Tessa's POV
It was Senyorito Darius' birthday. Everyone was celebrating outside, while I was here in a corner of the kitchen, mourning my dead heart.
"Condolences, friend."
I turned to the speaker and saw Sasa, one of the maids who was also my friend. We were the same age, and she knew how I felt about Senyorito Darius.
"I was so excited for Senyorito Darius to come home, Sasa. I thought I could finally tell him my true feelings."
She approached me and put a hand on my shoulder. "You know, you've been together your whole lives. But you never thought to confess to him sooner?"
"Who am I to do that, Sasa? I'm just a maid in their family. I'm nothing compared to the women who like Senyorito."
"That's why you're hurting now because of that mindset."
Tears streamed down my face as I heard the happy laughter from outside. I don't think I can bear to see the only man I loved marry someone else.
"I love him, Sasa. I love Senyorito Darius so much." A tear escaped my cheek.
My chest tightened as I thought about him being gone from me forever. I wasn't even given the chance to confess my love.
"Friend, if I were you, I'd forget about Senyorito. Even if you confess to him, there's no guarantee that he'll reciprocate your feelings."
"I know," I replied softly.
Sasa sighed. "Forget about him, friend. He's not suitable for someone like us who are poor. It's a long shot for Senyorito Darius to like a maid."
I was silent for a long time after Sasa said that. Even after she left, I was still thinking about what she said. I stood up and went to the window. From there, I could see the guests in the spacious garden.
"Who are you looking for?"
My neck was stretched as I searched, but I couldn't find what I wanted to see.
"Senyorito."
"Senyorito? Which senyorito?" The voice talking to me seemed amused.
I rolled my eyes. I turned around, annoyed, to the person asking. "Senyorito Darius—he's a mushroom!"
I screamed when I saw Senyorito Darius standing in front of me. He had a sweet smile on his lips, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me.
I swallowed hard. "S-senyorito."
"Why are you looking for me?" His voice was deep but gentle. It was pleasant to hear.
He approached me, smiling as his gaze wandered over me. I swallowed again. My heart was pounding so hard, I was afraid he might hear it.
"Senyorito Darius... "
He stopped right in front of me—a few inches away. His hands were in his pockets, and he seemed amused as he looked at me. If it was nothing to him, then it wasn't for me. I was melting with every gaze and smile of his.
"Tessa, right?"
I swallowed again. Senyorito remembered my name? I couldn't help but smile.
"Yes, senyorito."
"You've grown up. You're beautiful."
My heart almost stopped beating. Did I hear that right? Senyorito Darius called me beautiful?
A wide smile spread across my lips. "Thank you, Senyorito Darius."
"Do you have a boyfriend?" He lowered his face and leaned closer to me.
I laughed and turned my face away. "Not yet, senyorito."
I felt my cheeks flush. I couldn't believe it. Even though we were together here at Hacienda Altagrasia before, we never talked to senyorito like this.
"H-happy birthday, Senyorito Darius."
He smiled the sweetest smile. "Thank you, Tessa."
I was about to open my mouth to speak, but Martha suddenly came in. My expression changed immediately when I saw her.
"You're here. Let's go outside? Your guests are looking for you."
"Sure." Before leaving completely, Senyorito Darius looked at me again. I saw admiration in his eyes when he smiled at me to say goodbye.
They were about to leave the door when Martha turned to me. Even though I didn't like her because she was taking Senyorito Darius away from me, she was still a guest of the Altagrasias, so I tried to smile. But she glared at me and rolled her eyes.
