Chapter 10 This Marriage Must End

The next day, Harper got a call from Hank.

Hank was seriously ill and had been hospitalized. He wanted to see her.

Harper remembered that the old man had always treated her well, and he was the one who had pushed hard for her marriage to Evan. He had always been on her side when it came to her and Evan, so Harper decided to go visit him at the hospital.

People can seem perfectly fine on a normal day, but once they get sick, they go downhill fast.

Hank was usually full of energy — most of the time you wouldn't even guess he was an old man. But lying in that hospital bed, he looked much weaker, like the life had been drained right out of him.

Harper handed the fruit she'd brought to the housekeeper, placed the flowers in the vase by the bed, then sat down in the chair beside him. "Grandpa, how did you get this sick so suddenly? Did the doctor say what's wrong?"

Seeing Harper walk in lifted Hank's spirits right away. He had been half-lying down, but he sat up straight. "Harper's here. It's just old age, same old problems. Everyone goes through this eventually."

Hank took it all in stride. He'd lived long enough to feel grateful. His only regret was that he hadn't gotten to see Evan and Harper have a child — he would have loved to hold a great-grandchild.

He really did like Harper. That's why he'd worked so hard to get the two of them married. She was such a good woman — he just couldn't understand why Evan didn't appreciate her, or what was so great about Claire that he was so set on marrying her.

Hank knew about the divorce, and that Harper had been the one to bring it up. He understood, but he still wanted to try to fix things. He didn't want to lose such a wonderful granddaughter-in-law.

Evan didn't get it now, but he would someday.

Harper shook her head at Hank. "Grandpa, you're not old at all — you look great. You've always been so healthy. I believe you'll live to be a hundred."

Hank was a good man, and Harper genuinely hoped he would get better.

He looked at her with warm, fond eyes, and felt a quiet pang of regret. Why couldn't she have been his granddaughter? Then he wouldn't have to worry about letting her go.

He knew Harper probably wouldn't change her mind, but he still wanted to try. "Harper, is there really no chance for you and Evan? He couldn't see people clearly — he never saw through Claire, and he treated you badly. Grandpa can set him straight..."

Harper's expression didn't change at all. Hank sighed inwardly. "Just give Evan one more chance. If he still doesn't treat you right and can't stop thinking about that Martinez woman, I won't say another word."

Three years of memories flashed through her mind.

Disappointment doesn't happen all at once. It builds up, little by little.

She had given him chances. She had tried to get closer to him, tried to turn two strangers into something more.

But Evan never let her in.

From the very beginning, he had disliked her — though he had at least kept up appearances for a while. Now, his attitude toward her hadn't changed one bit, and he wasn't even bothering to pretend anymore.

There was no way they could keep this marriage going.

Staying together would only make things worse.

The divorce wasn't a snap decision. She had thought it through carefully.

Harper reached out and took Hank's hand, looking at him steadily. "Grandpa, you know Evan has never had feelings for me. Three years didn't change anything. Staying together would only make us both miserable."

Hank let out a quiet sigh. He knew all of this. He had thought that once they were married, Evan would come to see how wonderful Harper was. Clearly, he had been wrong.

"Grandpa, the divorce is good for both me and Evan. It's a decision I made after a lot of thought — not something I'm doing on impulse. Please don't try to talk me out of it." Harper's expression was firm. Nothing was going to change her mind.

Hank understood. No amount of persuading could stop them from divorcing. And if he pushed too hard, they might stay together — but things would only get worse between them.

A marriage with no love and no hope — breaking up was the right call.

"It's my fault." He gently patted the back of Harper's hand, his voice heavy. "Maybe I never should have pushed you two together. Evan wasted your time — three years of your life gone on this marriage."

Harper shook her head. She saw it differently. "Grandpa, I don't think it was wasted. I agreed to the marriage. I used to look forward to our life together. I hoped Evan might change for me."

She had given it her all. She had tried. She had even loved him. She didn't regret any of it — she was just cutting her losses, and she wasn't going to keep pouring her heart into someone who was wrong for her.

Outside the hospital room, Evan had arrived just as Hank was trying to convince Harper to stay. He didn't push the door open right away. Instead, he stood in the hallway and listened.

He wanted to know what Harper really felt — whether she truly wanted the divorce.

Hearing her answer, he finally believed it. She wasn't playing games or trying to make him chase her. He had misjudged her.

He had expected to feel relieved when he heard the answer — finally, this painful marriage could be over.

But when he actually heard it, he didn't feel relieved at all. Instead, he felt a strange, hollow sense of loss.

He even found himself thinking about how stunning Harper had looked the night before, and felt an unexpected urge to actually get to know her.

After chatting with Hank a little longer, Harper said she had to go. Hank was sick and needed his rest.

When Evan heard Harper getting ready to leave, he slipped into the room next door to stay out of sight.

His feelings were complicated right now. He didn't want to run into Harper, and he definitely didn't want her to know he'd been listening.

After Harper left, Evan walked into Hank's room.

The moment Hank saw him, his anger flared up. He sat straight up and shouted, "What are you doing here? I don't want to see you — get out!"

He didn't look like a sick man at all.

"Grandpa, please don't get upset. The doctor said you need to stay calm." Evan tried to soothe him, not wanting the old man to work himself into a worse state.

"Don't talk to me about calm! You said you'd handle it, and look what happened — Harper's divorcing you! I'm telling you right now, even if you do get divorced, don't you dare bring that Martinez woman into the Morgan family!" Hank snorted and kept right on scolding him.

Evan still couldn't understand why his grandfather had never liked Claire, or what she had done wrong.

He looked frustrated but firm. "Grandpa, we never had feelings for each other in the first place. If the Wilson family hadn't used that favor to pressure me, I never would have married Harper. What's wrong with getting a divorce now?"

Hank felt like there was nothing more to say — it would only make him angrier.

Besides, Harper wasn't going to change her mind and stay in the marriage. There was nothing left for him to do. "Fine. Just wait. One day you'll regret this."