Page 150 of I See You

"I been trying not to think about it," Harper admitted. "I don’t know what I’ll do the next time I see that nigga."

Her fork clattered softly onto her plate. Appetite gone. Sevyn pushed her own food aside, now fully tuned in.

"Where does this hurt come from?" she asked, voice gentle butfirm. "I know you told me he abandoned you when you were younger, but this—this feels deeper. Like something you haven’t said out loud."

Tears welled in Harper’s eyes. She tried to blink them away but they clung stubbornly to her lashes.

"When I was seventeen, he came back into my life," she said slowly, voice breaking around the edges. "It was the longest he ever stayed. And for the first time, I thought maybe... just maybe, I’d finally get the dad I deserved."

She started picking at her nails, a nervous habit Sevyn had only seen once before—when Harper first told her he was back.

"This one day… he took me to get breakfast, we went skating. Since I loved music, he took me to a vinyl store, let me pick out whatever album I wanted. I thought he was really trying. Like, really trying to be a father."

A small, broken smile ghosted her lips. It made Sevyn’s heart clench. She already knew this story wasn’t going to end well.

"That night, everything changed. He cooked dinner. Made some Kool-Aid. I didn’t know until it was too late, but he put something in it. Drugs."

Harper’s voice dropped to a whisper. "I felt like I was floating. Like I was outside my body but still trapped in it. I could feel him stripping me out of my clothes. He put me in some lingerie set... and then this random woman showed up. She did my makeup. My hair. I didn’t even know her name."

Sevyn’s whole body went still, her mouth slightly parted, frozen in disbelief and horror. The pieces of Harper’s pain were beginning to fit together, and the full picture shattered her.

Harper wasn’t just guarded. She wasn’t just cold. She was broken in a way that no healing words could fully fix.

"They put me in the back of a car and drove me to some rundown motel," Harper continued, her voice breaking but steady. "By the time we got there, the drugs had finally kicked in. I was blacking out, butI could still feel it... big ass hands all over me. I didn’t have to be conscious to know what was coming. I was about to get raped."

Her hands shook now, but her eyes never wavered. Sevyn sat silently, the tears falling freely down her face, scooting closer to hold space for her.

"I was still a virgin, Sev. And the thought that this—this sick shit— was how I was going to lose it… it broke something in me."

Harper’s voice faltered, but she kept going.

"I woke up to a dead man lying next to me. His neck was snapped— his head damn near hanging off—and Hassan was standing over me, blood all over him, cold as fuck. He didn’t say a word. Just picked me up, carried me out of that room like I was glass, and put me in his truck."

Her voice was barely a whisper now, like if she spoke too loud the memory would swallow her whole.

"He took me back to Madea’s house. She was at work—her night shift—and he took care of me. Cleaned me up. Made sure I was okay. I didn’t remember much until about two weeks later. My father came over, drunk as hell, and admitted everything. Every fucked up thing he did. Me and Hassan just stared at him while he ranted like it was a fucking confession booth."

Harper’s hands balled into fists as the tears poured down. "Hassanwasreadytokillhim.Rightthere.Inthemiddleofthe living room. But I stopped him."

Her whole body shook now, not from fear—but from rage.

"Why did I stop him?!" she cried out, voice raw and ripped open. "Why didn’t I let Hassan kill that sorry motherfucker?!"

Sevyndidn’tspeak.Shejustpulledherin,wrappingherarms around her as Harper screamed into her shoulder.

"Because..."Sevynfinallysaid,gentlypullingbacktolookherin the eyes, "because you still saw him as your father. No matter how evil he was, some part of your heart still clung to the idea that he was supposed to love you. And that small part? That was the only thing standing between him and death."

Harper shook her head through clenched teeth. "I’m so fucking weak. I let that piece of shit breathe because a tiny-ass part of me still gave a fuck."

"Youarenotweak,Harper."Sevyn’svoicewasfirmernow. Sharper. "You are the strongest woman I know."

Harper scoffed, brushing tears away. "You only sayin’ that 'cause you love me. 'Cause we best friends."

Sevyn mugged her instantly. "Nah, I’m sayin’ it because it’s the truth."

"You went through hell—literal fucking hell—and didn’t let that shit break you. You graduated college with honors, built your gym from the ground up, and made something out of yourself when that man tried to take everything from you."

"And you still walk around with a heart big enough to carry the people you love. You didn’t let what he did to you harden you. That’s not weakness. That’s power. That’s strength most people could never touch."

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