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She answered the call, then put the phone to her ear and said quietly, "Hello!"

But the call was suddenly cut off, Harmonie didn't understand the reason for this, she thought there must be a network problem, she thought to call her back and at the moment of this decision she heard a new kind of ringing, and she knew it was a video call. And this made her very scared and regret her mistake of today.

She accepted the call. Cassandra remained silent and Harmonie, who didn't dare to say anything, felt compelled to speak.

"Hi," she said quietly with a slight grimace.

Cassandra looked at her without saying anything, then turned her head to the side and said, "Come here, baby."

Harmonie knew she was calling Adelaide and felt her heart race.

She had messed up, she knew, and she regretted it immensely.

Adelaide appeared on the screen, and as her eyes fell on Harmonie, tears began to form, and Harmonie noticed that her lips were trembling.

She panicked, not wanting the situation to get worse. She told herself that it was all her fault and that she had to make amends.

Adelaide threw herself into Cassandra's arms and looked sadly at the screen.

"I'm sorry, baby," Harmonie began, very angry with herself, "I didn't keep our promise. I'm sorry."

Harmonie looked at the little girl to show her through her eyes how much she felt for her, "I love you, mama. You know that, don't you?" Harmonie asked.

A few seconds later, the sweetheart nodded with her doe eyes, "You're the apple of my eye."

Adelaide then said, "Dada, come..."

Harmonie nodded, "Yes, I'm coming, sweetheart, before you fall asleep, okay, Mama?"

And Adelaide nodded, then Cassandra encouraged her to go play and then looked at the screen.

When her eyes met Harmonie's. She saw Harmonie lower her eyes. But that displeased Cassandra even more.

Her eyebrows furrowed deeper and her gaze scanned Harmonie without missing the slightest change.

She had no intention of being the first to break the silence.

Harmonie soon realized this and finally raised her head, but didn't dare to look at Cassandra.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Cassandra's eyebrows were more relaxed, but her anger was not.

And when she heard Harmonie say something, she smiled mockingly.

Although she didn't look directly at her out of the corner of her eye, Harmonie could see Cassandra's expression change. And she knew that smile wasn't good news.

"Your whole point in asking me to keep her was, so you could ignore us right after, wasn't it?" Cassandra said, trying to control herself.

Harmonie shook her head, wanting to say that wasn't the case, but Cassandra didn't give her the time.

"And you dare to say otherwise," Cassandra hissed, "do you even know what happened after you decided to act so immaturely by deciding to ignore us?"

Harmonie, not knowing whether to answer or remain silent, decided to stay silent, which did not please Cassandra, who was quick to point it out.

"Answer me," Cassandra hissed.

"No..." Harmonie said quietly, trying to stop herself from crying, she felt terrible.

Cassandra saw that Harmonie was on the verge of tears, decided to calm down, and said,

"The baby had an anxiety attack."

Harmonie raised her head, and Cassandra continued, "It was the first time I'd seen her like this, and..." Her voice cracked, and she caught her breath, then said, "and I lost all my nerve, I finally managed to calm her down, but the fact that she could get into that state and suffer because of your absence and the fact that you didn't even bother to call for no reason at all, I don't want that to happen again."

Then her gaze became hard, "Do you understand me?"

Harmonie nodded, "Yes, Émi."

Then, after confirming that she was coming, Cassandra ended the call.

Harmonie blamed herself because when she's scared, she tends to flee for fear of hurting herself and those around her.

But when she runs away, she creates more pain.

But bad habits are hard to break. She felt she had to act against herself, and that's what she had to do.

She got up and packed her bag to spend the night at Cassandra's house.

When she was done, she went to join the others in the living room who were playing games on the console.

Chloe noticed her arrival and got up, then took her aside in the direction of Harmonie's office after warning the other two girls that they would be back.

Chloe opened the door to find Hazel sitting in front of her with a laptop on the desk and reading glasses.

"What's going on?" Harmonie asked as she sat down with Chloe on the leather sofa.

