Thalassa’s hands shook as her eyes repeatedly ran over the bold words: DIVORCE AGREEMENT.
Agreement? She certainly didn’t remember sitting down to talk about anything. This surely had to be a mistake. She turned her panicked eyes to the lawyer. “Is this a joke?” “I don’t remember ‘comedian’ being in my job description, Miss Thompson,” the lawyer said, sounding offended. “Then what is this?” Thalassa demanded, her voice louder than she intended, laden with frustration. The lawyer’s nostrils flared as he looked around at the people staring at them. “It’s exactly what you’re looking at, Miss Thompson. Kris wants a divorce.” Thalassa noted how he kept referring to her by her maiden name, as if she and Kris were already divorced. The lawyer took a step closer. “Look, don’t make this complicated. You’re lucky to be walking away with just a divorce. You could’ve spent several years rotting in jail. You should be thankful to Kris that he convinced his mother to drop the charges.” Just like that, Thalassa felt hope spark inside her. Kris had convinced his mother to drop the charges. That could only mean that he loved her. There was definitely an explanation for all this. Mr. Sawyer drew a pen from his bag. “Here, please take the pen and sign the papers. There’s no alimony because Kris said you can keep the millions you stole into your offshore accounts. All you have to do is sign at the required spots, and he’ll have your belongings delivered to wherever you want.” Before the lawyer could finish speaking, Thalassa had turned and began storming out of the police station. Reaching the roadside, she quickly waved her hand at an approaching cab. The car stopped in front of her, and she didn’t waste time entering. “The Miller mansion,” she instructed the driver. She still had the divorce papers in her hand, and her heart pounded as she stared at them. It couldn’t be true. This had to be another one of Linda Miller’s schemes to separate her and Kris. She wasn’t going to believe it until Kris himself told her that he wanted a divorce. When the driver stopped outside the Miller mansion, she reached into her bag and pulled out some dollar notes. Not caring how much it was, she tossed it at the driver and got out. She was just about to enter through the gate when a burly security guard stepped in front of her. “You can’t go in,” he said gruffly. Thalassa glared at him. “What do you mean I can’t go in? This is my house! I’m Kris’s wife!” “I know that. But I’ve been given orders by Mrs. Miller not to let you in.” Of course, it was Linda Miller’s orders. Thalassa roughly ran her fingers through her hair, feeling like she was going insane. Without a second thought, she ran past the security guard onto the mansion’s compound. “Hey, I told you you can’t go in!” the man hissed, running after her, but his speed was no match for Thalassa’s desperation as she ran on and finally entered the house. The Miller family was all gathered in the living room, but Kris was nowhere in sight. All of them turned to look at her disdainfully before storming towards her. “What are you doing here, you thief?!” Cynthia, Kris’s aunt, demanded. “This bitch really has some guts!” Tyler, Kris’s younger brother, scoffed. “I’m going to drag her out by her hair!” Susan, Kris’s younger sister, gritted out. “Ma’am, I tried to stop her, but she just ran past me,” the security guard said as he appeared behind Thalassa, grabbing her by the arm. “It’s okay. Let go of her arm,” Linda Miller said as she finally stopped in front of Thalassa. The rest of her family also stopped behind her, their eyes blazing like vultures, waiting to tear Thalassa to shreds. “You have no shame showing your face here after what you did to my son and our family,” Linda sneered, her voice dripping with disgust. Anger shot through Thalassa as she snapped. “I did not do anything, and you know it! You were the one who sent me to meet that man. Why are you doing this? Why are you lying?” Her voice broke, which only increased the pleasure on her mother-in-law’s face. “My son wants nothing to do with you anymore, Thalassa, so you have no business being here. Get out of here.” “You’re nothing but a snake! I am not leaving until I speak to Kris!” Thalassa stated firmly, glaring back at her. “Don’t speak to my mother like that,” Kris’s harsh voice sounded as he approached. Thalassa immediately ran towards him, holding up the divorce papers. “Kris...your lawyer...he came to me and gave me these papers. He said you wanted a divorce, but I know it’s got to be a mistake. It’s all a mistake, right?” Kris stared coldly into her eyes as he answered, “There’s no mistake.” Thalassa stumbled back, shaking her head in disbelief. “Kris...please, you can’t... Let’s save our marriage. All this is a misunderstanding. I didn’t do anything. Please, you’ve got to believe me.” “Do you really still believe that I want to continue being with a woman like you? You don’t even have the decency to admit what you did,” Kris snorted, his cold eyes boring