LOGIN"I'm not coming back with you tonight."Tessa's voice came out softer than she intended. Raymond immediately pulled back from the embrace and stared at her with unbelief. For a moment, he looked completely lost.His hands remained on her arms as he searched her face, as though trying to figure out whether he had heard her correctly."Tessa..."She lowered her eyes briefly before looking back at him."I'm not coming back to the house tonight."The hurt that flashed across his face nearly made her take the words back.Raymond swallowed hard, then he nodded slowly.When he finally spoke, his voice sounded rough."Why?"Tessa sighed."I don't know how to explain it to you."She paused."I just need some time for myself."His expression tightened."Tessa…""I need to clear my head," she continued gently. "I need to process everything. I need to figure out where I stand.""The only place you stand is with me Tess."The certainty in his voice almost broke her but she forced herself to stay s
Tessa watched the look on Derek’s face shift from shock to calm, then to something almost soft. She followed his gaze to the open door and watched as Raymond stepped into the room.Her breath caught instantly.She didn’t even know whether to look at him or look away.He looked torn.Derek’s voice broke the awkward silence.“Okay, man, I knew you were going to find us, bro. I just didn’t expect it to be this fast. Are you a ghost at this point?” he joked awkwardly, trying to lighten the tension.Raymond didn’t laugh, Instead, his eyes remained fixed on Tessa.She almost grew uncomfortable under the intensity of his stare.“Hi,” he said quietly as he drew closer to her.Raymond’s POVHe wanted so badly to punch Derek in the face.But the moment his eyes landed on Tessa, every other thought disappeared.She looked torn sitting there, staring back at him with uncertainty written all over her face.He wanted to pull her into his arms immediately. Wanted to hold her tightly and never let go
Derek didn’t speak immediately.Not because he didn’t know what to say, but because for the first time since Tessa had known him, he looked like he was choosing his words carefully. Like whatever came next couldn’t be unsaid once it left his mouth. He wished it didn’t come from him, but Tessa was hurting badly, and she deserved to know.“You’re sure you want the rest?” Derek asked quietly.Tessa nodded confidently. Even though her chest already felt tight and something inside her was whispering that once she heard this, nothing would go back to normal. She had never been more sure of anything..Derek exhaled slowly and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His coffee sat forgotten on the table.“Alright,” he said finally. “Then I’m going to tell you what I know. But Tessa…” He paused, eyes lifting to hers. Her stomach tightened.“You said Raymond used to be different,” he began.Tessa nodded softly. “Yes he was. He was… softer and kinder before everything changed.”“Hmm… w
‘Hey’ Derek called out.Tessa’s back remained turned to him.She had been standing in front of the window for so long that Derek had started to wonder if she even realized he was still in the room. The fading evening light spilled across her figure, outlining the slight tremble in her shoulders as she stared blankly outside.“Do you want to maybe sit down and have something to drink?” Derek asked softly.He was met again with silence.The only response he got was a small shake of her head signalling disinterest. Derek exhaled quietly and moved closer until he stood beside her. Not too close, but just enough for her to know she wasn’t alone.For a moment, he debated pulling her into his arms. Every instinct inside him screamed to do it. She looked fragile standing there, like one wrong word would make her completely fall apart.But Derek knew Tessa.Sometimes she needed comfort.Sometimes she needed space.And sometimes she needed someone willing to stand beside her in silence until sh
The suite felt enormous without her in it.Raymond had walked through every corner twice, not because he expected to find her in the bathroom or out on the balcony, but because moving was the only alternative to standing still, and standing still meant thinking, and thinking right now was something his mind was doing with a cruelty he hadn't anticipated.He had ruined it.He had taken the best morning he'd had in years, maybe longer, maybe the best morning he could remember, full stop and he had opened his mouth and handed her a reason to walk out. He'd known it before the words were even finished leaving him. He'd watched her face change in real time, watched the warmth drain out of it and something careful and closed move in to replace it, and he'd felt completely, utterly powerless to stop it because the truth was immovable and the situation was what it was and there was no version of this conversation that ended cleanly.But he should have told her sooner.That was the thing that
There's no point in you coming, Derek." Tessa wiped her face with the back of her hand and looked up at the sky above , a bit grey, just like her current emotions."I promise you, I'm going to be fine. I just needed someone to rant to for a second. That's all.""I know you're going to be fine." His voice was unhurried and carried so much comforting certainty." You'll always be fine, Tessa. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. But that doesn't mean you have to keep doing everything alone.""I'm not alone. I'm in a very populated park surrounded by strangers.""That's not what I mean and you know it."She did know it. She just wasn't ready to acknowledge that he was right, because acknowledging it would mean acknowledging everything else… why she'd called him specifically, why hearing his voice had cracked something open in her that Raymond's touch hadn't been able to reach. She wasn't ready to look directly at any of that yet. It felt too much like standing at the edge of
Tessa’s heart thudded. She opened the door just enough to take the envelope from the woman’s hand. Thick. Sealed with wax.No name written on the front.She turned it over slowly, her pulse quickening with every second. The weight of it felt ominous, like whatever lay inside would split her world o
The silence was the first thing that settled in after the car disappeared down the street.It was not the soft kind, the kind that wrapped you in stillness and calm. No. This was a silence that pressed against the walls, that hung heavy in the corners of the room, that seemed to expand with every b
The morning light spilled through the sheer curtains in harsh, jagged stripes, carving sharp lines across the bedroom floor. Tessa’s eyes fluttered open, for a long, hesitant moment, she didn’t move. The space beside her was empty. The sheets had cooled under the morning air, leaving only the faint
The knock was soft at first, almost polite. Then came a pause, Tessa was wondering which housekeeper it was at that time until a voice that carried too much cheer for the hour came up.“Hi, Tessa,” Danielle’s words slid into the room before her full form did. Like silk, deliberately warm. “I made y







