Unlikely (H.S.)

thirty-seven

~Harry~

I stared at the text, the name Richard Beckett glowing on my screen like a taunt. My heart was pounding, anger swirling with confusion. Who the hell was Richard Beckett? And why had he gone to TMZ? I scrolled back up, rereading Jeff's message, hoping some new piece of information would jump out at me, but the words stayed the same.

The sinking feeling in my gut didn't let up. I didn't know this name, but the thought of someone so deliberately betraying not just me, but Harper, made me sick. The video was never meant to leave the privacy of her phone. It was meant to stay just between us. I squeezed my phone in my hand, knuckles whitening as the weight of what had happened crushed down on me again.

How could I have let it get this far? How could I have let myself believe that Harper—Harper, of all people—would have done this to me? She'd always been guarded with me, hesitant to open up, and yet I... I'd thrown every promise I made to her back in her face.

Jeff's name blinked on my screen again, another text coming through.

Jeff: Call me

It's urgent

My fingers hovered over the screen. I didn't want to talk about it. Didn't want to say anything out loud that would make this more real. But I couldn't put it off any longer. With a reluctant sigh, I pressed his contact and held the phone to my ear.

He picked up on the first ring.

"Harry, I'm glad you called back. Listen, we've done some digging," Jeff said, his voice brisk. "Richard Beckett is the one who sold the video to TMZ."

I stopped mid-step, standing frozen in the middle of the pavement. My head spun as the name hit me again, no clearer than it had been before. 

Richard Beckett. 

Who the hell was he? 

The name didn't mean anything to me, but the implications behind it churned in my stomach.

"Who is he?" I finally managed to ask, my voice tight. "How does he even know Harper?"

"We're still piecing that together," Jeff admitted. "But there's more. He accessed Harper's iCloud account. That's how he got the video."

My grip on the phone tightened until my hand ached. I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. Whoever this man was, he'd violated Harper in one of the most personal ways possible. And I... I'd made it worse. I hadn't believed her. I hadn't given her the chance to explain.

I closed my eyes, the memory of her face flashing in my mind—her tears, her desperation, the way she'd looked at me like she was begging me to trust her. And I hadn't. I'd shut her down, accused her of the very thing I'd promised her I would never do.

"Harry, are you still there?" Jeff's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

"Yeah," I croaked, though my throat felt dry. "I'm here."

"Look, I know this is a lot to process," Jeff said, his tone softening. "But we'll get to the bottom of it. I'm still digging, and I'll let you know as soon as I have more."

"Thanks," I muttered, though the word felt hollow. My mind was already racing, filled with regret and anger—at Beckett, at myself, at the entire mess this had become.

"What do you want to do next?" Jeff asked.

"I... I don't know yet," I admitted, running a hand through my hair. "Just keep digging. Find out everything you can about him."