into her. “But I didn’t do anything!” Thalassa declared desperately, grabbing onto his arm. “Kris, please be–“ “Let go of me!” he hissed, snatching his arm from her hold. “Why is the door left open?” A voice came from behind Thalassa. It was the voice of Karen Blade, her best friend. Hope beamed inside Thalassa. “Thalassa...” Karen gasped with surprise when she finally saw her. “You’re out of jail?” Thalassa instantly moved towards her and grabbed her hand, leading her to where Kris was standing. “Karen, please tell Kris. Tell him how I called you after his mother sent me to give the documents to that man. Tell him how I was hesitant because something didn’t feel right. Tell him that I’m innocent.” Thalassa waited. Waited for Karen to tell Kris exactly that, but the next words out of her best friend’s mouth sent her whole world crashing down. “I’m sorry, Thalassa, but I’m tired of always covering up your lies. You never called me.” Karen’s denial was like a slap, causing Thalassa to stumble backward as her mouth dropped open in shock. “But...but Karen...what are you saying? What lies? I called you to tell you about it. You even called me later to ask whether I was on my way to do what my mother-in-law had asked.” Karen’s eyes, which usually always shone with affection, now blazed coldly with malice. “Enough already, Thalassa! Aren’t you tired of always telling lies? I’m so tired of always having to lie for you, but I can’t anymore. Kris is a good man and he doesn’t deserve your deceptions.” Thalassa’s head spun as she tried to process everything. Was she dreaming? She had to be dreaming. Otherwise, why would her best friend, the person she trusted and confided in the most, betray her like this? Feeling like her heart was beating out of her chest, she turned to Kris, looking at him pleadingly. “Baby, please, I... I don’t know why Karen is lying, but please believe me. I haven’t done anything. I’ve never lied to you.” “You lowlife thief! So everyone else is a liar except you?” Susan, Kris’s sister, snorted as she crossed her arms over her chest. Thalassa paid no heed to her words because they didn’t matter. The only person whose opinion mattered to her at that moment was Kris. “Kris, why aren’t you saying anything? Please tell me you believe me.” “I have nothing to say to you apart from the fact that you should sign the divorce papers and disappear from my life. I want nothing to do with you.” “No!” Thalassa declared loudly, throwing the divorce papers to the ground. “I refuse to sign them. Kris, you can’t possibly believe that I could lie and steal from you in such a way.” She grabbed his hand, staring into his hard eyes with her pleading ones. “You promised me that nothing would ever come between us. What happened to that promise?” “That’s because I didn’t know I was marrying a liar, a thief, and a slut,” he hissed, jerking his hand away. “It’s okay. I’ve had enough of this woman,” Linda Miller said. “If she refuses to sign the divorce papers, we can get it another way. Take her away.” Immediately, the security guard grabbed Thalassa’s arm, but just as he was about to drag her away, she yelled, “I am pregnant!”The hall turned silent. So silent that you could hear a pin drop as everyone stared at Thalassa in shock, but the only reaction she cared about was Kris’s.His nostrils flared, his eyes widening as if demanding to know if she was telling the truth.“Yes,” she nodded earnestly. “It’s true. I found out yesterday. That’s why I called you so many times; I wanted to give you the good news, but you never picked up. And when I texted, saying I had something important to tell you, that’s what I wanted to share.”Her breath caught as she gauged Kris’s reaction, anxiously waiting for his response. His eyes scanned her face as if looking for any hint of lying, his gaze turning conflicted.Just as Thalassa began to think that he believed her, his mother appeared. “Son, you can’t possibly believe anything that comes out of this whore’s mouth after everything she has done. She’s lying! She’s obviously telling you this so that you won’t divorce her.”“I am not lying!” Thalassa declared fiercely. “Wh
“Isn’t that Thalassa Thompson?” “No way! The gold-digger who married Kris Thompson for his money?” “Yeah. She also cheated and had been stealing from him the whole time they were married.” “Yes, I heard about it. Poor man. He married her despite her low-class status only for her to betray him like that. But wasn’t she arrested?” “Both of you shut up this instant! How many times must I warn you not to gossip about our patients, especially in front of them?” Thalassa slowly opened her eyes but closed them instantly when bright lights attacked them. Blinking to adjust to the lights, she finally opened her eyes to find three women hovering over her. They were dressed in healthcare overalls. Two looked to be nurses, and the other looked to be a doctor. “She has woken,” one of the nurses observed, and they all focused on her. “Finally,” the one who looked to be a doctor said, then flashed a small smile at Thalassa. “How are you feeling, dear?” Bracing her hand on the