Hazel took off her glasses, then pinched her nose to relieve the slight pressure of the glasses and said, "We have some inside information about the organization of your fa--"

"I don't have a father, I think you mean my genitor?" Harmonie interrupted.

Hazel sighed and rested her head on her hand, elbow on the table.

She was frustrated.

"Your genitor and Chloe's uncle are at war with each other on every front, whether it's an underground war, a war for goods, a war of territory, authority, etc..."

Harmonie raised an eyebrow, "Oh... why is that?"

Chloe crossed her legs and replied, "He leaked information about my uncle's organization to the police. Which forced my uncle to move, to change location. Obviously, uncle didn't like that and declared war on him."

"Will this stupid stunt have any effect on us?" asked Harmonie, but deep down she felt she knew the answer.

"Yes and no," Hazel said before getting up and walking over to the other two girls, "Here," she said, handing Harmonie the tablet she was holding.

Harmonie looked at the different photos that showed different people on it. She raised her head to look at the other two who were looking at her as well.

"Look at the last photo, you'll understand," Chloé said, Harmonie lowered her head and swiped at the screen. Her eyes somehow turned off, as if they had some kind of switch.

Those empty eyes appeared again. Her face became neutral and inexpressive, but it didn't last long. She turned off the tablet and closed her eyes for a few seconds before lifting her head and opening them.

It was as if whatever had happened to those eyes hadn't happened at all.

"These are his men," she said, looking at her aunt and best friend.

"They're on a mission to find us," Hazel said.

"And I think they knew we'd been in contact with my uncle. Hence, their attacks on him..."

Chloe said, Harmonie, smiling a little mockingly.

"Add to that Jack's betrayal, the man won't let go of your uncle until he's dead. You must know the consequences," Harmonie said, looking at Chloe, since her uncle was the last member of her family with any blood connection to her.

"I know, but he has made his choice. He chose a path that will lead him to his doom, and I'd rather that than do the dirty work myself," Chloe said in a cold tone.

"You didn't like what he said last time," Harmonie remarked.

"Of course not, his excuse of wanting to protect me and hurt you at the same time is completely stupid.

He thought I'd believe his story that the two of you fought. When your mind compelled you not to be violent. Even through all the years of harassment, you never responded with a fist.

And you know I have only one principle, you touch my family, you pay."

"Did we fight?" Harmonie wondered, then a memory popped into her head, "Ah! No, we didn't fight, but he indeed wanted a reaction from me back then. He tried to hit me, I avoided him, he stumbled against I don't know what and fell..."

"I think he hurt his ribs," she added, "but that wasn't really my problem."

"Besides, I know he didn't tell me anything about my parents. About their accidents."

"But we told you we could investigate for you..." Harmonie said, she understood Chloe and to see her running away from the truth again and again, hurt her too.

"I know. Anyway, Valérie has decided to increase our security. And to make us as invisible as possible from your genitor's radar."

"Why doesn't he just let it go..." Harmonie sighed, she didn't really expect an answer from anyone, because they knew why she remained so passive.

"By the way, Mummy, does she know?"

Hazel nodded, "Yes, and I had her on the phone earlier, and she said it didn't help that her little girls were away from her."

"She must be terribly worried," Chloe sighed.

"Yes, and that's why I'm asking you to keep a low profile until everything is ready, to be accompanied and protected at all times," Hazel said, and Chloe and Harmonie nodded, grunting in frustration.

"Ah, I almost forgot. You have to take the week off next week."

"Full practice?" asked Chloe, and Hazel nodded.

"I finally remembered why they call her the Gang Witch with her hellish workouts," Harmonie said with a slight smile.

"I can't even imagine my pain after that. But are we screwed for tomorrow or not?" asked Chloé to Hazel.

"No, but we have to start warming up today."

"Yes, more pain," Harmonie said with a grumpy face, and Chloé stood up laughing, and the others followed her.

"Ah, by the way, we have to do a quick workout, I have to go see my girl," Harmonie said before closing the office door.

...

3 hours later

"Fuck!" Harmonie said to herself after she parked her car in front of Cassandra's building and pulled the parking brake.

