Chapter 30 - The Journal

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 afternoon and still, there was no word from the man he’d hired. It’s been a week now. He sat in his study, surrounded by scattered papers and a cup of coffee that had gone cold.He had always prided himself on control, control of emotions, control of business, control of outcomes, which was one thing he had picked from his father… But control meant nothing when it came to Tessa.He picked up his phone and dialed her number again. He knew what to expect. His previous attempts had led him straight to voicemail and he had left countless notes. First urgent and demanding, then soft and pleading, then coaxing, then emotional and humbled. He had tried everything just in case she finally got to listen to

Last Updated : 2025-10-22

Chapter 31 - I Will Find You

The first page was dated roughly two years ago. Her handwriting, small, elegant, and impossibly flawless, filled the lines.“He brought me flowers today. Yellow lilies. Said he saw them and thought of me. Maybe things are changing. Maybe this time, I won’t have to keep waiting for him to look at me like I matter.”He swallowed hard and turned the page.“He’s been distant again. I don’t know what I did. Sometimes he comes home and doesn’t speak to me for hours. I sit on the balcony and pretend not to care, but every time I hear footsteps, I hope it’s him coming to find me.”Another page. Another truth.“Danielle called again. He didn’t tell me, but I saw her name flash on his phone. I keep pretending I don’t notice. I keep pretending it doesn’t hurt.”He read until the words blurred. Each page felt like a wound reopening, one he didn’t even know existed. She had written about their mornings, their dinners, the quiet spaces between them and how those spaces grew into walls.And then, ne

Last Updated : 2025-10-22

Chapter 32 - Lavender Morning

“Is there something admirable about the menu?” Tessa turned to face the bearded man leaning closer to her.“Huh?” She raised an eyebrow.“I mean, you’ve been staring at the poor thing for minutes. Ordinarily, I would have let you take your time but my sight is a bit foggy and I need breakfast else I risk fainting.” He made a weird face that sent Tessa over the moon with laughter.He was younger than she first thought, late twenties, maybe early thirties with a loosened scarf and a very expressive face that Tessa found to be quite intriguing.“No,” she said, cheeks warm. “I was just deciding. It’s that intense a choice, apparently.”“You’re in a foreign city. When you’re unsure, order the thing that sounds like the most fun to say,” he said with a small laugh. “I’m Marcus, by the way.”“Tessa,” she answered with a smile, because politeness mattered even when she wanted to retreat into the safety of anonymity.He nodded, like he’d been waiting for a name to attach to the expression he’d

Last Updated : 2025-10-28

Chapter 33 - Little Gestures

It was the small gestures that mattered: the way he kept pace with her stride, the way he pointed out a mural painted by teenagers who were not yet famous, the way his voice softened when they crossed a small canal.He didn’t pry so much. There was a carefulness to him that wasn’t about distance but about patience. He watched the way she moved, like someone cataloging beauty rather than hunting it. In return, she noticed curious things about him: the freckle near his ear, the ink smudge on his thumb, the way he hummed under his breath when a saxophone played in a corner.At her door, the walk slowed into a hush. The apartment looked small from the outside, a tall window with chipped paint and a balcony barely big enough for a chair. She hesitated, fingers on the key. In the time he unlocked the door, Marcus found a way to make the moment significant without making a spectacle.“So,” she said, voice low and easy, “are you going to tell me the story behind the pockets’ lavender someday,

Last Updated : 2025-10-28

Chapter 34 - Look Who's Here

Tessa had just dropped the wilted lavender into the bin when she heard a soft knock on the door. She frowned, glancing at the clock. She wasn' expecting any guest. The housekeeper was done cleaning and had already left hours ago.Without giving much thought to it, she crossed the room and opened the door.Marcus stood there, dressed in a black, well-fitted polo and joggers, holding a fresh bunch of lavender. His smile was warm, a little nervous.“Hi,” he said.For a few seconds, she didn’t respond. She was just… looking.“This is weird,” she managed finally. “Hi, Marcus. What are you doing here?”He rubbed the back of his neck, the lavender shifting slightly in his hand.“Uh, I just wanted to drop this with you. I thought tjhat maybe yours might’ve faded by now.Tessa tilted her head. “And you guessed right.”His smile broke, sheepish and warm. “Good. I was hoping that didn’t sound creepy.”“It’s only creepy if you say you’ve been watching me through the window.”“I mean…” He looked u

Last Updated : 2025-11-04

Chapter 35 - It's You

Marcus stared at the photo on his phone, and for a long moment, he couldn’t breathe.It was her. Tessa. The same face he’d watched over coffee, the same laugh he’d memorized in the way it rolled soft and warm across the morning air but now framed in a context he couldn’t escape. Blind spots, shadows. She was married and recently escaped from her husband. There was so much information to consume, things he never dared to imagine about her.He blinked twice, hard, shaking his head like he could wipe away the image, but it refused to disappear. His stomach clenched, hot and tight, curling into knots that seemed impossible to loosen. His chest felt heavy, a weight pressing down, and for the first time that morning, Marcus realized he was shaking.He had never wanted to feel panic in the way he did right now. Not for a stranger. Not for someone he had met, laughed with, and walked home. Heck, he had barely had that much of an interaction with anyone else like he did with Tessa. And yet her

Last Updated : 2025-11-07