The Exes and The Architect

Ive had four boyfriends.

The first was an arrogant, old-money scion. I chased him for two years. We lasted three months.

When he dumped me, he looked down his nose at me, his eyes cold. Harper, to me, you were just a game.

The second was a brilliant academic, an associate professor. I pursued him, too. We were together for a year.

His smile was gentle when he ended it. "Reed, I dont have the time to wait for you to grow up."

The third was an A-List actor. Ironically, he was the one who chased me.

When he cast me aside, his voice was laced with spite. "A bastard child is a nasty thing, after all. You just need a little attention and you come crawling."

Years later, when I finally announced my marriage to the fourth, they all came calling.

1

Lifes a long journey, and with you, Ill take my time.

I posted the announcement on my social mediaa picture of Owen Maxwell and me, our signed marriage license held up between us.

Friends flooded the comments with a gratifying wave of love and blessings.

Then I saw one comment that felt like a needle scratching glass.

Are you seriously going through with this?

It was from Elias Hawthorne. My first boyfriend. My so-called first love, though the ending was so humiliatingly brutal that it purged him of any possibility of becoming a "ghost of my past" or "the one that got away."

Given Eliass staggering arrogance, I was surprised he hadn't scrubbed me from his contacts entirely. Maybe he kept me around as a footnote, a minor conquest he occasionally enjoyed glancing at, like a museum piece he owned.

I replied to the well-wishers, pointedly ignoring Eliass loaded question.

I sent a quick voice note to Owen: "Could you pick up that small blueberry micro-cake on your way back?"

The moment I hit send, a new message popped up, and my hand actually trembled: Marcus Albright. Why on earth was Marcus texting me?

You're getting married?

My feelings toward Marcus were complicated, a tangled knot of longing and anger. When we were together, I had truly envisioned a futurehouse, dogs, kids, the whole middle-class dream.

Marcus was a PhD Candidate when we met, six years my senior, polished, polite, and overwhelmingly gentle.

He was just as calm when he ended things. I had been hysterical, pleading with him not to leave, yet hed simply dried my tears and smiled that serene, hollow smile. "Harper, youre just too immature. I don't have the time to help you find yourself."

Marcus was always so painstakingly controlled. Even when I was a screaming mess, he remained detached. He listed my failings like bullet points in a dissertation, which, for months afterward, sent me spiraling into crippling self-doubt and emotional exhaustion.

But those dark days were behind me. I glanced at the marriage license resting on my coffee table. I had found my ground.

Yes. We signed the papers this morning.

The "typing..." indicator stayed on for a long time. Finally, one sentence came through: Congratulations, and happy wedding.

Thank you, Professor.

It was startling. The intense love and the residual sting of betrayal I felt for Marcus had, with time, faded into something polite and dull.

I logged off the chat and scrolled through social media. The top news story was A-List actor Dean Kinsleys live-stream. He had been on camera when his expression suddenly froze into a dark scowl.

The comments section was full of speculation: What did the king see? His face just went totally black!

I raised an eyebrow. Dean Kinsley, still unable to mask his immediate emotions. Given his massive family influence and Hollywood status, I supposed he never needed to hide anything.

Dean was my third ex. Although the words he used when we broke up were cruel, they hadnt cut deep. From the first day we started dating, I knew it wouldn't last. I knew his motives were shaky, but I was so crushingly lonely then. When he pursued me, I accepted.

I was slightly curious what news had wiped the smile off his face.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Owen was back, holding my small cake.

Looking at the towering, solid man in front of me, it was still hard to believe we were finally here.

2

My encounter with Owen Maxwell was purely accidentalor so I thought at the time.

I had just broken up with Dean. Though Id always known the end was coming, Im sentimental, and I felt hollowed out. To shake the feeling, I flew to the American Westto the vast, remote open spaces of Montana. Thats where I ran into Owen.

Id actually seen Owen once before.

When the nominal patriarch of the Reed familymy "father"died, everyone was summoned back for the will reading. Even as the illegitimate daughter, the law protected my rights, and Owen was the estate lawyer assigned to the case.

I ended up with three million dollars and a modest condo. In the grand scheme of the Reed family's wealth, it was less than pocket change, a paltry sum. My half-siblings and other illegitimate relations received much more. I knew theyd done it deliberatelythey hated me the most because my mother had nearly succeeded in securing a permanent place in the family. But it didn't matter. The money was enough for me to live on simply.

At the time, Owen, in his formal suit, had clinically asked if I required legal counsel for any further action.

I had declined.

We hadn't seen each other since.

Yet here we were, meeting again amidst the breathtaking scenery of Big Sky Country.

Owen explained that his wallet and ID had been stolen. He said I was the only familiar face he knew in the area and asked if I'd let him tag along. I was traveling alone, and traveling with a lawyer felt reasonably safe. I agreed.

Owen was usually reserved, almost cold, but he was incredibly considerate. He was also endlessly knowledgeable; no matter what topic I brought up, he could keep the conversation flowing. Traveling with him was unexpectedly joyful.