Earlier that morning..."We did it, Mrs. Miller!" Karen Blade squealed excitedly like a child.Linda Miller, on the other hand, simply smiled. "Yes. We finally managed to kick that social climber out of my son's life. This deserves a toast."Picking up the bottle of expensive wine, she poured it into the two glasses on the serving tray. She usually would have called one of the servants to do it for her, but she didn't want anyone listening in on her conversation with Karen.Once each had a glass in hand, they clinked them together in a toast. Linda brought her glass to her lips elegantly and took a sip of the wine, enjoying the taste of victory. Some would say it was too early to drink wine, but sometimes, you just had to make exceptions.Karen sighed blissfully. "Oh, Mrs. Miller, I honestly thought we would never see this day. After everything we did so that Kris wouldn't marry her, he still went ahead and married her. I thought he would never leave her."The night before Kris and Th
Two days later...“You're being discharged today, Thalassa. You can go home now,” the doctor announced.Thalassa sat up with a sigh. Was she crazy for wishing she could spend a few more days at the hospital? It seemed so much better than going out to face her new reality. But she knew she eventually had to.She forced a smile for the doctor's sake. “Thank you, doctor. I'm so happy that I'm finally being released."The doctor's expression dropped a little, and she bit her lip before adding, “Uh... So, since nobody has been here to sign you out, you'll have to take care of the bills before leaving.”Thalassa let out another sigh. Did they think she was helpless without her ex-husband?“I know that, doctor. Like I said, I'll take care of the bills.”When she was ready to leave, she was taken to settle the accounts. Her eyes widened when she saw her total bill. The amount she had to pay for her three-day stay in the hospital was simply outrageous, even with insurance.She took a deep brea
“Your...your daughter?” Thalassa blinked, staring at the woman with her brows furrowed in confusion. “Ma'am, are you looking for your daughter? Is that why you're wandering alone?”But her questions seemed to fall on deaf ears. The woman began running her hands all over her—her face, her arms, her hair.“It’s you. It’s really you. Oh, thank you, God. I knew you would bring her to me.”Thalassa was increasingly weirded out by the woman's touches, but that was the least important thing right now. She needed to call the police to take the kidnapper away.She endured the old lady’s odd touches as she pulled out her phone, but before she could dial 911, the kidnapper suddenly jerked up from the ground with a groan.Thalassa immediately pulled the old lady behind her, posing defensively as she narrowed her eyes at the man.“I called the police while you were passed out. They're going to be here any moment, so you don't have time,” she warned.She fisted her hands, expecting the man to attac
Zeke took in the tense posture of Thalassa and her fisted hands, immediately realizing that she was afraid that he was going to hurt her.“Hi." He said it calmly and casually, hoping that would calm her tension.It didn't.“What do you want? How did you know that I was staying at this motel?” She questioned me gruffly.“Damn, relax. I'm not here to cause any trouble.” Zeke said, raising his arms in a peace gesture. “I just came here to apologize for how I behaved with you last night. I was very rude to you, even though you didn't deserve it. My grandma told me about how you saved her from a kidnapper, and I wanted to thank you for that. I'm so sorry for how I behaved.”The tension in Thalassa's shoulders eased a bit. “Well, I'm glad you realized your mistake, but next time, try not to project your own irresponsibilities on other people."The man stiffened, and for a moment, Thalassa thought he was offended, but a smile soon tipped the corners of his lips. It was a beautiful smile.“Yo
At the same time that evening, Kris was at The View, a popular nightclub where he and his friends, Henry and Alden, often went to talk over drinks. Henry and Alden had just returned from a business trip to the news of Kris's divorce from Thalassa.“So you finally made her sign the divorce papers and kicked her out? I'm so happy for you, man.”That was Henry, a dirty blonde guy in his late twenties who had no filter whatsoever when it came to the things he said and slept around with no intention of settling down.Alden glared at Henry. “Do you really think saying all that will make him feel better? Can't you see he looks miserable as it is?”Alden, also in his late twenties, was tall with dark hair and easily the most handsome among them. He was usually the voice of reason.“Oh, please,” Henry rolled his eyes. “He's going to get over it soon. The fact that that lowlife is finally out of his life is so much better. She never deserved to mingle with people like us anyway.”“Lowlife? Henr
