Months

lurted out, peeking over her shoulder to meet

tening her depression. Her rent was due, and bills had piled up, waiting to be sorted from an empty account. She didn't

the money. She tightened her grip on the door handle, her heart

worry about anything now, Tessa. My dad is very comfortable with you living with us unti

own eyes. She had saved her from d

ed towards Tessa's side to get the door for her. "Welcome to Velmark, and welcome t

ion in a glance, eyes b

ked again, eyes back

s three times bigger than the one-ro

re he leaves the house. He has a meeting to attend in an hour." She gestured to the chauffeur to help with Tessa's luggag

g. She was beyond gr

ou. You graduated top of our class in coll

h had been upholding her since t

-manicured shrubs added touches of nature to the house. Sleek, tall, glass win

the stress of job-hunting. You know?" Maribel interrupted her silen

ed her dad. "He has done enough, Bel. He let you bring me here to

wouldn't even mind. "My dad will do anything that I ask of him, Tessa. He

er own, and she imagined what her father would be like. They had been friends for f

ust assumed that Maribel might take after her father in the beauty department. For four straight years, she won the award for the most

on the other hand, was free with everyone, hiding her insecurity under the façade of being funny. To her, it was more

body was too banging to be called loose, but she still didn't feel

of the reasons Dylan cheated on her.

r head for a second, but she smothered the t

art of new things. That old li

irst, walking behind her, her smile wi

at her when he saw her? What if he didn't like her and asked her to le

was her only hope of getting herself back together. She needed to find herself again before going back to Bally to see her gran

the courage to face them again. Her aim in Velmark was to rebuild her s

o distractions.

essa stood still, hands behind her back. The heady scent of a ri

of Maribel's father changing his mind about her, she lifted her chi

a single, startled glance before looking aw

k, but no word came. Then she closed it back, steadying herself, trying t

eterring her from properly assessi