He taught me to ride, and we galloped across the vast Montana plains. With the entire sky above us, and the ground flying beneath the horse's hooves, I felt a deep sense of release. It was in that moment I finally shed the burden of my first two decades of misery and misfortune.

I'm a graphic novelist. I turned my Montana experience into a webcomic, and it blew up overnight. The sudden success of my career finally eclipsed the failure of my love life.

After we returned to the city, Owen and I kept in touch.

We talked about everything under the sun, and sometimes I was stunned by our intellectual and emotional synchronicity. We were so effortlessly compatible it felt like we'd known each other forever.

We started planning more trips together.

One night, in a small, rustic cabin in the Pacific Northwest, we had a few drinks. The moon hung bright and low in the sky.

I smiled and turned to him. "Do you like me?"

Owen gave me a faint smile in return. "Took you long enough to notice."

"I was only semi-sure. But I felt like you did."

"No need to be unsure. Ive liked you for a long time now."

Owens eyes were bright, like starlight on a crisp night. He simply held my gaze.

He later confessed that he was terrified in that moment, convinced I was about to reject him.

I burst out laughing.

"Well, I like you, too, then."

Getting together with Owen felt entirely natural, as if it had been destined.

Once we were dating, Owen encouraged me to try things Id always been afraid of. He took me to see the penguins in Antarctica, and we watched a volcano erupt in Hawaii. We kissed passionately on the deck of a cruise ship in a gale-force wind.

"Harper, life is passionate. I want you to always be radiant."

Meeting Owen filled the empty spaces and quiet loneliness that had shadowed me for years.

When he proposed, I didn't hesitate for a second.

3

It was the Reed family patriarch's ninetieth birthday, and we, the extended family, were all summoned for the celebration.

I dreaded it, but the old man was obsessed with appearances. If I publicly snubbed him, he could still make my life hell. Besides, when my half-siblings had tried to ruin me completely, it was the patriarch who intervened. So, even knowing the gala would make me nauseous, I had to go.

At least I had Owen by my side.

My half-sister, Daphne, and her brother, still looked at me like I was a piece of refuse. The naked hatred in their eyes was barely concealed.

There were four illegitimate Reed children, but the legitimate siblings despised me most. My mother had been the most ambitious, the closest to achieving the coveted status of 'wife.'

I was brought into the Reed house at twelve, given a life of luxury, but it was the most hateful place Id ever lived.

Daphne always loathed me. She pulled countless small, cruel stunts: locking me out in the rain, cutting the power to my room in the summer, sealing my windows shut, and instigating bullying against me at school. Daphne was the one I hated most in the Reed family.

When I found out that Daphne had a crush on Elias Hawthorne, I immediately saw a path to revenge. I would seduce Elias and make the high-and-mighty princess feel the pain of loss.

I spent two years catering to Elias, putting myself on display. Everyone whispered that I was as low-class as my mother, a cheap flirt, but I didn't careI was consumed by my hatred for Daphne.

I succeeded. I remember the look on Daphne's facethe raw, fire-spewing furywhen I walked past her, hand-in-hand with Elias.

"Harper Reed, you are a parasite," Daphne hissed darkly.

The more miserable she was, the happier I felt.

I offered a brilliant, saccharine smile. "Thanks to you all, Im doing just fine here in the city."

Daphnes eyes flickered to Owen beside me, and she let out a disdainful scoff. "Which stray man did you hook this time?"

"Ms. Reed," Owen cut in smoothly. "Its been a few years. I am Owen Maxwell, Harpers husband."

The instant Daphne heard the word 'husband,' the contempt in her eyes evaporated.

The Maxwell family has a long history in law and politics. Owens grandfather was a celebrated legal figure.

"Ms. Reed, your comment just now was offensive to Harper and an insult to me," Owen said, his voice calm yet deeply intimidating. "I would ask that you apologize to us both."

Daphnes face flushed crimson. She choked, unwilling to apologize. I noticed more and more gazes turning toward us.

Daphnes brother, Jackson, stepped forward. "Daphne, apologize to them."

Reluctantly, and clearly furious, Daphne mumbled an apology.

Ugh. Adult Daphne was so much more pathetic than her childhood self.

As I took in the scene, I felt a heavy gaze fixed on me. I traced it back to Elias Hawthorne.

Of course, Elias would be here. The Hawthorne and Reed families were historically linked.

Years had smoothed some of Eliass sharp edges; he looked reserved now, radiating the cold confidence of a CEO.

I offered him a purely reflexive, fake smilea little piece of calculated nastiness. I wanted to see him squirm. Instead, his entire face seemed to crumple.

The suffocating atmosphere of the ballroom made it hard to breathe. I slipped out to the Reed familys private courtyard for air.

Just as I was about to head back to Owen, Elias suddenly appeared.

"What did you mean by smiling at me like that?" he demanded.

I honestly found Elias irritating. He always had that high-handed, old-money entitlement. When Id chased him, Id poured my heart and soul into it. Even though my initial motivation was cruel, I'm a person, I'm emotional. He had genuinely helped me a few times when I was completely isolated, and I really did fall for him.

But we only lasted three months. When we broke up, he ground my face into the dirt, calling me utterly worthless.

I offered a dismissive shrug. "Nothing. Just saying hello after all these years."

