TessaAfter eating breakfast with Leah, she rose from the table to take the plates to the kitchen while I waited for her to come back. I've been having peaceful breaths ever since Liam went to work and hadn't come back. I wish it could continue going like this.Leah came back from the kitchen and sat down in front of me, her eyes staring at me with something I couldn't dispatch. She had been asking me what was wrong and why I had left the house since we woke up, but for real, I don't think I'm ready to talk about it. Especially mentioning Mr. Carter wasn't part of the plan at all.She cleared her throat, supporting her hand with her jaw, her eyes mainly on me. "Now that I've served your empty stomach and it's now full of your cravings, can you tell me what I desire to know?" She asked for the umpteenth time. I looked away, trying to avoid her question, but her persistence gazed at me, doesn't change anything."I told you it's nothing," I scoffed, trying to downplay everything."Really
Carter"Hey, love," I opened my arms wide, welcoming Mila into my body frame; my hands snaked around her waist while I kissed her on the cheek and her forehead. "How are you doing today?" I questioned releasing her to search her face."Well, I can't say if I am happy or excited, but I am good; everything is good." Mila flashed me a smile, I needed no one to tell me something sweet happened. I am not saying she doesn't smile but she looks super excited."Is there something I need to know that you are hiding from me?" I took a glass from the rack, poured myself some content from the bottle, and then gulped the whole content."I am not hiding anything," she chuckled collecting the glass and bottle from my hands, she set it herself. "Tessa came in earlier today, but she is not feeling well; she looks sick and pale; all the color on her skin had drained, but she is fine." She announced.My expression faltered down at her. The last piece of news I was expecting to hear was that Mila saw Tes
CarterI was surprised to see Mila standing outside Tessa's door. My mind reeled. What was she doing here?I approached her, my voice low, although I knew Tessa had discovered what was going on but would rather keep her cool than talk and raise suspicions between us."Mila, what are you doing? I thought I left you in the kitchen not quite long trying to prepare dinner or I think you were fixing some stuff in the kitchen?" I asked, my presence still covering the entrance to the door.She smiled, a hint of surprise as she was not expecting me to open the door to find her standing quietly and noiselessly. "Is it a crime if I decide to leave the kitchen and come to my daughter's room?" Mila replied teasing me."Come on, don't quote me wrong. I was just surprised to see you standing at her door after telling me you guys had a lengthened talk not quite long, and you straightened out the issues between the both of you," I paused breathlessly. "I didn't realize that mother and daughter's bond
TessaMom walked in after Carter left the room, a warm smile spread on her lips as she approached the bed where I sat with my Teddy bear on my thighs, staring at nothing in the room in particular."You exchanged pleasantries with Carter right?" she asked.I nodded, feeling uneasy even though I knew we just didn't exchange pleasantries as father and daughter would but chatted about something she should not know about."That is nice; he was worried sick of you when you left; I am sure he is happy you are back to the house and family, too," She sat down next to me on the bed, her position directly facing me."Yeah, I guess so," I shrugged carelessly.But then Mom's expression turned serious. "So tell me Tessa, how have you been all this while you were not with us? Tell me what your neighbors are like. Did you hang out with your friends a lot, or did you lock yourself up in your room reading and studying? Or have you found a hobby you are suddenly in love with and buried yourself in it? G
Carter I cleared my eyes for the umpteen time, and I was still seeing the same bewildered expression staring back at me. It felt so unreal, to see my daughter after all these years, but how could she come back home without informing me? I stared at her with surprise, my eyes wide with wonder, but she only smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling."Jasmine?" I called, wanting to be sure if I was truly seeing my daughter, and for real, it was her."You're not seeing a ghost, Papa," she smiled, standing up from the bed and walking toward me with open arms. "I miss you," she uttered, her voice trembling with emotion."I missed you too, daughter," I gushed, pulling her into a tight, fatherly hug. I inhaled her smoky perfume, rubbing my nose on her head, feeling a mix of joy and nostalgia.I couldn't believe I was seeing her right now; she looked different from the Jasmine I saw the last time. Even though we talked and chatted on the phone sometimes, it still felt more surreal and wonderful th
TessaReality hit me like a ton of bricks, and my knees felt weak, threatening to buckle beneath me. Thanks to Mr. Carter's firm hand on my shoulder, I would have collapsed to the floor by now. My eyes refused to close, and my mouth remained wide open in shock, with tears welling up in the corners, streaming down my face in slow motion.I couldn't believe this; this can't be happening right now. The room seemed to spin around me, and my mind raced with thoughts. Even without anyone telling me, and with the reaction on Mr. Carter's face, this lady must be someone he knew intimately.Mr. Carter released me, taking a step further, but the girl moved back, her eyes fixed on us. "Jasmine, I can explain," he pleaded, blinking repeatedly, his eyes filled with desperation.My ears perked up at the name. Jasmine? It sounded familiar; where did I hear that from? Oh! A gasp escaped my lips when I finally recalled if I didn't misremember, that Jasmine was Mr. Carter's daughter, the same girl who
