I Once Married You (Harper and Benjamin)
Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Pregnancy

"We married for a reason, Harper. I've already disappointed Lauren once, I can't do it again," he said, cutting off any further discussion.

Harper saw a softness in his eyes when he spoke of Lauren, feeling a pang of envy.

It was clear he only had feelings for Lauren, not her.

After a thoughtful pause, Harper calmly said, "Okay."

Her soft tone made him frown briefly.

I won't treat you badly in terms of money. This villa belongs to you. I'll give you 100 million dollars at a time, and..."

Before he could finish his words, Harper interrupted him.

This was the first time she had interrupted him. In the past, she did not and dared not do so.

"I don't want anything." Harper looked up, her expression cold but her eyes soft. "Just one thing."

"What is it?"

"After we divorce, let's never see each other again," she said, her eyes filled with determination.

"Are you mad at me?" Benjamin looked at her intently, his voice low.

"Of course not. Why would I be?" She smiled slightly.

She was sincere and calm, but Benjamin was skeptical.

He frowned, a shadow crossing his face. "I'm asking for a request, not for you to get upset. Don't you think that's a bit childish?"

"Childish?" Harper replied coolly. "That's my only request. I don't need anything else."

Worried she might cry, she quickly turned and grabbed the divorce papers. Without reading them, she picked a pen from the counter and signed her name. She did it all decisively.

Harper was heartbroken. She had secretly loved Benjamin for a decade, but he never knew.

Struggling to hold back tears, she remembered how he had cared for her during their year of marriage, making her mistakenly believe he loved her back. However, she knew he had always loved Lauren.

Now, it was time to let him go.

Trying to keep her composure, Harper asked Benjamin, "When will we finalize the divorce?"

Hearing this, Benjamin frowned. He never expected that Harper, usually so gentle, was pushing to end their marriage.

"Are you in such a hurry?" he asked calmly. "You know we can't avoid seeing each other. My family loves you. Are you planning to cut ties with them too?"

"It was you who wanted the divorce," Harper replied, feeling defeated yet trying to defend herself. "And now that it's happening, will you still meddle in my life?" She forced a smile, her heart aching, thinking, "Do you know that this will make me misunderstand that you can't bear to let me go?"

Unable to meet his eyes, she asked, "Or does it mean you don't love Lauren and you've fallen for me instead?"

Benjamin's eyes darkened, the mood shifting as they exchanged a silent glance.

Finally, he spoke, "Harper, I don't replace that kind of joke funny."

It seemed like loving her was just a joke to him. Harper's expression stiffened. "I'm sorry."

As he looked at her-always respectful and thoughtful-a strange emotion surged within him.

...

Harper drove to the architecture company she had co-founded with her friend, Frank Parker.

Recently, she faced accusations of plagiarism over a design drawing and needed to address it quickly to avoid serious consequences.

Upon arriving at the company, Frank noticed her weakness and asked anxiously, "Harper, are you okay?"

Harper shook her head, simply saying, "It's nothing."

Glancing at the time, she asked, "What did the people from Summit Realty say?"

Summit Realty was the company that they were cooperating with for the problematic design draft.

"They hope we can provide a reasonable explanation, or they'll sue us."

"What time did you schedule? Shall we go meet them now?"

"Okay."

Frank nodded, chatting with Harper as they walked out. He handed her a piece of paper. "Someone has offered a huge sum to hire you to design a diamond jewelry piece." Harper glanced at the paper and immediately rejected it without hesitation. "Not for now. Let's talk about it after I divorce Benjamin."

"You're divorcing Benjamin?"

"Yeah."

"He wanted it?"

Harper looked saddened, and her voice was soft. "Yeah, his first love was awake, and he wants to marry her." Frank furrowed his brow, his expression turning grave, mixed with heartache and displeasure toward Benjamin.

He whispered, "Harper, why do you have to hurt yourself like this? A year ago, you shouldn't have..."