Unlikely (H.S.)

thirty-six

~Harper~

I sat cross-legged on the stiff hotel bed, my laptop balanced on my knees. The cold, sterile room was silent except for the faint hum of the heater struggling against the morning chill. The curtains were half-drawn, letting in pale light that illuminated the creases in the sheets and the cracks in the walls. It felt as though the entire room echoed the tension in my chest.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, trembling slightly as I scrolled through the iCloud activity log. There it was, plain as day, Tripp had been in my account. Not for weeks, not for months—just a few hours before I made a point to look. But he hadn't just taken a quick peek. He'd logged in multiple times, rummaging through my files like a thief tearing apart a house for valuables.

Each timestamp felt like a punch to the gut. 3:14 a.m., 4:07 a.m., 5:22 a.m.—again and again, he'd accessed my account in the middle of his work day, going through God knows what. The video of me and Harry had already been sold to TMZ, but now I couldn't stop spinning.

Had he taken anything else?

I felt sick as I opened the backups. My throat was tight, and my chest ached as I clicked through the folders, desperate to find out what else he might have stolen. Photos, messages, private notes... the thought of him pawing through my personal life made my skin crawl.

Had he seen the sexts and photos Harry and I had been exchanging?

God.... this can't be happening.

Buzz.

My phone shifted slightly on the nightstand, cutting through the silence. I snatched it up, grateful for the distraction, but the relief was short-lived.

Amalia: Any updates?

Did he get anything else?

I hesitated before typing back.

HJ: I don't know yet

He was in my account for hours last night

I'm still looking..

The group chat lit up immediately.

Daphne: For hours?!

Harper, that's so fucking creepy

Sick, obsessive motherfucker...

You need to report this

Nate: That's not just creepy—it's criminal

You need to get a lawyer, Harp

Seriously.

This is becoming dangerous

Hunter: He already leaked the video...

What if he has more?

You have to check everything, back everything up, and lock it all down

Their messages came rapid-fire, one after the other, each one adding to the knot in my stomach.

HJ: I already changed my passwords and set up two-factor authentication

I'm going through everything now to see what else he might have taken...

But it's just... it's a lot

I'm starting to wonder if I had never met Harry if any of this would've even happened

Amalia's reply came almost instantly.

Amalia: Of course it's a lot

But you can't let him get away with this

You don't deserve this, Harper