TessaI didn't see or hear from Carter until the following day, in the morning when I was in the kitchen preparing breakfast to eat before going to school..Mom was cleaning the sitting room with a rag towel when the door opened, and a sad Carter walked in. And another I noticed from his posture and expression was that he looked so tired and famished.Mom looked up worriedly as she filled the remaining gaps between them. She cupped his cheeks in her palm and stared at him."What's wrong dear? Tessa told me you went out of the house with your daughter yesterday when I came back from shopping. I hope there is no problem?" I could not mistake her tone, she was so worried about him."There is no problem, Mila, I am fine." He said, smiling at her, but that didn't pacify my mom.Instead, her gaze rested solely on him, her finger trailing the lines on his forehead. "Are you sure you are fine? Tell me what's wrong with you, please?" She even went as far as pleading."Mila, one thing about you
CarterThe door to my office opened, and Tessa walked in. She smiled as soon as she saw me, and I returned the smile to her."Tell me how everything went yesterday, with your daughter?" She asked as soon as she closed the door and stepped feet fully into the office."Well, it didn't go out as you imagined, but I tried my best. I tried talking to her yesterday, and after so much pleading, she agreed to keep our relationship a secret and not tell Mila about it." I answered taking her hands and pulling her towards my table.She stared at me, unconvinced by my words, but she made no move to say any words."We don't have much time, Tessa; let's finish what we started yesterday evening before my daughter interrupted us," I winked at her, and she chuckled inwardly.I opened her shirt, ran a veiny finger across her chest, leaned forward, and then placed a kiss in the center of her chest.Her resistance shattered, and I pulled her into my arms."Tess." I groaned and crushed my lips to hers.Sh
TessaI paced anxiously up and down in front of the emergency door, my mind racing with terrifying possibilities. What if Leah died? What would I do? The thought sent a chill down my spine, and I couldn't shake off the feeling of dread.Tears streamed down my face, and my heart pounded rapidly, threatening to burst out of my chest. My fingers hurt from clenching my fists, and I kept glaring at the emergency door, willing myself to see what was happening inside."Calm down, she'll be okay," the driver who had dropped me off earlier said, his eyes red-rimmed, filled with empathy.I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Thank you," I replied, genuinely thankful. If not for him, maybe, I might still be at home. Even though I told him to go so I wouldn't delay his work but he was proven too stubborn to heed. I wanted to tell him to be going but his phone rang, he contemplated for some minutes before he slid the green button and pressed the phone against his right ear. He went mute
TessaThe multiple calls and messages on my phone jolted me awake from my deep slumber, shattering the peaceful silence. I yawned countless times, my eyes puffy from sleeping all day. I rubbed my red eyes, trying to shake off the fatigue, before picking up the phone to check who the persistent caller was. Shockwaves ran through me as I saw all the calls and messages were from Leah.Why had she flooded my phone with calls and messages at the same time? Concern etched on my face, I clicked on her number and put her on speaker. The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before her voice chimed in, weak and uncharacteristic."What's up? I saw your missed calls and dozen messages," I said, trying to sound casual despite my growing unease."I'm good," she replied, but something about her tone sent alarm bells ringing in my mind. Her usual jovial demeanor was replaced by a frailty that unsettled me."Is everything okay with you?" I pressed, my brow furrowed with worry. Her labored breat
TessaI had already gone to bed, the warmth of my blanket wrapping around me like a cocoon. I was trying to forget the day and the picture of Carter with that woman. My heart was heavy, and sleep felt miles away. Just as I was starting to drift off, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. I grabbed it, squinting at the screen.It was a message from Carter. My heart jumped into my throat. What now? Did he want to talk again? I opened the message, but my stomach twisted when I read it.Carter: "Do you know Liam? He's here at the meeting. I don't know who he is but he keeps on watching me like a magnet glued to a metal."Liam? My mind raced. Carter didn't know about Liam... unless Liam had done something. My breath caught in my chest. I had thought I could keep Liam a secret, but now it felt like everything was unraveling."Is there any possibility he was the one you sent to stalk me? I mean, your doctor friend?" I was still thinking about the first message when the second one popped in.I sa
