All Chapters of When Obsession Wears a Ring: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Tessa did not exactly know how to react when Derek replayed the video of her kissing scene with Raymond. Worse still, she didn’t know how to react when she read the comments under each blog post.“She’s at it again.”“I wonder why Danielle has not sued this lady for something yet.”Another went, “Oh don’t tell me Raymond is cheating on our beautiful Danielle with this thing. Men really do not know what they want.”Each comment broke her, and she gasped in disbelief. Raymond stared blankly at the phone first, and then turned around to survey his surroundings with a displeasing innocence that made Tessa quirk.“How dare you!!! What else do you want from me you moron?” She exclaimed with a broken voice. Derek took two steps back as though scared of what was to come. Raymond stood motionless.“What have I done to actually deserve this much wickedness from you?” Tessa asked again and upon continued silence from him, she raised her hands to deliver a slap across. A hand which he held down w

The city was quiet in the soft light of morning, the kind of calm that feels heavy with things left unsaid. Sunlight spilled through the tall windows of Derek’s mansion, painting gold on the marble floors, but Tessa hardly noticed. She moved slowly down the grand staircase, her fingers brushing the polished railing as if she could steady herself against the whirlwind inside her. Last night’s adrenaline had drained her, leaving a residue of fear she couldn’t shake.Her steps were quiet. She replayed the memory of Derek’s sudden appearance in the dimly lit walkway the night before, the panic, the relief, the way her chest had nearly broken from the thought of losing him. And then the silence that followed, where nothing was said, yet everything hung between them, thick as smoke.She reached the bottom step and paused, staring at the living room. The house was calm. Too calm. Even the staff moved quietly, almost reverently, like intruders in someone else’s fragile peace. The tension was

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, it usually was a very quiet place but for some reason, the day felt very different than usual. She shrugged it off and lay back on the bed for a while, staring at the ceiling and trying to gather the pieces of her thoughts from yesterday.For a moment, she almost believed last night was a dream. The confession. His voice. The look in his eyes before he left her standing there, raw, vulnerable, but holding himself together as though a single word could make him fall apart. It was very unusual for Derek to choose his words carefully, just like how he did last night, as though he had a lot to say but he chooses to protect her emotions. A lot of unusual things had really happened overnight. Sh

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, slow, unthinking breaths that filled her chest and made her feel like she might just live again.As the plane glided along the runway and lifted slowly into the air, she felt peace, so much peace.Her fingers brushed over the old leather-bound notebook in her lap, a new companion for a new life. She remembered the ease she felt when she threw her phone away that morning. Now, there will be no notifications, no messages, no accidental glimpses of him or Derek reaching for her. Nothing. She didn’t have any plans of reaching out either.All through the long flight, she pressed her forehead into the glass and let herself stare at the horizon, her thoughts scattering with the clouds.She tried to

When he entered his own home, the silence met him like an old ghost.Jim, the housekeeper, stood near the hallway, hands folded, face uneasy. “Welcome home, sir,” he said quickly. “You’re back earlier than we expected.”Raymond’s eyes scanned the foyer. Everything looked immaculate, too immaculate. Not a shoe out of place, not a trace of life. The air smelled faintly of lemon polish and her perfume. He could feel it, that lingering presence of her, as if the house still breathed her name.“Jim,” he said, voice low.“Yes, sir?”“When was the last time Mrs. Anderson was here?”Jim’s eyes flickered. “She came two days ago, sir.”Raymond turned slowly. “Two days ago?”“Yes, sir. She packed a few things.”Raymond’s stare sharpened. “And you didn’t think to call me?”Jim swallowed. “Sir, you said not to disturb you during your trip. Your assistant said you had… several ongoing meetings and…”“That doesn’t apply to her.” Raymond’s voice cracked through the air. “It never applies to her.”Jim