Chapter 5

After leaving Tessa at the club, Ethan got a call and headed to the company to take care of a few documents. When he got home later that night, he noticed that Tessa was not waiting for him on the couch as usual.

He grew irritated. He thought that she was wrong and incorrigible to begin with. She knew that Charlotte was losing her vision, yet lied about going blind herself to get his attention. He didn't think that she had a right to throw a fit after what she had done.

Agitated, Ethan loosened his tie and made his way to the bedroom. Tessa was destined to fail if she planned to blackmail him and pick a fight with Charlotte. The Langfords owed Charlotte too much for Tessa to throw a fit and get her way.

With that in mind, Ethan went to bed that night and fell asleep quickly. He didn't even think about asking where Tessa had gone.

But he was annoyed again when he awoke the next day and still did not see Tessa. He summoned the housekeeper and asked about Tessa, only to be told that she hadn't come home the night before.

A dark look registered on his face. He considered praising Tessa for being creative and running away from home.

The housekeeper asked tentatively, "Sir, would you like me to get your men to look for Mrs. Ziegler?"

"No need for that." Ethan rejected that suggestion immediately. "Let her throw that tantrum of hers for a little longer."

However, there still wasn't any news regarding Tessa on the third day. The feelings of frustration and dissatisfaction that Ethan had been harboring finally rose to a breaking point.

Great. Just great. Tessa actually ran away from home this time.

…

"Tess, have you forgotten about me? It's been so long since your last visit," David muttered disappointedly on the other line.

Upon hearing this, Tessa quickly denied the accusation, "No, David. I've just been a little busy lately, that's all."

David scoffed. "I bet you never planned on coming back to see me, you little ingrate."

Tessa didn't know how to react. "That's not true, David. I'll visit you some other day when my schedule frees up, okay?"

Since her eye condition worsened, she had cut down on her visits to the Ziegler residence. She didn't want David to find out about her going blind and fuss over her.

"If you miss me, you'd visit me now instead of pushing it to another day!" David whined. "I want you to come over today, right this instant! If not, I'll take it that you don't care about me anymore."

David was far too old to be throwing a tantrum. Tessa was mildly exasperated, but when she recalled how she hadn't dropped by the Ziegler residence recently, she had no choice but to accede to the old man's demands. "I'll head over right after I change my clothes."

"Deal!" David replied. "I'll be waiting for you at home."

After getting off the phone, Tessa checked herself in the mirror. Her eyes had been acting up more frequently these days, and her worsening condition was taking a toll on her appetite. She'd lost a lot of weight, and her face looked haggard.

She picked out a pale yellow dress with a loose silhouette to hide her skinny figure, then dabbed on a layer of makeup to add color to her face. Before leaving the house, she took her medication in advance to suppress her symptoms.

It was a 30-minute drive from Rosalie's place to the Ziegler residence. When Tessa arrived and entered the house, she immediately saw the figure on the couch.

It had been a few days since Tessa last saw Ethan, yet he seemed to have grown more handsome. He wore an expensive, tailored black suit with a charcoal-gray shirt beneath. He exuded an indescribable elegance just by sitting casually on the couch.

Ethan glanced at Tessa but withdrew his gaze just as quickly. It was as if he barely noticed his wife in the first place.

"Tess! Come here," David happily said while waving her over. "You arrived at the perfect time! I was just telling Ethan that he should take a day off and take you to the amusement park. I heard that it's new and has many features other amusement parks don't."

David had planned many dates for Ethan and Tessa in the last few years to bring them closer. He had booked them candlelit dinners and had them go on vacations, taking great care to curate romantic moments for them to be alone together.

Unfortunately, Tessa was a hopeless case. Despite David's efforts all these years, she had only made Ethan hate her more.

She lowered her gaze and stared at the amusement park entry tickets on the table. Her lips curled wryly as she turned down the offer, "I don't think he—"

"Okay," Ethan said, cutting her off. Tessa turned to gape at him in disbelief, only to hear him say, "I'll take her to the amusement park in a moment."

Tessa's eyes widened at his unexpected answer, but her surprise vanished just as quickly. She figured that it was more probable that he wanted to take Charlotte to the amusement park, using Tessa as a cover.

"You've finally come around, kid!" David grinned. Seeing that his plan had worked, he did not ask Ethan and Tessa to stay for lunch. Instead, he couldn't be rid of them fast enough. "Don't just dawdle here! The amusement park is some distance away, so you'd best hit the road. You can grab a bite along the way!"

With that, David had the housekeeper close the door in Ethan's and Tessa's faces.

Ethan stared at the door, stunned. He said to Tessa, "Let's go."

"Where?" Tessa asked instinctively.

"The amusement park, of course." He looked at her as if she were an idiot before heading toward his car. "What, do you want me to point you to the car?"

Only then did Tessa snap to her senses and hurry after him. As the car gradually neared the amusement park, her nerves settled, and she slowly relaxed. Was Ethan truly bringing her on a date?

The idea gave her a glimmer of hope that felt as weak as the first blade of grass after a long drought, but it wilted the moment she saw Charlotte.

"Ms. Langford." Charlotte had been standing at the amusement park entrance. But when she spotted Ethan and Tessa, she hurried to meet them in the middle. With familiar ease, she linked arms with Ethan and apologetically said to Tessa, "You don't mind if I tag along, do you? Ethan invited me."

As she said this, she lowered her head and muttered, "I'm due for my eye surgery soon. If it fails, I'd risk going blind. I wanted to come out and see the world before the surgery."

"But you have a chance to get the surgery while I'm forced to wait day after day for a miracle!" Tessa wanted to snap at Charlotte. She stared at the latter as resentment welled up within her.