CarterImmediately, Tessa ended the call even though she gave me no chance to explain myself and pacify her, which I badly wanted to do; I felt a strange feeling settled in my stomach. I looked around, feeling hyper-aware of my surroundings. It was as if someone was watching me, tracking my every move. The thought nagged at me. Had Tessa told a friend to keep an eye on me? Would she stoop so low to order a friend to monitor my every movement, the people I talk to and move with? I shook my head, trying to dismiss the idea. But doubt lingered.I glanced around, my heart racing. In the corner, I spotted a man who looked familiar. It was Liam—the same guy who had been at the conference and had sent Tessa that picture. He was drinking and chatting with another man, and I felt a wave of discomfort wash over me.I wondered if he was the one who had been watching me. Maybe he was reporting back to Tessa, telling her things that weren't true. The idea made my blood boil. Why would he want to c
TessaI was sitting on my bed, scrolling through my phone when I saw a message from Liam. My heart raced a bit when I noticed it was a picture, I hurriedly tapped on it and opened the message.My heart skipped a bit when I saw the picture was Carter with another woman, the way he was in it was amusing yet annoying; he was staring at the woman like he couldn't wait to get under her pants and the woman was also staring at him in that manner, they were both giving each other bedroom eyes.I stared at the photo, surprised and confused. It felt wrong to see him with someone else. Liam had sent the picture with a message saying Carter was a cheat, and that thought lingered in my mind.Without thinking much, I forwarded the picture to Carter. I didn't process what I was doing. I just reacted, feeling a mix of emotions. As soon as I hit send, a wave of regret washed over me. What was I thinking? Did I want to start trouble between us? Did I want to a sweet questions I should not bring up in
CarterI was at the conference, but my mind isn't here. I keep thinking about Tessa, about everything I want to tell her. I can't help but smile when I remember her laughter and the way her eyes light up when she talks about her dreams. But I know I shouldn't be thinking about her like this, especially with everything going on.Suddenly, I notice a man walking toward me. He looks confident, maybe a little too confident. Something about him makes me feel uneasy, but I try to shake it off. Maybe I just don't know him well enough to judge."Hi, I'm Liam," he says, extending his hand. Nice to meet you, Carter," he says, and his tone is oddly familiar as if he knows more than he should. I feel a chill run down my spine.I take his hand but feel a strange tension in the air. "Nice to meet you," I reply, trying to keep my voice steady.I'm still trying to process who he is when he leans in closer and adds, "You know, it's interesting how small the world is, especially when you're involved
Tessa"I would like to talk to both of you girls." Her words rang in my head again. Neither I nor Jasmine could say a word; we both looked shocked that she would call us together to talk to us."The thing is that I want you both to act as sisters and be each other best friends." Mom released the bombshell.My heart skipped a beat as I stared at Mom surprised by what she had just said. I couldn't believe it. Mom wanted Jasmine and me to act like sisters. The idea felt strange and almost impossible. I looked at Jasmine, and I could see she was just as shocked. We both stood there, unsure of what to say next.Mom smiled at us, her eyes shining with hope. "I just think it would be wonderful for you two to be close. You'll have each other's backs, just like sisters do." She sounded so convinced, but I felt a knot tightening in my stomach.Jasmine, always quick to speak her mind, laughed sharply. "Over my dead body would I be a sister or best friend to Tessa!" Her voice was filled with sarc
TessaMy heart beat repeatedly, not knowing what to do. What if Liam really tells Carter about our relationship? How will he react? My mind was racing with worst-case scenarios.My fingers flew across the keyboard as I pleaded with Liam desperately."Please don't tell him anything, I promise to do whatever you want when you're back, please" I typed and sent. My fingers sucked on my lips as I waited anxiously for his reply.Even though I knew Mr. Carter had heard about my relationship with Liam, he had never met him in person. My eyes glued to the phone, waiting for his response. Only God knew why it took minutes for him to reply; I just hoped he hadn't told Carter yet.Maybe I should message him again? I thought, but just as I was about to type another message, his reply popped in."If you want that, you have to seal your lips and make sure you don't tell Leah about our relationship, or else you will face my wrath" his message read. A relieved sigh escaped my lips.I wanted to reply,
TessaI was lying down gently on the bed when I suddenly heard the creak of the door. It was Mum, walking inside the room. I'm still awkward around her because of the scene I witnessed last time; I don't want to talk to her."Daughter," she called, stepping inside the room, "Can you get me some groceries to prepare dinner at the nearest store?" She asked, but I didn't give her a reply."I'm asking you a question," she stated after a long quiet moment between us."You can go by yourself; I'm not in the mood to step out," I replied without looking at her. I knew she'd be surprised."Are you saying no to me now?" she asked, and that made me feel bad for a second."I don't mean it that way; I just want to be alone," I replied, not giving her my attention."That's the same as saying no to me, Tessa," she said, her voice cold, making me feel more bad for saying no to her, she have way of manipulating me."You have your way of gaslighting people," I stood up from the bed, walking toward her.