LOGINThat day felt like a whirlpool Tessa couldn’t crawl out of. Every second pressed harder on her chest, stealing her breath little by little. Too many secrets piled on top of her until she felt like she was drowning in them. The worst part was knowing she wasn’t just lying to one person, but to the two men who mattered most in her life. Everything hit her at once. Whenever her mind circled back to it all, her head spun and fear slammed into her like a wave. The secrets, the pressure, the responsibility, all of it stacked so high she couldn’t even tell what she was supposed to feel anymore. She lied to her father about Nathan. She lied to Nathan about her father. She still had to find evidence that could take Charles down. And on top of everything, there was the looming C-section that haunted her every night. Just imagining her body being cut open like a piece of meat was enough to make her whole body shake. A moment later someone tried the bedroom door. It didn’t open. Then came th
The thick carpet in the main hallway swallowed every sound as Tessa walked toward the library, looking for the interior design book she left there a few days ago.Her head was still spinning from the word C-section after yesterday’s checkup, along with Nathan’s rage and his threat about burning down the hospital. She needed a distraction, something she could drown in. Colors. Textures. Anything that had nothing to do with operating rooms or the risk of dying.But when she passed Nathan’s studio, a sound froze her mid-step. It wasn’t the usual low murmur of a business call or the rapid tapping of his keyboard. It was a shout. Raw anger, sharp and violent, bursting from behind the closed oak door."How the hell is that possible?!" Nathan’s voice was so warped by fury that Tessa barely recognized it. "An appeal? Who did that bastard bribe? Robert Caldwell is not getting out. I swear on the Hale name."Tessa’s heart slammed against her ribs so hard she missed a breath. She couldn’t believ
Nathan stood in front of the bedroom door, arms crossed, his body blocking any chance of leaving like a guard who wasn’t planning on backing down. Across from him, Tessa leaned against the edge of the bed, feeling the carved wood dig into the back of her legs. Nathan’s tone still hung in the air, a quiet but clear threat. “Choose your words carefully. Your freedom depends on it,” he said. Tessa took a deep breath, clearly going over the plan she’d been running through on the way home. When she finally spoke, she called him by his last name. “All right, Hale. These are my conditions for this marriage.” Nathan raised an eyebrow at that. He didn’t interrupt. He wanted to see how far she would push the boundaries he’d set all this time. Tessa raised one finger. “First, freedom to move. I’m not your prisoner anymore. I’m your wife. I get to leave the house without having to ask or explain every little step.” Nathan opened his mouth, but Tessa jumped ahead. “I know what you’re about
“Where did you go?” he asked again, ignoring Tessa’s protest. His voice rose only a fraction, but the pressure was enough to make her lungs tighten. His gaze pinned her. “Three hours out with no word. You disobeyed direct orders and put yourself at risk. Did you not think about what could happen?” His hand shot up, not to hit but to grab her chin hard. He forced her to look at him. “Look at me. What happened to you? Why do you look like this?” His eyes dropped to her flushed cheek and puffy eyes. The pain from Nathan’s grip and the volume of his fury broke part of Tessa’s control. “Let go!” she tried to pull away. “There’s nothing wrong! I was just crying!” “Crying?” Nathan frowned, confused and darker. “Who made you cry? Where were you for those three hours?” Question after question slammed into her until her head went almost blank. “There’s nothing to worry about!” Tessa shoved him with everything she had, though it didn’t move Nathan. “I just needed fresh air. I needed to be
The black Audi rolled slowly down the drive toward Hawthorne Estate. Tessa ran through the explanations she could give Nathan if he found out she’d left, while secretly hoping she wouldn’t have to say any of them.She wanted Nathan to still be out, busy explaining everything to the authorities, so Ana’s business would finally be over. She trusted Nathan. She was sure he could get Ana to drop the complaint.“Ugh... my legal mess just keeps piling up. I’m gonna lose it,” Tessa muttered under her breath, hands tight on the wheel.Her heart hammered like a war drum before a battle. She had already done the impossible. She’d seen her father, opened a line of communication, and made sure someone inside the prison was watching over him. Now she had to face the most dangerous part: Nathan.The main gate was closed. Tessa stopped and waited until a guard noticed the Audi and peered at her through the slightly lowered window. The guard’s eyes widened, not with fear but with what looked like rel
Tessa eased herself into the chair across from her father, the two of them separated by a sheet of glass. They stared at each other through a long stretch of silence while the sounds of other visits, jangling keys, and guards’ footsteps faded into nothing. It felt like the world had narrowed to just the two of them, divided by years of wounds that never fully healed.Her father slowly lifted his hand, stiff and hesitant, until his palm pressed against the glass right in front of her. The gesture was small and fragile, like a quiet bridge reaching out from his lonely little world.Tessa felt like the worst daughter alive, mostly because she believed she was.Her hand trembled as she raised it and placed it against his. She couldn’t feel his warmth, only the icy surface between them, but even that was enough to break her open. A sob slipped out of her."Dad," she whispered, her voice cracked and soaked with tears she couldn’t hold back anymore. They streamed down her cheeks nonstop. "I'







