MasukWhat do you think Raymond wants to tell Tessa?
Raymond knew he had to do something. He wanted badly to stop speaking and pull her into a tight embrace especially after seeing the broken look on her face. But he knew better than to stop now. For all it’s worth, she would think of him as the devil - a title he so deserves… but he needed her to know the reason behind the act and he silently prayed that she understood.* The silence that followed his words was the loudest thing Tessa had ever heard.She sat with it for exactly ten seconds… she had counted, without meaning to and then something in her chest that had been pulled taut since the moment he said promise me finally snapped, the way old elastic does when you've stretched it one time too many.She pulled her hand from his and stood up almost immediatelyRaymond reached for her in that instant, but she turned and the look on her face stopped him. It was something colder than anger"I should have known," she said.Her voice was steady. She hated how steady it was, hated that s
The shrill loud ring of Raymond’s phone cut the lingering tension between them both and Raymond cursed silently before striding over to the bedside and took the call.Tessa heaved a huge sigh, her heart beating a bit fast. She didn’t want to think of what it could be that Raymond had to tell her. Was everything he had put up for the past weeks a show? Was he about to say something that would shatter her completely?It took the call for Tessa to agree that she was not ready for any emotional turmoil. She could hear him still talking in low tones but could only make out the words… dinner, meeting, investors’ so she figured it had to be work. Without giving it another thought, she left the room and stepped into the bathroom for a shower.The water ran through, and cooled her head instantly. She watched as it trickled down her body down to the floor and her eyes misted up. She let the tears flow freely. The water aiding by splashing directly on her face.Her back was turned to the door an
Tessa extracted herself from Raymond's loose grip and pushed back the covers, locating the robe that had been draped over the armchair at some point the night before and wrapping it around herself as he crossed the suite to get the door."Good morning," the young man said professionally. "Your breakfast order, sir."When the door clicked shut again, she was facing Raymond with her arms folded inside the robe. "You ordered breakfast?""I ordered breakfast," he agreed."And before you say anything, I remembered how you like your coffee."She opened her mouth and closed it back."Two sugars," he said, watching her. "No milk. A crime, but it's yours."She stared at him for a moment longer than she intended to, then moved toward the cart because it was easier than standing there feeling things about the fact that Raymond Anderson had, apparently, held her coffee order in his memory for however many years of distance had passed between them.They ate in silence.It was Tessa who broke the qu
The first thing Tessa became aware of was warmth.Not the warmth of sunlight pressing through curtains, nor the familiar cocoon of her own bedding at home, this was something else entirely. Something alive. Two arms, heavy and certain, were wrapped around her waist, and the steady rhythm of breathing at the back of her neck was slow and deep, unhurried in the way that only true sleep could produce. For a moment, she lay still and let herself exist inside that feeling without question.Then the memories arrived.They came in fragments at first, the way dreams do when you're still halfway between worlds. The gala's golden light. The champagne that had tasted sharper than she'd expected. Raymond's hand finding hers beneath the table as though it had never left. The speech…God, the speech. His voice carrying across that enormous hall, unhesitant and unashamed, while she sat elegantly and felt something ancient and long-buried begin to stir in her chest. The drive back. The elevator. The d
The event went off pretty well, with Raymond and Tessa being the highlight of the evening. Tessa noticed Raymond’s presence around her throughout. He never left her side for a second. Even when people tried to take him aside to discuss something, he would still hold her tight. It did make her feel a tad bit important, but something about her guards was still up.Her heart was clenched for a good part of the evening, as a part of her half expected the other woman to show up. She would occasionally make out figures that looked like her, only to realize it wasn’t when they came closer.It would not have been unusual for her to show up if she eventually did. She was already high-profile and always followed Raymond to events like this. Tessa was a bit relieved, embarrassingly so when she discovered at the end of the evening that Danielle didn’t show up. She tried to hide it to preserve her nonchalant aura around Raymond while beaming inside. But something told her that Raymond had already
Shortly after, they arrived in New York, and after settling into their hotel, Tessa had to push away the distractions as she began her beauty preparations. This would be her first night out with him and for GTO!Man, she was nervous but tried not to show it as the designers, makeup artists, and stylists got to work. Raymond walked in occasionally to check on her and crack a few jokes. She had never seen that side of him before. It was strange to realize that you could be married to someone for years without knowing they even had a sense of humor.Tessa watched again as he strolled in, holding a saucer with some cake on it.“Do you want some? You haven’t eaten anything since we landed.”Tessa shook her head. Her stomach was clenched, and the nervousness that enveloped her wouldn’t let her take a bite of anything. She feared she might throw up.“If you say no, then I might have to feed you myself,” Raymond said, nudging the beauty team around her to leave, until it was just the two of t
Raymond looked around the boardroom with disinterest. He would be staying a few more days to seal the deal. It was a huge one that could avert the looming fold of one of his franchises. Danielle had called the shots, she knew a good number of higher ups who were willing to invest heavily in it and
Tessa settled into the window seat and pressed her palm against the cold glass. The deep hum of the plane was comforting, a constant vibration that seemed to whisper that everything would be fine, that everything was finally hers to control. For the first time in a long while, she breathed. Deep, s
The first thing Tessa did that morning was to discard her phone. She first broke it before throwing it far away early while on her way out of the house.The city outside was still gray with dawn when she slipped into the waiting cab. She carried one suitcase, light enough to look casual, heavy enou
The morning after, I felt like a bruise that refused to heal. The type of wound that left no scars but somehow shot pains all through. Pains that refuse to fade.Tessa woke to the sound of silence, a heavy, hollow type of silence that enveloped her. Now, it was not unusual for the house to be quiet