Tessa's POVIt was late, but I was still awake, sitting pretty in the middle of the bed. I wasn't sleeping because I knew Darius was going to come into my room.That salon where my friend works is something else. They really made me look good, even I can't believe it. My eyebrows, eyelashes, hair, my whole face. It was worth every penny I spent."If it's just about beauty, Martha has nothing to brag about anymore. We're even! Maybe I'm even a little prettier than her after a good shower."I gasped when I heard the doorknob turn. I quickly fixed my hair and sat up straight."Tessa." Darius stopped in his tracks when his eyes landed on me.I had planned for this night. I bought some alluring sleepwear. I just forgot what it's called. My friend told me. Was it lingerie?"I've been waiting for you," I said, my voice soft and sweet.He swallowed hard, standing in front of the closed door. He was staring at me like I was a delicious meal."Are you just going to stand there?" I batted my eye
Tessa's POVI heard several knocks on the door, but I didn't answer. I rolled my eyes as I stared out the window. A moment later, the door opened and Darius walked in."You didn't come down for breakfast. Are you not feeling well?"I still didn't answer, so he came over and sat beside me.He touched my forehead, checking for a fever."Are you mad?""You slept in her room," I said, pouting.He leaned closer and ruffled my hair like I was a child. "This little one is mad again. I didn't mean to. I just dozed off waiting for her to fall asleep. Don't be upset."I didn't answer and just turned away. He was making excuses again. How could he call that a nap? He woke up in the morning!"Alright, I have to go to work. Don't be mad, okay?"I bit my lip, trying to hold back my annoyance. Why couldn't that Martha just have a nightmare or something? It's so frustrating."What do you want me to bring you?"I glared at him. "Anything?""Yeah, anything, I'll buy it. Just tell me."I took a deep bre
Tessa's POV"Sir, Ma'am Martha refuses to come down. She says she's not hungry. She wouldn't even open the door for me," the maid said.Darius sighed deeply after hearing this. "Is that so? Okay, Manang. Let's leave her be for now.""I'll get back to my work, Sir."Manang was about to leave when I called her to join me for dinner. But she thanked me and said she had already eaten.When we were alone, I stared intently at Darius. The worry was evident on his face. Ever since Martha found out I was pregnant, she's been holed up in her room. All she does is cry. She's such a drama queen.Days have passed, and she's still locked in there. Darius feels guilty and worried. So whenever Martha whimpers or cries, Darius rushes to her side.Well, he won't get away with this. If she's going to act like a spoiled child, I'll play along. She wants to get my husband's attention by faking illness? I can do that too! I can act too!Seeing Darius about to head to Martha's room, I pretended to feel diz
Tessa's POVThe excitement I felt when I told Darius about my pregnancy quickly vanished when I noticed he was silent.Instead of being happy and focusing on me, he turned to Martha, whose face suddenly lost all color."It's always Martha, Martha."I wiped away a tear that rolled down my cheek. I was trying hard not to cry because I didn't want to stress. It's bad for the baby in my tummy. But I couldn't help it, I was feeling hurt."Will even our child have to adjust? Shouldn't he be happy? That's what you're supposed to feel when you find out your wife is pregnant."I was still upset, so I didn't leave the room even when the maid called me for dinner. That maid, too. Now that Martha is here, she's hired a maid. Whereas before, I did all the chores.I grabbed my pillow and hugged it, leaning back against the headboard. I couldn't sleep, I was thinking about what to do. I thought Darius would be happy and his attention would be on me when he found out I was pregnant. Nothing's changed
Darius' POVAfter working for hours, I decided to call it quits and went home at noon. I couldn't focus anyway, with everything Severino told me swirling in my head. Plus, Tessa was adding to the chaos in my mind."Darius? Darling, you're home!"Martha's bright face greeted me as I entered the house. I smiled as she hugged me.I looked around. Usually, Tessa would be waiting for me when I got home. The moment she heard my car, she'd be running to greet me. But why wasn't she here?"Why are you home so early? Are you having lunch here?"I looked at Martha's smiling face. "I told my secretary I'm taking half a day off.""Really? Because of me? I told you, I'm fine. But it's good that you're here. Lunch is almost ready. We'll eat together, okay?"I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying, my mind was preoccupied with whether Tessa was home or not. Damn it, did she run away?"Martha, is Tessa back yet?"The bright smile on Martha's face slowly faded, replaced by sadness. "I
Tessa's POVI fell asleep early in the morning, so I woke up late. I'm so annoyed! I'm sure Darius and Martha are together! I quickly showered and got dressed before running down the stairs.When I got to the kitchen, I found Darius and Martha happily having breakfast. They were laughing as they shared a meal."Oh, you're awake," Martha said with a smile, making Darius look at me. "Come, join us.""Tessa." Darius stood up and pulled out a chair for me. He stared at my face, as if reading my mind. "Let's eat."I almost saw red, especially because of Martha's behavior. The nerve of this woman, offering me a seat like I'm the mistress and she's the wife. She seems to have forgotten who she's talking to.When Darius sat back down and continued talking to Martha, I cleared my throat to get their attention again."No, you two go ahead," I said coldly, making Darius stop. "Looks like I'm interrupting.""Tessa."I was about to leave when Darius called my name. I heard his footsteps approachin