Chapter Two: Tessa

"Tessa, where the hell have you been? I've been worried sick!"

The moment Austin's voice, loud and laced with fake concern hit me as I walked into the apartment, a wave of cold disgust washed away the remnants of the hangover.

I looked at him, my unemployed ex-boyfriend who lived here for free, yet had the guts to cheat with my best friend.

The tears I shed yesterday felt stupid.

"Get out." I said, my voice shockingly steady.

"What?"

"Get the hell out of my house Austin!!"

He tried to play innocent victim, a role I'd fallen for countless times.

"Babe, what's going on? Is there something wrong?"

"You have the nerve to stand here and act innocent." I spat, the bitterness coating my tongue.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know you're cheating on me with Clarissa, you bastard!"

His face blanched instantly, turning the ghastly white of the bathroom tiles. He stood paralyzed for several seconds.

"How could you?!" I shoved him hard in the chest.

"Babe...I-I can explain." He stuttered.

Shaking my head, I pointed toward the bedroom.

"I don't want to hear it. Just pack your things and get out. I never want to see you again."

"Tessa, we cannot just throw three years away." He sounded desperate, but it was too late.

"You should have thought of that before you started sleeping with my best friend." I retorted.

"I'll break things off with her, I promise. We can live peacefully."

I did not give a damn. He could go and live with her for all I cared.

I kicked him out, and eventually resorted to calling the police when he kept banging on my door.

I didn't bother confronting Clarissa. I blocked both of their numbers, expecting Austin to pass the message.

Surprisingly, I had no tears left to cry. I made myself a cup of coffee and simply sat in silence, letting the emptiness settle until I finally slept.

Days rolled into weeks. I settled into a soft rhythm of work, home, and couch.

I spent my evenings binge watching movies, letting the fictional drama drown out my own.

I pushed Austin to the back of my mind, and from Sana's gossip I heard that he and Clarissa were doing just fine.

I did occasionally think of the handsome stranger from my one night escapade, then quickly discarded the thought. Why would a man like that remember a tipsy stranger?

There was a sharp, commanding knock on my door that Saturday morning. I stepped out of the kitchen, wiping my hands on a napkin, assuming it was Sana.

My face went white the moment I opened the door and saw him. The Greek god from the club.

"How did you find me?" I blurted out, stunned.

He raised an eyebrow, his intense gaze unwavering.

"I married you, of course I should know where my wife lives."

"What?" The word was a useless puff of air.

"You heard me."

I stepped aside automatically, letting him enter. He was impeccably dressed in a tailored designer suit, smelling of expensive cologne.

He looked overwhelmingly out of place in my small ordinary living room.

"Don't tell me we actually got married that night." I whispered, his words finally computing.

"We did." He confirmed, unsmiling and radiating an undeniable gravity.

I searched his face for the slightest hint of a joke.

"You're not kidding?"

"Do I look like I have all the time in the world to crack jokes? This isn't comedy." He was the grumpy, dominant type, that was for sure.

"Gee, you have to calm down." I said with an eyeroll.

"How soon can we get an annulment?"

"Who said anything about an annulment?"

I stood up straight, confusion quickly turning to alarm.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Let's finish what we started."

"Look, mister..." I trailed off realising I didn't even know his name.

"Owen Carter." He completed it for me.

"Owen Carter?" I repeated, staring.

He just starred back with that same bored expression.

Then, the name clicked. My mind exploded.

"Wait, You're the CEO of Carter Groups?!"

"Yes." he answered coolly.

I gasped, pinching myself. Ow.

The company I worked for had been trying to pitch to him for months without even securing a meeting, and now the CEO was standing in the middle of my living room, claiming to be my husband.

This was real.

"I'm Tessa Hayes." I managed to introduce myself, regaining composure.

He reached out and took my hand, his grip firm and possessive.

"Nice to see you again, wife." I flinched slightly at the last word.

"How did this happen?" I demanded.

"Pretty simple. We were drunk, we found ourselves in the registry and we got married." He reached inside his suit jacket, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to me.

I took it with shaky hands. Inside was the marriage certificate, our names on it, stamped and sealed.

"Oh lord." I whispered, horrified.

How did I let myself get so reckless?

I turned to him frantically.

"We have to fix this. We have to get an annulment now."

He cut me off, his expression shifting into a cold calculating business.

"On that note, I have an order for you Ms Hayes."