TESSA.
"Why did Thomas message you?" He asked as he shoved the phone directly to my face, revealing the notification that has popped up.
I swallowed hard, my lips parting but no sound coming out.
The echo from Thomas' voice rang again inside me, 'See you in council meeting!' My chest heaved, my legs weakening.
If I told him the truth, I wasn't so sure how Robert would react but If I stayed silent, I'd be crushed alone beneath the threat.
"Whether it's a real marriage or not Tessa, we are still married. I won't tolerate you chatting with your ex under my roof."
I blinked back the tears burning at the corners of my eyes. What does he think of me?I trying hard to maintain the peace between two packs and he is thinking I …
His eyes blazed, his fists clenched at his sides. "Speak. Why did he message you?"
The silence stretched, taut and suffocating.
I turned away, pressing my palms into the couch to stop them from shaking. The words clawed at my throat, desperate to escape, but fear, fear Robert terminating the contract kept me pinned.
Behind me, his voice cut through like a blade. "Tessa, you are testing my…" he took he deep breaths, my heart leaping between relief and terror. "...Now speak!"
"Are you always this commanding," I muttered, "or is it just with women you've paid to wear a ring?"
His eyes cut into me, steel and shadow. "Do you think this is a game?"
"I think you're suffocating me."
His jaw clenched. He didn't shout, he never shouted. That was the most unnerving part, his silence was sharper than anyone else's rage.
I folded my arms tight, like that could shield me. "You're too controlling and demanding, yet pretending it's protection. You tell me what time to wake up, what to wear, how to stand, God, even how to breathe! But you don't even give me a reason. Just orders."
"You signed a contract," he said flatly.
"I signed a contract," I snapped back, "not my soul."
Something flickered in his eyes then, just for a second, then it was gone. He moved closer, each step deliberate.
"Yes you did and now you bear my name!" he said, low.
"What?"
"If you slip, id you make any mistake, They win. Everyone included Melissa wins. Every investor on my board waiting to bury me wins. Every hidden spy in my council of elders also wins. And you think you can't breathe now? Try breathing under that weight."
His words hit like blows, not because they were cruel, but because they were true.
Still, my voice wavered as I whispered, "And what about me, Robert? Do I get to win anything?"
No one spoke, and for once, he had no answer. He stared at me for what seems like forever, threw my phone on the couch and left.
I breathed a sigh of relief, that was a close call.
~~*~~
Days passed like walking on glass, and the tension in the house grew heavier and suffocating. Robert refused to talk to me nor acknowledge my presence.
He acted like a spoiled child when he was the one clearly at wrong. I wished my best friend Sophie was in town but she wasn't. I could only live in boredom. I guess that's what I signed up for.
The media made the matter worse as they kept eating us alive, feeding on every glance, every silence, every unspoken word between us.
At dinner, I finally broke.
"Hey! Are you going to keep ignoring me?" I asked, pushing my plate away. "You aren't even doing anything regarding the media bash."
Robert didn't look up. "Let them talk."
That was all he could say, something snapped instantly inside me and I found myself rasing my voice, "It is easy for you to say, you're not the one being called a whore on national television."
I guess he was also thinking the same thing after what happened the last time.
His fork clattered against the plate. He raised his head slowly, eyes flashing. " You aren't the only one they talk about Tessa. Do you think I don't know what they say about me? Ruthless. Heartless. Unfit to lead. They write me into their own narratives every single day. But I don't mind, Tessa."
"Maybe I'm not like you!" My voice cracked. "Maybe I do mind!"
The words hung in the air like shattered glass.
His face didn't soften. Not even once. "Then learn."
Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. I wouldn't give him that victory.
"You know what the difference is between us, Robert?" My voice trembled, but I pushed on. "You hide behind control. I hide behind silence. But at least my silence doesn't cut anyone else open."
He leaned back in his chair, studying me like a puzzle he couldn't decide whether to solve or burn.
"Go to bed," he said finally.
And just like that, I was dismissed.
I went upstairs in anger and I Couldn't sleep.
By two a.m, I went downstairs to get a bottle of water, to see if it would make me sleep but then I passed through his room and I heard him screaming again.
"Joel..Joel..Don't…"
He was having a nightmare again. I instinctively rushed inside the room to help calm him. But what I saw wasn't the cold faces Robert, but I worn out one.
"Get out!" He thundered, as his eyes met mine.
"Who is Joel?" I subconsciously found myself asking, regardless of his command.
"I said get out!"
"You think you are qualified to know everthing about me?" His voice was bitter. "You aren't, because you can't handle it."
"Try me," I whispered.
The very moment the words left my mouth I realized two things,
One, Robert Miller was more broken than anyone realized.
And two, I was already far deeper than I ever meant to be.
Because for the first time since signing that cursed contract…
I didn't want to win against Thomas or Melissa…
I wanted to understand Robert.
And that terrified me more than anything.