“Karen...what are you doing? Put your clothes back on.” Kris chided sternly despite his drunk voice as he looked away.Karen refused, stepping closer to him. “Kris, I can make you forget, I promise. I can make you feel better.”She took his face between her hands, trying to kiss him, but he shoved her away. Karen would’ve fallen if she hadn’t held on to the edge of the bed for support.Kris was glaring at her as he shook his head. His vision was becoming blurier and blurier as sleep beckoned. “Karen, I appreciate that you helped...me see the kind of woman Thalassa truly was, but nothing like this can happen between us again.”Straightening, Karen was frustrated. She’d thought in this state, he would be so vulnerable that he would take what she was offering him. Yet he wasn’t even looking at her.“Please...put...on your clothes...Karen.” Kris’s voice slurred.He bent down, trying to pick the dress up from the floor for her, but the world spun in front of his eyes. He felt like shit. No
Gendry stared at her, waiting for her to say something.Unbidden, a single tear slid down Tessa's cheek. “You're only saying these things because you found out about my pregnancy. It's not necessary, Gendry. You don’t have to force yourself to be with me out of obligation.”A growl of frustration rumbled from Gendry’s throat. “Jesus, Tessa. Why would you think I’m forcing myself to be with you?”“Because I know you don’t consider me good enough for a relationship with you!”For several seconds, Gendry just stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. “What? Where did you get that from, Tessa?”“The day we went to help set up the photo booth, you told me in the car that because of everything your dad did to your mom, you never slept with any woman unless you were in a relationship with her. I was the only exception. The only woman you agreed to have a meaningless fling with.”Gendry exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. “And from that, you assumed I don’t think you’re good enough for a relation
“You… you’re pregnant?”The world seemed to tilt on its axis for Gendry. His pulse raced. The word pregnant felt almost foreign because it was the last thing he had expected Tessa to tell him.“Tessa, are you saying you’re expecting a child?”“Please don’t act like you didn’t know,” Tessa gritted out, her voice laced with indignation.Gendry stepped closer. “No. I didn’t. Of course, I didn’t.” The impact of it all suddenly crashed into him, and he let out a stunned chuckle, filled with wonder. “Oh God, you’re pregnant. You’re expecting our child.”The sheer joy in his eyes made Tessa’s vision blur with unshed tears. “How are you so sure it’s yours?”Gendry’s smile didn’t falter. His hand came up to rest on her cheek, his touch warm and familiar. “Because I know I’m the only man who’s ever had that privilege, Tes.”“You can’t be sure of that,” she countered, her voice quieter now. “We haven’t seen each other in two months, Gendry. Maybe Kevin and I—”“Kevin and you, nothing.” Gendry le
“…our revenue dropped by 8.6% last year. But as we can all see, our performance this year has improved to the point that we're projected to make up for 6.6% of that percentage drop.”Tessa addressed the board of executives in the conference room, pausing to let the information sink in. “That's quite an achievement, but I think we can all agree that it’s not enough. Two percent is a big deal, and TT Fashion has to be able to recover that and more. We…”She trailed off as her vision blurred. Gripping the backrest of her chair for balance, she blinked rapidly, and the dizziness passed.“Tessa, are you alright?” the marketing department executive asked, a frown creasing her forehead.“Yes, I’m fine,” Tessa responded.And she was. Mostly anyways. She’d been experiencing dizzy spells for the past two weeks, chalking it up to fatigue. But now that she knew she was pregnant, the spells had become more obvious, especially when she stood for too long.Plastering on a composed smile, she swept h
Their eyes met.Gendry’s jaw tightened. His fingers curled into his towel as tension coiled in his muscles. Across the gym, Kevin’s expression was unreadable, but his posture stiffened ever so slightly. For a long moment, neither of them spoke.Then Kevin broke the silence, striding toward him.“Long time,” he said.Gendry gave a small nod. “Yeah.”He couldn’t help but wonder. Before Jamaica, he and Kevin would occasionally run into each other at the gym, but after the wedding trip, he hadn't seen the other man at the gym.He was probably too busy enjoying his time with his girlfriend.That thought alone made Gendry’s chest tighten. He reached for his water bottle, taking a slow sip as Kevin shifted his weight.“Well,” Kevin cleared his throat, “I’ll head for some runs now.”He turned, but something in his movement was hesitant, like he wanted to say more. After only three steps, he spun back around, his expression no longer neutral.It was now filled with bitterness.Gendry lowered h