He was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was tight. "Are you really married?"

"Why? Is there some reason it would be a fake marriage?" I retorted, a sharp edge of sarcasm in my voice. When he broke up with me, hed said, "I told you I was just playing a game, and you actually believed me."

"The Maxwells are a political dynasty. They would never accept an illegitimate child like you," Elias declared, using that patronizing, 'for your own good' tone, laced with the same old, familiar contempt for my identity. "Harper, stop deceiving yourself. End things with him soon."

A calm voice came from behind him. "Mr. Hawthorne, do you often interfere in other people's marriages? You don't need to worry about Harper and me. My family loves her. Birth status is not a choice, and it certainly won't be a chain around my wife."

Owen walked up and leaned in close to me. "Where were you? Ive been looking for you."

The sight of us, cheek-to-cheek and intimately close, was clearly the last straw for Elias. His eyes went dark.

He let out a cold, hard laugh. "Harper Reed, do you actually think Owen Maxwell is some kind of saint?"

I looked at him oddly. Had Elias lost his mind abroad? He was spewing absolute nonsense.

"He's not. But are you?"

Eliass chest heaved with suppressed rage. I didn't see the smug, triumphant flash that crossed Owens eyes before he turned to walk away with me.

4

Later that evening, Elias sent me a text.

Harper, what I said earlier wasn't intended as a taunt. I just wanted to warn you.

LOL. Dont worry about it, Mr. Hawthorne. My husband and I are doing great. Not everyone looks down on me because of my past.

I never looked down on you, Harper.

It was a voice note, and I could hear a trace of panic in his voice.

It doesn't matter anymore. I dont need your respect.

Are you still angry that I broke up with you? But you were the one who lied to me first.

I had briefly hated Elias, but the years had swept all those intense feelings away. The love and the resentment were gone.

Im not angry anymore. If youre still upset about my deception back then, I apologize.

I drew a clear, businesslike boundary. After I sent that, Elias went quiet.

I couldnt figure out why he was suddenly so invested in my life, breaking character to sound genuinely concerned. But it didn't matter. Ten years was a lifetime. I had truly forgotten him.

The Elias Hawthorne who I once considered the single source of light in my chaotic life had vanished the moment his plane took off from LAX.

Two weeks later, my alma mater, Capital University, held its fiftieth-anniversary celebration, inviting alumni back for a ceremony. It was then I realized Owen had also graduated from the same school, three years before me.

I joked with him that if Id gone to college earlier, we would have met sooner.

He didn't look pleased. He only muttered darkly, "You were too obsessed with your Professor Albright back then. Would you even have noticed me?"

His jealousy was thick enough to cut with a knife.

I had been honest with Owen about my dating history, so he knew about Marcus.

That night in bed, he kept insisting I call him "Professor." I refused at first, but he wore me down with inventive persistence. Finally, weakened, I meekly whispered the word a few times.

But then the man went completely feral. I could barely move the next morning.

I was annoyed, and Owen spent the drive to the university catering to my every need.

Capital University was bustling. Students, alumni like Owen and me, and various guests flowed through the campus.

We strolled around for a bit until we reached my favorite spot: a secluded gazebo near the old oak tree.

It was quiet there, away from the main thoroughfare.

As we approached, I realized someone was already sitting inside: Marcus Albright.

My first impulse was to turn and run, but Marcus saw us and called out.

"Harper Reed. Its been a while."

His voice was still the samewarm, cultivated, and pleasant, like a gentle breeze.

I held myself steady and forced a natural smile. "Marcus Albright. Good to see you."

Marcus's gaze dropped to my hand, which was firmly clasped in Owens. I stepped forward to introduce them. "This is my husband, Owen Maxwell."

Owen gave a slight nod in greeting.

"Well, we won't interrupt you," I said, already trying to pull Owen away.

But Marcus stopped us. "Harper, do you remember? This was your favorite place to bring me. I came here specifically hoping to run into you."

My footsteps faltered. A thousand memories flooded my mind.

5

I had truly wanted to spend my life with Marcus Albright.

Our breakup had been completely unexpected. Only a week before, hed been telling me about the beautiful spring flowers blooming on campus. Then, over a quiet dinner, he dropped the bomb.

I remember my wide-eyed disbelief when I asked him why.

He called me childish and said our relationship was exhausting him.

I promised to change. I cried and begged him to stay, but he simply wiped my tears away and delivered his crushing verdict. "I cant wait, Harper. The time investment is just too high."

I refused to accept it. I hounded him for two months until he finally chose to take a "research fellowship" in Africa just to avoid seeing me.

If there was one thing I would never forget, it was the final, determined retreat of Marcus's back as he walked away.

So, what was he doing now? Feigning regret? Or just trying to make me feel terrible?

"What do you want?"

"Can I speak with you alone?" Even confronted with my obvious hostility, he remained infuriatingly calm.

I used to love his unflappable composure. Now, it just made him seem like a corpse, drained of life.

"We have nothing to talk about." I threw the words out and prepared to leave with Owen.

"Harper," he called, desperation finally cracking his veneer. "I never wanted to break up with you."

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