“We are finished. Leave my home,” he said.
Yet Kira did not stop. She hired a private investigator. That investigator tracked down the man Tessa had fled from. He arrived at the hotel, polished and smiling with poisoned charm.
“I am here for my fiancée,” he said.
“She is not your fiancée,” Colin replied.
The man spoke of money and promises. He said Tessa’s father was dying and wanted her home. He twisted every guilt filled blade he could.
Drew stepped between them. “Do not return. You have no right to her.”
The man left with a final threat. Tessa felt old fear rising but was not alone this time.
Days later, Drew brought unexpected news. “We found your father. He is alive.”
Tessa visited him in a small clinic on the outskirts of the city. He was thinner, weaker, but his eyes lit up when he saw her.
“I am sorry,” he said.
“So am I,” she replied.
Colin stood nearby. Her father looked at him. “Do you care for her,” he asked.
“Yes,” Colin said. “And I will protect her if she lets me.”
Tessa felt her heart tremble. “I care for you too,” she whispered. “I am scared, but I do not want to run anymore.”