Page 65 of Perfect Harmony

“No. Thank you, but I need to do this onmy own.” She flipped her phone over. “I’ll text him now and set up a meeting.”

* * *

Addison took a deep breath before ringingthe doorbell. It felt strange to ring the doorbell, but it also felt strangeto just walk into Harrison’s house. Her hands were trembling, and she shovedthem into the pockets of her jacket.

She’d showered and put on her favourite dressand did her hair and makeup carefully. Her eyelids were still noticeably swollenfrom crying, but she’d wanted to look good. She wanted Harrison to see what hewas missing, what he was so callously throwing away.

She glanced at her phone. It was almost two-thirtyon a Sunday afternoon and the whole neighbourhood seemed weirdly quiet andstill. Normally on a beautiful day like this, people would be everywhere. Walkingtheir dogs, mowing their lawns, gossiping over fences.

Not that she minded. She felt odd, likeshe was the one sneaking over to Harrison’s house to fuck him while his fiancéeremained blissfully unaware. Sorrow and anger crowded into her chest, creatingpain so sharp it was hard to catch her breath.

The door swung open and she stared at Harrison,a little gasp escaping her mouth. His nose was swollen to twice its size and doubleblack eyes were already starting to develop. A steri-strip across the bridge ofhis nose held a shallow cut together.

“Come in.” Harrison’s voice was nasallyand stuffed up like he had a bad cold.

She followed him into the house and to thekitchen.

“Do you want tea?” he said.

“No.” Her throat was a tiny pinhole.

He sat down and pointed at the chair acrossfrom him. “Sit down, Addison.”

She had a childish urge to say he didn’t getto tell her what to do anymore. She swallowed it down and sat. They staredsilently at each other before Harrison said, “Well, are you going to say sorry?”

Her jaw dropped. “What?”

He pointed to his nose. “Your brother brokemy nose, Addison. He broke it because you told him that I was cheating and -”

“I didn’t tell him anything.Youtoldhim yourself,” she said.

He touched the bridge of his nose andwinced before pouting like a little kid. “It hurts a lot.”

She just shrugged and that all too familiarlook of frustration passed over his face. “Your ignorant hick brother came tomy house and hit me in the face. Look at this!” He pointed to his nose again.“The doctor at the ER said my nose would never be the same, Addison! Your brotheris lucky I’m not having him arrested for assault. It would ruin his career asa firefighter.”

She kept her mouth shut. Antagonizing or arguingwith Harrison on this particular point would only guarantee that he pressedcharges against Daniel.

“I can’t go to work like this,” Harrisonsaid. “I’m going to miss all this week. Do you know how many files I have on mydesk right now?”

“Maybe Crystal can bring them by,” Addisonsaid.

He blanched, the paleness of his skin exaggeratingthe bruising under each eye. “Addison, I can explain about Crystal.”

“Go ahead,” she said. “I’d really like tohear why you’re cheating on me with your legal assistant, Harrison. Who, by theway, I’m always really nice to. I bring her coffee whenever I come to your office,and I send her flowers on her birthday. That’s nice, isn’t it? To give coffeeand flowers to the woman who’s fucking your fiancé.”

“Don’t be coarse!” Harrison said.

She slammed her hand on the table andHarrison jumped. His girlish squeal of fear made laughter bubble up in herchest. “You don’t get to tell me what I can or cannot say anymore, Harrison. Youlost that right when you stuck your dick into another woman. I came here becauseI want an explanation and an apology! Give them to me or I’m leaving.”

Harrison glared at her. “An apology? Youwant an apology from me when this is your fault?”

She gaped at him, but there was a smallpart of her deep inside that wasn’t surprised he was doing exactly what Harpersaid he would. Gaslighting and manipulation – she’d seen him do it to other peoplecountless times. Why would she be any different?

“How is this my fault?” she said.

“You’ve been so busy with wedding stuff.Everything is wedding this and wedding that,” Harrison said. “You’ve hardlypaid any attention to me or my needs. When was the last time we even had sex,Addison?”

“I tried,” she said. “I initiated sex allthe time and you kept saying you were too tired, or you weren’t in the mood. Iasked practically every damn night and you just kept turning me down, Harrison.And this is your wedding too… you could have tried being a bit more involved init. I’m running my ass ragged planning this wedding and still trying to keepour sex life alive and you’re turning me down left and right and -”

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