Chapter 16

That sentence replayed in Harris' mind like a curse, echoing relentlessly. The pain was so overwhelming that he clutched his head. Did he really feel nothing for Vanessa? If he didn't care for her, why did it hurt so much to see her upset? Why did rage boil within him when she received love letters from others? And why did he spiral out of control when she married Blake? One by one, the answers came to him. He had feelings for Vanessa. It was precisely because he loved her that realizing her feelings for him had been so agonizing. Although they weren't related by blood, the whispers and judgments of others would inevitably hurt her. He couldn't bear the thought of her being wounded. So he had pushed her away time and time again, even by pretending to love Waverly. Harris was aware of all the things Waverly had done to Vanessa, and he'd secretly tried to make amends afterward. When Waverly had staged her fall into the cake, he had slapped her after the party. When she broke Vane