I Once Married You (Harper and Benjamin)

The Divorce

"Congratulations! You're pregnant. Your baby is perfectly fine."

Hearing the doctor's words, Harper clutched the report in her hand, looking stunned.

She was both shocked and thrilled, hardly believing her ears.

"You'll need to come here for regular check-ups. Where's the baby's father? I need to talk him through some precautions."

After snapping back to reality, Harper replied with an awkward smile, "My husband couldn't make it today."

"Sorry to hear that. But no matter how busy he is, he should be here for you and your baby."

By the time Harper stepped out of the hospital, it was already drizzling outside.

Harper gently touched her belly, marveling that a life was growing inside her.

It was her and Benjamin's baby...

Suddenly, her phone buzzed.

She glanced at the screen; it was a message from her husband, Benjamin.

"It's raining. Bring me an umbrella."

There was an address for a club attached to it.

Harper couldn't help but wonder what kind of place it was, especially since Benjamin said he had a meeting today.

But Harper didn't hesitate much. She told the driver to take her to the club.

Once they reached the club entrance, she said to the driver, "You can head back now."

"Ma'am, you don't need me to wait for you?" the driver asked.

Harper thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll go home with my husband later."

Since she was there for Benjamin, she might as well wait and go home with him.

As she requested, the driver quickly drove away.

What started as a light drizzle had turned into a full-blown downpour at that time.

Harper walked up to the club entrance with an umbrella in hand.

It was a billiards club, and the place looked pretty upscale.

As she walked, Harper couldn't stop thinking about the pregnancy report.

She was torn between telling Benjamin about the pregnancy right away or waiting to surprise him on his birthday.

Before long, Harper reached the door of room 203, but just as she was about to knock, she froze.

The voices coming from inside the room drained her face of its color.

"No way, Benjamin! You really think your so-called wife will bring you an umbrella? Does she seriously think you'll get wet?"

"She must be head over heels for you. She can't even think straight!"

"That's nonsense."

A lazy, deep voice came from the corner of the room.

The man was tall with long legs and a strikingly handsome face. His deep-set eyes were particularly captivating. Dressed in a tailored gray suit, he crossed his legs casually.

A few seconds later, he raised his hand slightly, revealing an exquisite, luxurious watch on his wrist.

"Give it back," He demanded.

His friend, who had just been messing around, reluctantly handed the phone back to him.

"Geez, why do you want your phone back so soon?"

"Cut it out! If it weren't for Lauren being here, you wouldn't even have had a chance to grab his phone."

Outside the door, Harper's face turned ghostly pale.

She hadn't heard the name Lauren in ages, so long that she almost forgot that she existed.

In the private room, everyone was joking around, glancing at the girl in the white dress sitting next to Benjamin. She was pretty and had a gentle demeanor.

Hearing this, she smiled softly and said, "Come on, guys. It's not cool to prank with Benjamin's phone, and now you're teasing me too."

But her friend next to her wasn't about to let it go, chiming in, "Everyone knows Lauren is the most important person to Benjamin."

"Exactly! Even if you ask Benjamin, he'd say the same, right Benjamin?"

Lauren couldn't help but look at Benjamin after hearing that.

Benjamin just smirked and didn't deny it.

The crowd saw he didn't deny it, and their teasing got even louder.

"Told ya, no one means more to Benjamin than Lauren!"

Amidst the crowd's jeers, Benjamin quickly shot a message back to Harper, his eyes downcast.

The message read, "I don't need the umbrella. You should go back."

By the time Harper got the message, she had already turned away. She didn't have the courage to knock on that door.

Stepping out of the club, she pulled the pregnancy report out of her pocket.

The rain had washed over the report, smudging the words beyond recognition.

Harper had planned to surprise him with the news, but now that seemed pointless.

Turned out, he just wanted her to bring the umbrella so she could be the butt of the joke.

Harper stared at the report for a long moment, then let out a bitter laugh and slowly tore it to pieces.

When she got back to the Harvey Mansion, the butler opened the door and was startled to see her drenched.

"Mrs. Harvey! What happened? Come in, quickly."

Harper's limbs were numb from the cold. As soon as she stepped inside, a servant wrapped a big towel around her and another started drying her hair.

A whole group of them fussed over her.

