The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 383

Even back when Harris first made it clear he was interested in her, Franco never really went after him. Even when the Byron and Green families teamed up against the White Group, Franco left Felton alone.

The reason wasn’t a mystery. It was all because of Petty.

Honestly, Petty wasn’t surprised. When Franco wanted to mess with someone, inviting them politely to the police station just wasn’t his style.

Hans chimed in again. “Harris is getting engaged in two days. People are saying he and his fiancée went to the hospital for a premarital checkup today.”

Petty just nodded. “Yeah, I saw the news about his engagement earlier.”

Hans looked at her. “You really don’t have any thoughts about that? Come on, anyone can tell Harris is being forced into it. The person he actually likes is you.”

That word, “forced,” made Petty think of Franco. Back then, he’d been “forced” to marry her too, and he ended up faking the marriage with a phony certificate. Her thoughts drifted for a moment as the car rolled towards her neighborhood.

She was about to say something when she spotted a Maybach parked up ahead. Aaron slowed down and stopped the car.

She recognized the car right away. It was Harris’s.

“He’s here for you,” Hans said, watching as Harris got out. He turned to her. “Want to see him?”

Before she could answer, her phone rang. Harris’s name flashed on the screen.

Hans caught sight of the caller ID and shrugged. “If you don’t want to talk to him, we won’t. If he tries anything, I’ll hit his car myself.”

Petty knew Hans meant every word. He’d even rammed Franco’s car before, so wrecking Harris’s wasn’t out of the question.

Across the way, Harris stood by his car, staring at his phone, waiting for her to pick up. When she didn’t, he looked up at their car, his face a little gaunt. He’d only gotten skinnier since the holidays, and even though it was a warm day, there was a chill in the air. Harris was just in a thin white shirt, which the wind pressed tight against his body, making him look even more tired.

“Harris, are you alright now? Are your injuries better?” Petty asked, stopping too.

Harris’s throat closed up. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles went white. After a moment, he managed to say, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Silence. Nothing but the rush of cars somewhere far off.

Harris stared at her—the person he’d always wanted to protect. In the end, he’d lost to Franco.

What Franco had done to his father wasn’t just about Petty. It was a way of forcing him to wake up, to see the difference between him and Franco, to realize only one of them really deserved to have her.

“Petty.” They stood in the open, and with everything that had happened, Harris could barely hold himself back from reaching for her. He gave this bitter, tired little smile. “Do you think I’m pathetic?”