Chapter 44

Mason's POV

I watch her draw back, not physically, but emotionally. Her eyes go wide. Her mouth opens like she’s going to respond, but then she closes it again. Her breathing shifts. I hear it before I even see it. Too quick. Too shallow. Something is going on and she's hiding it, I can sense it.

“He doesn’t understand,” she whispers. The words aren’t for Theo. They’re not even for us. It’s like she’s saying them to herself, like she’s trying to remind herself of something before she forgets.

Theo doesn’t hear it, or maybe he does, but doesn’t believe it. He pushes again. “Harper, just explain to us why you're unsure then we can fix it, maybe we can—”

“I need to check first,” she says suddenly, cutting him off. Her voice cracks halfway through the sentence, and the second half comes out like something she didn’t me