She quickly got out of her car, grabbed her bag, and after locking the door, sprinted to the entrance. Pulling a set of keys with a badge on them from her pocket, she opened the door and quickly made her way to the elevator.

In the elevator, she began to think back to what had happened earlier. When they started training, Valérie suddenly arrived and everything went haywire. Valérie tends to work out pretty hard, and she knows where it hurts.

At the end of her workout, she did her best to get to Cassandra quickly. A 30-minute drive took only 15 minutes. Fortunately, the roads were clear at night, and she was able to drive without a problem.

Arriving at the door, she entered the code, slid the key into the lock, which was now visible and entered gently. The apartment was silent.

She took off her shoes, put on slippers, and walked past the living room and the open kitchen to Cassandra's room.

She opened the door carefully and entered after closing it. The room was lit by a night light and Harmonie could see the figures of Cassandra and Adélaïde in the silence, only their breathing and Adélaïde's soft pacifier sounds could be heard.

Harmonie moved closer and got a better look at their faces. Harmonie felt her heart melt and all her tiredness disappear. Her face softened.

She saw Cassandra's head move and knew that she was waking up. Cassandra was a light sleeper, but when she slept with Adélaïde or Harmonie, that wasn't the case, with a few exceptions.

Harmonie reached down and whispered in her ear, "It's me. I'm sorry for coming so late."

Cassandra hummed to indicate that she had heard, and Harmonie smiled, put her lips to her temple for a long moment, and then whispered, "I'll be right back."

Cassandra hummed and turned her head toward Harmonie. Realizing she was asking for a kiss, Harmonie's smile returned and the sounds of kissing echoed around the room for several minutes before fading.

Five minutes into the shower, Harmonie heard the bathroom door open. She recognized Cassandra's breathing after she turned off the water and continued to shower.

A few minutes later, she felt a shiver run down her spine as the shower door opened and Cassandra entered.

Cassandra saw Harmonie from behind, continuing to shower as if nothing had happened, and then she moved closer, kissing her neck, then her shoulder, and wrapping her arms around Harmonie's hip. Harmonie lowered the water level slightly and turned around.

Cassandra immediately kissed her intensely, then rested her head on her shoulder, saying nothing. With one arm around Cassandra's waist, she closed the water with the other.

She understood that what had happened with Adélaïde had certainly shaken her, and she needed comfort and security at the moment. Harmonie took her in her arms and pulled her closer without saying a word.

A few minutes later

After being convinced by Harmonie to get out of the shower, Cassandra didn't let Harmonie go an inch from her. Harmonie was then forced to dry her off as best she could since Cassandra had decided not to let go of her.

"Émi, you know you have to come down, we have to put on our pajamas."

And after much insistence, they were finally able to put on their pajamas.

As Harmonie got into bed, she looked at Cassandra, who was looking at her as well. Her face and eyes softened, a smile forming in her eyes.

"I love you," Harmonie said softly so as not to wake Adélaïde, who slept between them. She moved her face closer to Cassandra's and raised herself up, planting kisses on Cassandra's lips.

...

Harmonie felt small hands on her face, then a weight on her. She slowly opened her eyes, then lowered them to her chest and saw the crown of Adélaïde's head.

Harmonie put a hand on her and said softly, "Hi, Mama."

Adélaïde lifted her head, a pacifier in her mouth, and looked at Harmonie with a smile in her eyes, then suddenly her eyes filled with tears, as if she'd just realized something.

Harmonie put her other hand on her, trying to calm her down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Cassandra was still asleep, so she got out of bed and carried Adélaïde, still trying to calm her down.

"It's okay, mama. It's all right now. I'm here, my love. I'm here," Harmonie said as she stroked and gently shook Adélaïde.

"Dada's sorry, baby. I thought if you stayed with your Mommy. You won't miss Dada too much. I'm sorry, baby. I should have realized that wasn't the case."

"D-dada..." Adelaide said softly, her voice cracking, Harmonie went to the door after taking her daughter in her arms, she opened the door gently and then closed it again.

