Adam and Althea made love and had pure ecstacy for hours, until finally they both collapsed, utterly spent. They slept in each other's arms, their bodies wrapped around one another like two puzzle pieces that had finally found their perfect fit. One would never believe that they hated each other. Althea woke up in the middle of the night, with a pressing need to relieve herself. She quietly slipped into her clothes and out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom, trying not to wake him. After she was done, she found herself wide awake and decided to step out onto the balcony, the allure of sleep eluding her for the time being.Althea stood on the balcony, looking up at the night sky. The stars seemed brighter and more numerous than she had ever seen them before. Perhaps it was the way the city lights were diffused by the misty air, or maybe it was the feeling of being somewhere new, away from the pressures and obligations of her everyday life. As she gazed at the stars and found solace in

Althea denied having any knowledge of Timothy cheating on her, revealing her lack of awareness.“No, I never knew anything about Timothy cheating on me.” She said Milan chimed in, "We all thought you knew, that's why you broke up with him and rushed into marriage with Adam."Aura added, “I'm even surprised how she did that. I can't believe it! Althea, you married the son of Mr. Carter Wilson, the most feared man in the city, and the shocking part is that no one had set their eyes on Adam for so long until you got married to him!” "I mean, if you think about it, it's really not that surprising. They're both family friends, so maybe it was an arranged marriage or something," Katarina mused.As the girls chatted away, Althea stayed quiet, her mind buzzing with questions about the surprising revelation. She couldn't seem to gather her thoughts, everything was just a jumble in her head."Timothy, a cheater? This has got to be a lie!" she thought to herself, but deep down, a small part of

“Yeah, it's hard to believe that she actually got married. I mean, back then, she used to be so obsessed with you that it was sickening. Who would have thought that Cherry would be able to love someone else?!” Amos said, chuckling a bit."Yeah, I remember those days. It wasn't so funny back then," Adam replied.Who would have thought that men, successful business men do gossip too? Althea thought to herself.“By the way-”Amos was about to say something when Althea cut in, sounding annoyed as she asked, “Can we please just go now? I really don't want to be here anymore.” Her tone was brusque, and it was clear she was getting frustrated.Both Amos and Adam seemed taken aback by her sudden outburst. Adam teased, "Oh, now she's ready to go!" and they both laughed. Were they making fun of her? Althea thought. She instantly concluded that they were and immediately walked out on them.“She's a tough one, isn't she?” Amos commented once Althea had walked out.“Yeah, that's why I love her.” A

Adam's eyes widened in surprise. “I didn't know that. Why didn't you ever tell me about this before? Why didn't I know about it?” he asked, his tone betraying his confusion and concern. He thought he knew everything about Althea, but this revelation had him questioning that assumption.With her gaze still focused on the writing, Althea spoke.Her eyes filled with tears as she recounted the painful memories of her childhood. “Your constant dismissal of my thoughts and feelings throughout our childhood had a profound impact on me. I came to believe that my words and actions were unimportant, that I myself was insignificant. I came to dread your presence, as I knew you would only reinforce those beliefs. You always made me feel like I was stupid, like my ideas and opinions were worthless. I was afraid to tell you about the name because I thought you'd just call it dumb and make me feel even worse that I would end up hating the name because your words had always stung.”“You would always m

After savoring the sweet taste of the cake and shake, Althea had a small dab of strawberry cream perched innocently on her upper lip.“You’ve got a little something right here,” Adam said, gesturing towards his own lips to indicate the spot.Althea touched her lip and felt the moisture, confirming Adam’s observation. “Thanks,” she said with a sheepish smile, quickly snatching up a tissue to tidy herself.“You’re welcome but truth be told, it looked pretty good.” Adam couldn’t resist a playful tease. “Like, if you ever wanted to grow a mustache, it would look good on you.”Althea’s laughter filled the room, and Adam found himself joining in, his own laughter mingling with hers.As the laughter subsided, she looked at Adam, a soft smile playing on her lips. “This was nice,” she said, her eyes shining with gratitude. “Thank you for bringing me here, to the most beautiful memory of my past. I owe you one, Adam Wilson.”Adam grinned and replied, “It isn't over. We’re not done yet.”“You mea