TWO DAYS LATERGendry ran, putting one tired foot in front of the other. He had set the treadmill to the highest speed, hoping it would help him outrun the memories of Tessa that refused to leave his head. But the more he ran, the more they stayed ahead of him.Her mesmerizing brown eyes. Her smooth, clear skin. Her dazzling smile and cute laugh. The way her gorgeous hair stuck to her flushed face. The warmth of her body as he drove into her. Those sweet moans of pleasure as she came.Oh, for Pete’s sake.Trying to stop thinking about her was an exercise in futility. He had been trying for the past two months without success.Not even the fact that he knew she now belonged to someone else could stop his mind.Gendry ran until the burn in his legs became too intense to ignore. He slammed his fingers om the stop button, keeping pace until the treadmill finally slowed to a halt.Jumping off, he limped toward the bench where he had hung his towel and sank down. Around him, people were ste
Tessa was sure that if she had been standing, the impact of the doctor's words would have sent her crashing to the floor.For several seconds, she just stared at him, frozen, her mind scrambling to process what he had just said."You're two months pregnant."The words echoed in her head. She understood them. They made sense. But at the same time, they didn’t.The doctor’s smile faltered when she hadn't said anything after several seconds. “Miss Miller?” he said hesitantly. “Is everything alright?”Tessa blinked, then shook her head, letting out a sharp, disbelieving snort, because that was the only thing she could do to hold back the panic threatening to steal through her.“What are you saying, doctor? I can't be pregnant.”The doctor’s expression shifted from professional composure to slight uncertainty at her reaction.“When you described your symptoms to me, I strongly suspected it, but I didn’t want us to get ahead of ourselves. I performed several tests, including a pregnancy tes
After driving home, Tessa stepped into the house, shutting the door behind her as she let out a deep breath.To her surprise, her mother was still awake, sitting on the couch with a book in her lap. Her reading glasses were perched on her nose, making her look serious in such an endearing way.A small smile tugged at Tessa’s lips. It wasn’t uncommon for her mom to stay up reading, but tonight, it felt like she’d been waiting for her.A lot of her colleagues wondered why she was still living with her parents at this stage when she had enough to get herself a house or apartment like her brother had done. The truth was, to Tessa, she'd rather always be surrounded by family love then to love alone.“You’re back,” her mother noted, looking up from her book. “How was your date?”Tessa hesitated, forcing a smile. “It was… great.”Her mother raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. Without a word, she tapped the empty space beside her on the couch.Sighing, Tessa walked over and sank onto the couch. S
Tessa waited.She waited for the spark, for the heat, for the slow-burning fire that would make her knees weak and her stomach flip. She waited for the explosion, the one that had always come whenever Gendry kissed her.But there was nothing.Kevin’s lips moved against hers, soft, careful, but her body didn’t react. There was no rush of desire, no hitch in her breath, no trembling fingers aching to pull him closer. Just... stillness.When he pulled back, his lips curved into a slow smile. “I knew your lips would taste amazing,” he murmured. “And I wasn’t wrong.”Tessa forced a smile.Kevin let out a quiet chuckle, then he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry.”Tessa stared at him. “What are you apologizing for?”He gave her a sheepish smile and gestured vaguely toward the lower half of his body. “You must think I’m a total weirdo, but it’s just... when you’re this close to me, I can’t help myself.”Tessa tilted her head, still not understanding. Then, as she followed his gaze downward,
The restaurant Kevin took her to was one of the most exclusive restaurants in Baltimore. People had to book weeks in advance before they could reserve a table. It had stunning vintage decorations that paired beautifully with the warm chandeliers.Tessa barely had time to take it all in before a waitress approached them with an extra big smile.“Mr. Balthazar, please follow me.”Kevin placed a hand on the small of Tessa’s back, gently guiding her as they followed the waitress. They moved past the main dining area where every table was full. Then, they stepped into a more secluded section clearly meant for VIP guests.There was only one table.It was decorated with a single lit candle in the center, surrounded by delicate rose petals. The low lighting made the setup feel intimate and romantic.Tessa took it all in, appreciating the beauty of it. Kevin had clearly put thought into making this night special.She should have been touched. Excited. Instead, there was a strange emptiness in