5 His Warning

Harper’s POV

After showering, my body felt much lighter. The exhaustion was washed away, and even my emotional burden felt less heavy. But I was still so tired today, barely able to keep my eyes open.

It was already late, and there was no sound from downstairs. Everyone must have gone to bed.

I wanted to go down to the kitchen to grab a glass of water before going back to sleep.

The servants had cleaned up and left the villa. The living room was pitch dark and incredibly quiet. I didn’t turn on the lights; I didn’t want to disturb anyone. I knew the house well by now. Yawning, I navigated the dark living room. Sometimes, I’d come down for water in the middle of the night—this route had become muscle memory.

But as I passed the couch, my leg bumped into something hard yet warm.

Someone was sitting on the couch!

My body reacted faster than my mind; I stumbled back, taking two quick steps away. In the moonlight, I saw it was my stepbrother—Marco.