"Quick, run a hot bath for Mrs. Harvey!"

"Make another cup of ginger tea."

The servants were in a frenzy because Harper got soaked to the skin. So, no one noticed a car pulling up to the Harvey Mansion.

Moments later, a tall figure appeared at the door.

"What happened?" Benjamin asked, his face blank.

At that moment, Harper was sitting on the couch. When she heard him, her eyelashes fluttered.

She wondered why he was back when he was supposed to be by Lauren's side.

"Mr. Harvey, Mrs. Harvey got caught in the rain. She's soaked," One of the servants responded.

At that, Benjamin landed his gaze on Harper, who was curling up on the couch. Then he strode over with his long legs.

As he got a closer look at her, Benjamin frowned.

Harper looked like a drowned rat. Her soft hair was plastered to her pale skin, and her usually rosy lips were now colorless.

"What happened to you?" Benjamin asked, his brows knitted and his tone sharp.

Harper took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions in check.

A moment later, she looked up at him and forced a bitter smile. "My phone died, and on the way back, I saw a kid without an umbrella, so I gave him mine." Benjamin's eyes turned icy cold.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Harper's smile froze.

"He didn't have an umbrella, so you gave him yours and got soaked yourself? How old are you? Did you think I'd praise you for that?"

The servants standing around exchanged uneasy glances, not daring to say a word.

Harper's eyes dropped, tears starting to pool.

She didn't say a word, desperately holding back the tears.

It wasn't until Benjamin walked over and scooped her up that her hot tears finally fell onto her hand.

Benjamin tossed her into the bathroom and then left.

All along, Harper kept her head down.

After Benjamin was gone, she finally lifted her head and gently wiped away her tears.

Thirty minutes later, Harper walked out of the bathroom, calm and composed.

Benjamin lounged on the couch, his long legs stretched out on the floor. In front of him was a laptop. It looked like he was still dealing with some work.

When he saw her come out, he pointed to the cup of ginger tea next to him.

"Drink the ginger tea."

"Okay."

With that, Harper walked over and picked up the ginger tea, but she didn't drink it right away.

Seemingly thinking of something, she called his name.

"Benjamin."

"Yes?" His tone was icy, his eyes glued to the screen.

Harper glanced at Benjamin's chiseled features and sharp jawline, her pale lips twitching slightly.

Growing impatient, Benjamin finally looked up and met her eyes.

Fresh out of the shower, Harper's skin had a rosy glow, and her lips were no longer pale. But having been caught in the rain earlier, she still looked a bit under the weather, almost fragile.

One look at her, and Benjamin felt a spark of desire.

Harper was lost in her own thoughts, too preoccupied to notice Benjamin's mood.

After what seemed like forever, she finally plucked up her courage and spoke, "I... um."

But before she could finish, Benjamin grabbed her chin and leaned in for a kiss like crazy.

His rough fingers quickly left red marks on her pale skin.

Benjamin's breath was hot, like a blazing fire, leaving Harper almost breathless from the kiss.

Just as she tried to push him away, his phone on the table started ringing.

He paused, his passion cooling instantly. After a moment, he pulled back, giving her lips a lingering peck.

"Drink some ginger tea and get some sleep," He said in a husky voice.

Benjamin got up, grabbed his phone, and headed out.

After closing the balcony door, he made a call.

Harper was a bit dazed from the kiss and sat for a moment before getting up.

Instead of going to the bedroom, she walked over to the balcony.

The glass door was half-closed, letting in the cool night breeze and Benjamin's deep voice.

"I won't leave you. Don't worry, just get some sleep."

Benjamin's voice was as soft as a whispering breeze.

Harper stood there for a moment, then let out a small chuckle.

So, he could be gentle too. Too bad he was never that gentle with her.

At the thought, she turned and walked into the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed with a blank expression.

"Still awake?" Benjamin's voice suddenly broke the silence.

The spot next to Harper dipped, and she was surrounded by Benjamin's cool, fresh scent.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"I need to talk to you."

Hearing that, Harper didn't turn around. She had a pretty good idea of what Benjamin wanted to say.

"Let's get a divorce," Benjamin said.

"Lauren's awake, and I need to keep my promise to her," Benjamin replied coldly as he lit a cigarette. Harper, pale and desperate, pressed on, "Is divorce our only option?"