ログインThe shrill ringtone cut through the quiet room, making both Tessa and Raymond stirr at the same time.Tessa groaned softly and reached for the bedside lamp, blinking against the sudden light. The clock beside her bed read 5:02 a.m.Raymond pushed himself up on one elbow and frowned."Babe, who's calling by this time?"Tessa shrugged."I wish I knew."She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and glanced at the screen.The moment she saw the name, she paused."Derek."Raymond saw it too.His expression changed instantly.Tessa was surprised about the call coming in that early and almost laughed at Raymond’s expression alongside.The jealousy was becoming easier and easier to spot.She answered the call and immediately placed it on speaker."Hello?""Hi, friend."Derek's cheerful voice filled the room. He was too active for that time."Been a while."Tessa smiled."Thank you. Is everything okay? Did you sleep at all? Why are you calling so early?""Haha… So many questions. Yeah, everyth
Raymond tried to chase after Tessa as she stormed into the bedroom.But she didn't look back, neither did she slow down nor acknowledge him.Instead, she walked straight into the closet and shut the door behind her.The loud bang echoed through the room stopping Raymond in his tracks.For a moment, he simply stood there, staring at the closed door.Then he cursed under his breath.He hated this.More than anything, he hated knowing that he was the reason she was upset.The first time Danielle reached out, he had wanted to tell Tessa.He really had.But then he had looked over at her sleeping peacefully beside him and changed his mind.She looked so calm, safe and happy.And the last thing he wanted was to drag Danielle's chaos back into her life.So he had convinced himself he would handle it.He planned to keep Danielle away, deal with the threats and protect Tessa from the stress of it all.At the time, it had felt like the right decision.Looking back now, it felt like the stupides
Tessa was sitting on a hammock in the background that cool evening, a book was open in her hands, but she wasn’t reading it. Her eyes kept drifting to nothing in particular, her mind racing somewhere between calm and uneasy.Raymond had been with her earlier, talking lightly, kissing her forehead before stepping out for a work call.“Don’t move,” he had said with a smile. “I’ll be back soon.”She had laughed and then protested weakly“I’m not your hostage.”He grinned and kissed her softly.“You kind of are.”And then he was gone.His second phone had been left on the table beside her and she hadn’t paid attention to it at first, until it beeped.She ignored it at first.Then it beeped again.Something in her paused and urged her to check it out.Slowly, she reached for it, she hesitated for a second and then picked it up.The screen lit up that instant and another message came in from an unknown number.And another.Her brows slowly tightened as she started reading.Tessa’s breath sl
"OMG! Raymond, you have to see this!"Tessa's voice echoed from the bathroom.Raymond practically ran in, nearly stumbling over his own feet."Jesus, woman. Don't give me a heart attack. What's wrong?" He exclaimed, his eyebrows raised in concern as he took in Tessa’s position… Hair dryer in one hand, phone in another, and an astonished look plastered on her face.Tessa grinned."Guess.""Girl, I’m literally clueless.""Come on, at least try.."Raymond folded his arms."Fine. Your blog got a new subscription?"Tessa burst out laughing."Wow. That’s actually a very horrible guess… Of all things."Raymond smirked and raised a shoulder in defiance “I mean, I told you na”She handed him her phone.The moment he read the headline, his eyes widened."Wow."Tessa nodded.The headline was bold and impossible to miss.Danielle had reportedly lost one of her biggest sponsorship deals with a leading global fashion brand. The article cited the controversy surrounding the allegations against her,
Tessa had barely stepped through the door when she froze.The apartment looked… alive. Too alive. Everywhere was bustling in colours and sweet smells of fresh roses. The faint smell of dinner drifted through the air, warm and intentional, like someone had been cooking for hours. The dining table was perfectly set. Plates arranged neatly. Cutlery aligned like it had been thought through, not rushed.And then there was Raymond.He was standing there like he had been waiting for her arrival his whole life and staring at her as though she was another dessert that he badly wanted to consume.Tessa blinked slowly.“What is going on?” she asked, taking a step further inside. “Why does it feel like I just walked into a surprise party I wasn’t told about?”Raymond smiled.That slow, easy smile that always did something inconvenient to her chest.“Well…” he said simply.Tessa narrowed her eyes.“That is not an answer.”He shrugged slightly, walking toward her.“What other answer do you need?
Raymond slowly pulled away and Tessa frowned immediately.The kiss had completely thrown her off balance, and if she was being honest with herself, she wanted more.Anyone in her position probably would have.Watching the huge upheaval of his chest, she knew he wanted more too, so she didn't understand why he was stopping now.Raymond cupped her face gently in his hands and rested his forehead against hers.His breathing was still uneven and raggedy."Tessa," he said softly.She looked up at him. Raymond’s heart started to beat a bit faster as her large eyes trained on him."Why did you stop?"The question escaped before she could stop it.A smile tugged at the corner of Raymond's mouth.Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead."Trust me, babe," he murmured. "There's nothing I want more right now than to take you right now, in the most unfashionable way possible… and show you just how much I love you."His eyes remained fixed on hers while his thumb grazed her face slowly.."But I can'
Raymond hadn’t slept well in a week. Anytime he closed his eyes, he was faced with scary pictures. The first was a recurring dream of Tessa alone and trapped in a muddled space, crying bitterly. He could see her through what appeared like a maze, but he couldn’t reach her.Morning bled into afterno
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