Harmonie walked in the direction of the living room , Adelaide still crying in her arms.

When they reached the living room, Adélaïde's crying still hadn't stopped. Harmonie sat down on the couch with Adelaide.

The little girl didn't want to wake Cassandra with her crying in the room, but she couldn't keep controlling herself, and her muffled sobs became more and more obvious.

Harmonie tried to calm her down, but nothing worked, Adelaide was still crying. She clutched the top of her pajamas and rubbed her face against Harmonie's chest.

Despite soothing pats and soft words, Adelaide wouldn't calm down. Harmonie knew that if she kept this up, the little girl would end up with a headache or worse, a panic attack.

She used the only solution she knew to relax the little girl in her moments of strong emotion, thinking that if it worked for her, it would surely work for Adelaide.

She began to remove the little girl's clothes, then her own, but Adelaide didn't like the idea of being separated from Harmonie and began to sob, then wail. Harmonie quickly removed her clothes, then took Adelaide back into her arms.

The skin-to-skin movement calmed Adelaide a little, she no longer sobbed, but whimpered, still showing her sadness.

"It's going to be okay, Mama," Harmonie said quietly as she went to the bathroom of the apartment, not the one in Cassandra's room, so as not to disturb her.

She took a towel and covered Adelaide, waiting for the bathtub to fill with water and make a bubble bath with all the elements to relax the little one.

A few minutes later, the bath was ready and Harmonie removed the towel from the little girl and calmly entered the bathroom with her in her arms. She felt the little girl's body freeze for a moment as they entered the water, then relax.

The water was just the right temperature for relaxation, and Adelaide let out a sigh of satisfaction. And Harmonie continued to stroke Adelaide's back.

"I love you, mama," she said, kissing her on the forehead.

Adelaide laid her head in the crook of Harmonie's neck and closed her eyes.

Harmonie rested her elbow on the edge of the tub and rested her head on her hand, supporting Adelaide with her other hand, sighing and rubbing her eyebrows.

She avoided thinking about anything because she knew her mind would go in a direction she didn't want to go, and she wouldn't be able to stop it if she started thinking about sensitive subjects.

The human mind is fascinating at times, especially when you use your imagination. One minute you're imagining something, the next your mind wanders and makes you think of something else until you end up with thoughts you keep trying to push away.

So sometimes Harmonie prefers to just stare into space without thinking about anything in particular. It's just to have her mind completely clear of thoughts.

And in this situation, it helped her not to hate herself any more than she already did. Despite the neutrality on her face, some people didn't know how much she hated herself, or maybe they did, but didn't say anything about it.

Three years ago, Harmonie finally realized why she couldn't accept herself, no matter how hard she tried. She could be happy, sad, frustrated... but deep down she knew there was something wrong with her.

There was this huge emptiness and no matter how hard she tried to fill it, nothing worked. So, after the incident, on the hospital bed, she finally remembered.

And when she remembered, her stomach churned, and she started vomiting. They thought it was because of her fever, but she knew it wasn't. She hated herself, no, she loathed herself.

And that loathing was so enormous, so painful, and so deeply rooted in her that her body had begun to let go.

The reason she'd left was fear. She decided to run away and not face her demons, but they followed her and it was hell. Sometimes she wonders how she managed to survive it all...

She would like to talk to Cassandra about it, but telling your girlfriend, who was kidnapped and suffered I don't know what because of you, that she left because she was too scared... was completely unfair.

But how do you explain that fear? It wasn't an easy fear to explain because it was a mixture of many emotions.

She was beginning to lose control of herself and was becoming a danger to those around her.

So the marriage contract and Chloé's uncle's threats are not entirely to blame for her departure.

She would probably talk to Cassandra about it later because Cassandra deserved an explanation for her leaving.

It still amazed her that Cassandra would want her after she had hurt her so much, and she swore that she would never break her promises again. And if she didn't keep her promises...

No, she'd better keep her promises this time, because she wouldn't have one of her pillars if she didn't.

Harmonie snapped out of her daze when she heard the bathroom door open.