After The Truth

Tessa Chapter 43

He drops my hands and his face changes, he doesn't get particularly mad but.......he changes.

"What?" He says with a deep tone.

I look down at my hands and slowly graze them up my thighs before I look up at the wall.

"When...........when you left me, I was alone and .........mad. I went to work one day and Steve called me into his office and offered me a job...........this really great job. He wants me to manage and run the AFP Arts fashion and Photography, it's a new branch added to the company and he wants me run it Hardin."

I look up at him hoping to see some sympathy but all I see is hurt.

"Why can't you run the "AFP" here?" He says rudely.

"They are only opening a branch in Paris, and I.............I signed the contract already." I say softly.

"WHAT?"

He stands up.

"Hardin you promised you wouldn't get mad.."

"Yeah that was before I knew that my girlfriend was fucking leaving me! That you were gonna move to the other side of the fucking world!"

I stand up.

"Don't you dare yell at me, I'm being honest with you!"

His expression changes and his jaw clenches.

"It's not like I was gonna pack up and leave in the middle of the night, Steve has an offer for you too. You can run the Paris editing department in the building he has there and still write your books just like you do here, you can come with me."

I try to reach for his hands but he pulls away.

He scoffs.

"Why the hell would I do that? Tessa we have a perfect life here, you have a good job here and school and your fucking family!"

"Hardin do you know what this job could mean for my career? Here I'm basically a glorified secretary! But in Paris I will be running a part of the company, my part of the company. Why can't you be happy for me? Do you know what it feels like to live here and work in that office and go to school, I'm constantly worried that people are talking about me or judging me. I don't ever wanna see Sam and Chase, and I........the city isn't everything I had hoped it would be. The only thing good that I have here is you, you are the only good thing I got out of this city, and I want a fresh start....we can have a fresh start Hardin. Don't you want that?"

He yanks at his hair and turns away from me and looks out the window.

...

"How long have you known?" He asks.

"What?"

He quickly turns around.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU FUCKING KNOWN THAT YOU WERE PLANNING ON LEAVING ME!"

I intend to snap back at him but I decide against it, if he's gonna act like a child then he deserves to be treated like one.

I grab my laptop and blanket from the bed along with my headphones, I leave the room and walk down the hallway. I hear him follow behind me.

"Where are you going?" He says frustrated.

I stay silent.

"So what you're gonna fucking ignore me?"

I walk past the kitchen and past the livings room down the guest hallway.

"Don't you dare ignore me Theresa, don't make me fuck this behavior out of you."

What an arrogant man.

I quickly turn and face him.

"Until you are ready to speak to me with respect I'm not talking to you. Unlike you I keep my word and I promised you no more fighting, until you are ready to be mature and talk about this like adults I don't wanna see you." I say calmly.

I walk into the guest room and lock the door, I hear him knock.

"Tessa this is childish."

I put in my headphones and plug them into my laptop, I log into Hardin's Spotify and chose the playlist he made for me. I turn the volume all the way up and close my eyes.