Page 92 of Relentless

Maeve was pregnant, and had been publicly disgraced.

For the first time in her life, Harper felt the pressure of responsibility bearing down on her. In hindsight, she knew it had been wrong to start the rumors of her sister’sallegedpromiscuity. She might have gone about things differently had she known that Maeve wouldactuallyend up pregnant and humiliated on her own merit.

Having worn the scarlet letter for so long, she had to admit that it felt redeeming to see Maeve take the brunt of the family disgrace.

In the flurry of self-preservation, Harper could have never imagined that her parents would foist her into the spotlight.They had been so kind to her since Maeve’s tumble from grace, and it was certainly a dynamic that she could settle into. Deep beneath the facade she was perfecting, she knew just how ill-equipped she was to take her sister’s place.

All the years that Maeve had been mentored to fit their parent’s desired mold, Harper had been nearly forgotten and left to her own devices. Now elevated into leadership, she felt every judgmental glance and the weight of her reputation preceding her.

Harper was convinced she would never emerge from Maeve’s long shadow of perfection.

Relying on the hope that the scandal of the pregnancy would eventually fade into distant memory, Harper could only hope that her sister would at least be generous enough to offer some guidance.

Maeve was always gracious, even when she was hurting. She held a quiet confidence that Harper couldn’t replicate even if she tried. Although Maeve’s future in ministry was obsolete, Harper had no doubts that her sister would be a great mother.

“She even seems excited about it,” Harper muttered, casually propping her hands behind her head on the soft pillow.

Harper had dealt with a couple of close calls. She knew the panic of waiting to see if those two little pink lines would appear on a test. Never would she have dealt with it all as gracefully as Maeve had, and she certainly wouldn’t have stood before the congregation and confessed.

Even though the public charade had preserved the family’s legacy, Maeve had received not a sliver of mercy.

And Blake.

Her stomach turned in disgust over thatslimeballwho had escaped all consequences without even the barest hint of tarnish on his reputation. Maeve’s downfall was a stark reminder that if Harper ever had aslip-up, she’d never have a glimmer of a chance at redemption.

She felt a pang of guilt flow through her at the memory of her little sister up on that stage all alone. Harper couldn’t shake the image of the shame on Maeve’s face as she confessed her most intimate moment to those who seemed only hungry for a scandal.

She attempted to clear her mind of the thoughts, and the overwhelming regret in their wake.

“That’s her problem, not mine,” Harper shrugged, scrunching her nose at the callousness of her words. Anyone with eyes could have seen what Blake was after. She had tried to shake some sense into Maeve, but her smitten little sister wouldn’t stand to hear of it. Harper had even stuffed protection into the pocket of her jeans that nightjust in case, but it had only left Maeve scandalized at the very thought.

“Now look at this mess you’re in,” Harper whispered, glancing out her window at the night sky marked with a few wispy clouds.

It wasn’t long after her eyes had drifted closed that Harper was jarred awake by the sound of a bedroom door opening, and footsteps stumbling down the hallway.

Curiosity drove her to pull back her heavy, soft comforter and climb out of bed. She went to her door and cracked it open to discover the source of the commotion.

It was Maeve.

She was crumpled in the hallway with her arm clutched around her middle, and her face contorted in pain.

“What’s up with you?” Harper asked. Even in the dim lighting, she could tell Maeve was sheet white. Her brow furrowed as she looked her over from head to toe, noticing blood running down her sister’s legs. “Gross, are you bleeding?”

Maeve had lost the baby.

“Thank God,” Harper exhaled.

The moment the words left her lips, she knew it was wrong. Harper was consumed with one thing only, and that was the uncertainty of her own future.

It was all a blur as she bounded down the stairs to tell her parents. In her renewed relationship with her mother and father, Harper was confident that they would know exactly what to do.

She rounded the staircase into the living room, where they were thankfully still awake. Harris was reading the paper, while Vera quietly focused on her knitting. At the sight of Harper’s frantic expression, her mother calmly peered over her thick reading glasses balancing on the end of her pointed nose.

“Harper?” Vera said. “What is it, dear?”

“Maeve needs help,” Harper said, taking a deep breath to fill her lungs with air as she prepared to disclose the worst of it all. “She lost the baby.”

Harris jerked the newspaper onto his lap. The couple shared a look of utter relief that swept over their expressions.

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