"You still haven't told him, have you?" Mara's voice cut through the quiet of Harmony's bedroom. She was sprawled across her sister's bed, watching Harmony get ready for her nightly video call with Jeremy.
Harmony adjusted her laptop screen, avoiding her sister's gaze. "I will. Just... not tonight."
"You've been saying that for weeks now." Mara sat up, her expression unusually serious. "He's coming to visit in less than a month, Harmony. He needs to know about the accident."
"I know, I know." Harmony smoothed her hair nervously. "But every time I try to bring it up, something stops me. You don't understand what it's like, Mara. When you're meeting someone online, the smallest thing can change everything."
"A prosthetic leg isn't a small thing," Mara said bluntly. "And if he's really the perfect guy you think he is, it won't matter to him."
Before Harmony could respond, her laptop chimed. Jeremy's face appeared on screen, his usual confident smile in place despite the obvious fatigue in his eyes.
"Hello, beautiful," he said, then noticed Mara. "Oh, and hello to the other Carson sister. Don't you have your own room to hang out in?"
Mara grinned. "And miss my daily dose of British charm? Never." She winked at the screen. "Besides, someone has to make sure you're good enough for my big sister."
"Mara," Harmony warned, but Jeremy laughed.
"I assure you, I'm failing miserably at being good enough for her. How was the constitutional law presentation today?"
"She killed it," Mara answered before Harmony could. "Professor Martinez practically offered her a job on the spot. Though I only understood about ten percent of what she was saying."
"That's my girl," Jeremy beamed. "Always the smartest person in the room."
Harmony felt her cheeks warm. "Stop it. How was your day? You look tired."
"Rough client meeting. The Harrisons are being... difficult." He ran a hand through his dark hair. "Actually, I needed to talk to you about something—"
"Jeremy!" A female voice called from somewhere off-screen. "The investors are waiting!"
Jeremy glanced over his shoulder, frowning. "Sorry, give me a moment." He disappeared from view.
Mara raised an eyebrow. "Who was that?"
"Probably his assistant," Harmony said quickly. "He mentioned hiring one recently."
"Sounded young. And familiar."
Before Harmony could reply, Jeremy returned. "I'm so sorry, love, but I have to cut this short. Emergency meeting with some potential investors. I'll call you tomorrow?"
"Of course," Harmony forced a smile. "Good luck with the meeting."
After the call ended, Mara studied her sister's face. "You're worried."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are. I know that look." Mara moved to sit beside her. "What's really going on, Harm?"
Harmony closed her laptop slowly. "It's nothing. Just... things have been different lately. He's canceling calls more often, always seems distracted. And I still haven't told him about the leg."
"Or about Mom?" Mara's voice softened.
"He knows about the accident. Just... not everything." Harmony's hand unconsciously moved to her left leg. "How do you tell someone you're falling in love with that you're not who they think you are?"
"Hey." Mara grabbed her hand. "You're exactly who he thinks you are. The leg doesn't change that. And Mom..." she swallowed hard. "Mom would want you to be happy."
Harmony's phone buzzed with a text from Jeremy: "Sorry about that. The Harrisons are driving me crazy. Missing you."
As she typed back a response, another message appeared from an unknown number: "Are you sure you know who you're really talking to?"
"What's wrong?" Mara asked, noticing her sister's frown.
Harmony deleted the strange message. "Nothing. Just spam." She forced a laugh. "I'm being silly, aren't I? Getting all paranoid over a missed call and a busy schedule?"
"No." Mara's voice was unusually quiet. "You're being careful. There's a difference." She stood up, heading for the door, then paused. "Just... promise me something?"
"What?"
"When he comes to visit... don't let him sweep you off your feet until you're sure he's who he says he is. Men like that – rich, successful, charming – they're used to getting what they want. And sometimes what they want isn't what it seems."
"You sound like Dad," Harmony tried to joke.
"Maybe Dad's right sometimes." Mara's expression was unreadable in the dim light. "Goodnight, sis. Love you."
After Mara left, Harmony opened her laptop again, scrolling through her photos with Jeremy. His smile, so confident and warm, looking at her through the screen. In three weeks, she'd see that smile in person. Touch his hand. Look into his eyes without pixels between them.
Her phone buzzed again. The unknown number: "Everyone has secrets. Even the people closest to you."
This time, she didn't delete it.
Out in the hallway, Mara leaned against the wall, her own phone glowing in the darkness as she scrolled through Jeremy Crawford's social media. Her finger paused on a photo from six months ago – Jeremy at a London party, his arm around a stunning blonde. The caption read: "Sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for."
Mara smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.