LOGINMelinda's Pov Then I went back to the secretary.This time, I didn't wait for her to break. I found her alone in a small office on the third floor, filing papers, her back to the door.She looked up when I entered. Her eyes widened."Mrs. Hale," she said quickly."Close the door."She hesitated. Her hands stilled on the papers."Now."She stood up and closed the door. Her hands were shaking again. I could see it, the fine tremor in her fingers.I walked closer. "I know something is wrong."She froze."I can't help you if you don't tell me," I said."I don't—""Stop." My voice was firm but not harsh. "I'm not asking. I'm telling you. Something is wrong. And I need to know what it is."Silence. Her eyes filled with tears immediately, spilling down her cheeks."I know," I said softly. "You don't have to pretend with me."She shook her head, her lips trembling. "I can't. If he finds out—""He won't.""You don't know that.""I do." I stepped closer. "I'm not going to let him hurt you anym
Teresa's POV "Then don't.""It's not that simple.""It is." I held her gaze. "You matter more than the marriage. You matter more than the business. You matter more than all of it."She was quiet for a long time. Thinking. Really thinking. For the first time."I need time," she said finally."Take it.""But I can't ignore this anymore. I can't pretend.""No, you can't."She nodded slowly. Then she stood up."I should go.""Okay."She walked toward the door. Then she stopped. And turned back."I'm sorry," she said.I looked at her."For not believing you."I held her gaze. "You know now.""Yes." She nodded once. "I do."Then she opened the door and walked out.And this time, she didn't look like someone who could pretend anymore.---Melinda's POVI went back.I didn't tell him where I had been. I didn't tell him who I had seen. I walked into the house like nothing had changed. My heart was pounding, but my face was calm. I had practiced in the car.Nathan was in the living room when I
Teresa's POV The knock came in the afternoon.I wasn't expecting anyone. The guest house was quiet, the afternoon light slanted through the windows, casting long shadows across the floor. Mark had stepped out for a meeting, just a short one. He didn't want to leave me alone after everything that had happened with my mother and Nathan's father, but I told him I would be fine. I wasn't sure if I believed that. But I needed him to believe it. I needed him to stop looking at me like I might shatter at any moment.The knock came again. Firm. Not hesitant. The kind of knock that meant someone was certain they wanted to be heard.I walked to the door slowly. For a second, I just stood there, listening. My hand hovered over the lock. Then I opened it.Melinda stood there.I almost didn't recognize her. She looked different. Less polished. Her hair wasn't styled the way it usually was, falling loose around her shoulders instead of swept up. Her makeup was light, almost nonexistent. There were
Teresa's POV Her mouth closed."You did it when I was a child," I continued. "When I told you what Nathan was doing. You cried. You said you didn't know what to believe. You said you were confused."She stared at me."But you weren't confused," I said. "You just didn't want to deal with it."Nathan's father watched quietly, his eyes moving between us. He didn't interrupt. He didn't need to."She's your mother," he said finally, his voice calm. "You should show some respect.""I didn't ask you." I didn't look at him."I'm just reminding you.""I don't need reminders." My voice was sharp. "I know exactly who she is. And I know exactly who you are."My mother's voice broke again, louder this time. "Teresa, please—""No." I turned back to her. "You don't get to come here and pretend you care now.""I do care.""Where was that when I needed it?"Her face went still. The tears stopped. Something else flickered in her eyes. Something harder."When I told you what Nathan was doing?" I contin
Teresa's POV "Your family showed up at our door with Nathan's father. That's not just your mess anymore.""And making it yours will help how?"He pushed off from the doorframe and walked closer. "They're harassing you. They came here looking for money. They're not going to stop just because you ignore them.""I can deal with it.""You don't have to.""I want to." I held his gaze. "I need to."That made him pause. He studied my face, looking for something. Understanding, maybe. Or hesitation."I need to face them," I added. "On my own. Not hiding behind you."He was quiet for a long moment. Then he nodded. "Okay."But I could tell he didn't like it. The tension in his shoulders. The way his jaw stayed tight.The next day, they showed up again.At the guest house.The knock came around noon, sharp and insistent. Same as before. I was sitting at the small table near the window, trying to read, trying to pretend I wasn't waiting for this.I didn't open the door. I stood still in the midd
Teresa's POV "That's how business works," Richard snapped, his composure cracking. "People in the city do it all the time. You cut corners. You save where you can.""I don't." Mark's voice was quiet now, which made it more intimidating. "My company is built on honesty and transparency. That's why it's still standing while others have fallen."Richard didn't respond. Because he couldn't.Mark looked at him one last time. "We're done here."Then he turned to me. "Let's go."I stood up. Neither of us looked back as we walked out of the restaurant.---Back at the guest house, everything felt heavier.Mark closed the door behind us and locked it. The sound of the bolt sliding into place echoed in the quiet room."You okay?" he asked."Yes." I sat on the edge of the bed. My hands were shaking."You didn't say anything.""I didn't need to."He nodded slowly. He stood near the door, his hands in his pockets."I'm sorry," he said."For what?""For bringing you here. For not seeing what she w
Teresa's POV.I said nothing, my throat tight, unable to form words.“You don’t trust me yet.” His tone was unreadable, devoid of emotion, a cool assessment.I licked my lips, the dryness persistent. “I... don’t know what this is.”“This is a test,” he said simply, his voice matter-of-fact, as if h
Teresa's POV I tried to keep my face neutral, forcing my features into an unreadable mask, like the red dress wasn't hugging every part of me that ached for his attention, for just one sustained glance. Like I hadn’t stood in front of my mirror shaking while Mariana zipped me up, half convinced I
Teresa's POV The moment I stepped into his office, the air felt thick, heavy with an unspoken tension. Mark didn’t even look up from his laptop. His fingers continued to fly over the keyboard, the soft, rhythmic clicking the only sound in the room. He didn’t acknowledge my entrance, didn’t offer a
Teresa's POV I sat curled up on the far end of the couch, my legs tucked under me, while I tried to pretend that the flickering movie Mariana had picked was actually holding my attention. It wasn’t, not even close. My mind was not on the or on anything else. It was on Mark and had replayed the ki







