my chest, my heart churning with conflicted feelings.

“Then it’s time to lay all your cards on the table, my love. No more secrets, Ethan; no more lies. And if I find out that you lied to me—if you still care about Emma enough to lie to me—then I’m not sure how we move forward. I would walk away; I mean it,” I told him.