His Unveiled Passion

Tessa removed the wilting flowers from the vase and replaced them with Stephen's Pink Floyd roses.

The Pink Floyd roses were known for their vibrant colors. They were bold, passionate, and full of life.

These roses also held a romantic meaning in the language of flowers. It went along the lines of, "You flit across my dreams so carelessly, yet you've turned my heart into a fragrant garden of flowers."

Once she was done arranging the flowers, Tessa immediately recalled that the nurse claimed that Stephen had arrived 30 minutes ago.

Her breathing quickened at a certain possibility.

Could he still be here?

Her mind raced as the idea took root. She couldn't stop herself from wanting to find out. So, she pushed the door wide open before rushing toward the elevator.

It was 7:00 am, and the sunlight was starting to feel warm against her skin.

She was only wearing a simple pale purple dress when she left the elevator and darted toward the open-air parking lot outside the hospital.

A few minutes later, she felt her footsteps slow when she caught sight of the familiar figure standing right before her.

Stephen was indeed still here.

He was leaning against his Cullinan with his head lowered. He had a lit cigarette between his fingers. The white smoke curled in the air, swirling upward before fading away.

Stephen didn't notice Tessa was standing nearby, observing him from a distance.

He seemed lost in thought. It was as if there was a barrier between him and the world.

The early morning sunlight fell upon him, softening the sharp lines of his side profile.

It had been days since they'd last seen each other.

Tessa's breath hitched, and she instinctively took a few steps toward him.

Stephen looked up just then, unintentionally meeting Tessa's gaze.

Judging by the way he froze, it was as if someone had pressed pause when he saw her.

Then, he immediately stubbed his cigarette out and threw it into the trash can next to him.

He still remembered that Tessa didn't like the smell of cigarettes.

Stephen hadn't been a smoker in the past.

However, he had been swamped with work lately, especially with all the chaos surrounding the Jacobsons in recent times. He had to handle both family and company affairs, working through the day and then the night. He barely had a moment of rest.noveldrama

Plus, his relationship with Tessa was... a mess.

He missed her a great deal, but they couldn't go back to how things were after everything. His heart ached whenever he thought of her, and the only way the pain would ease was when he drank or smoked.

Stephen didn't consider drinking an option as he hated the thought of losing his rationality due to alcohol. Thus, he could only smoke his longing away.

Tessa approached Stephen, making him take a hasty step back. "Don't come closer. I smell like cigarettes."

He thought to himself, "And you hate the smell of cigarettes, Tess."

Stephen lowered his gaze, hiding the stormy emotions within. "I'm sorry. I only smoked because of stress."

He was worried that Tessa would be put off by the smell of smoke clinging to him.

"It's alright." Tessa looked at Stephen before murmuring, "Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful."

He replied lowly, "It's good that you like them."

Tessa parted her lips, wanting to ask why he hadn't knocked on her door to visit her.

Yet, she found it impossible to say the words even though they were right there.

Fortunately, Stephen seemed to

have

her mind as he said,

dnt to disturb your s didn't knock." Content benet

Tessa nodded slightly. "I see."

sol

The silence seemed to stretch on forever and ever between them.

Neither of them knew what to say.

After a while, Tessa spoke. "I'll be off, then. Drive safely."

"Alright," Stephen answered, his gaze gentle.

...

Tessa received a call from Sienna that night.

"Tessa, are you free at the moment? I have something to tell you."

Sienna sounded serious, which Tessa found odd.

They were close friends, so why was Sienna beating around the bush?

"I'm available. What's up?" Tessa replied.

Sienne paused momentarily, choosing her words carefully before finally saying, "Tessa, do you remember Marissa Scott?"

Marissa... Scott?

Why would Sienna bring her up out of the blue?

Tessa answered, "I do. I know who she is, but we aren't close. Didn't she leave the country?"

"Yes, she went abroad back then, but she has returned," Sienna said solemnly.

"Is that so? Regardless, is there something I should know about Marissa?" Tessa inquired.

Sienna fell silent once more before eventually saying, "She came back for Stephen."

Tessa froze and said nothing. Instead, she waited for Sienna to continue.

When Sienna he hoticed that Tessa was unresponsive, she decided to just rip the band-aid off. "She confessed to Stephen before she went abroad seven years ago. met up with her a few days ago, and she told me that she's returned to Orkford to pursue him."

Tessa's ward was brightly lit. The

fresh roses had been placed on the tiny round table next to the hospital

be off a faint yet alluring

fragrance.

Although Sienna had long finished saying her piece, Tessa could only stare at the

roses dazedly.