When She Walks Away (Teresa) novel Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Teresa’s face was pressed against Troy’s chest, and she could hear his voice resonating and his heart thumping beneath her ear.

His words were so heartfelt that even Teresa, who had been married before, couldn’t help but feel a flutter in her chest.

But she knew Troy was a smooth operator, street–smart and experienced; he always knew exactly what to say to charm any woman.

Teresa struggled a couple of times, but when she realized she couldn’t get loose, she finally said, “The first aid kit is in the coffee table drawer.”

Troy let go of her and snapped, “Teresa, no one would care about you.” With that, he turned and headed for the window.

The rope was still dangling on the floor. All he had to do was pick it up, and he could get out of here right away. But Troy stopped. He just stood there, not moving for what felt like forever.

Teresa saw Troy’s reflection in the floor–to–ceiling window. His eyes were shut tight, like he was battling his own demons.

But after just a few seconds, Troy spun around with a flash of anger and strode over to the coffee table. He rummaged through and grabbed the first aid kit, then looked up at Teresa, who was still lingering by the door.

“Come here,” he ordered. His voice was bossy, leaving no room for argument.

Teresa paused, uncertain, but in the end, she stepped forward. She sat down on the couch and held out her arm to him. “Thanks,” she said softly.

Troy didn’t say a word. He rolled up her sleeve, and then he let out a playful, “I could never turn my back on you,”

Teresa froze for a moment, caught off guard. She looked down at Troy, who was bending in front of her. His movements were clumsy, almost awkwardly careful, as if he was terrified of hurting her.

Troy was tall and handsome, but his kindness always put Teresa on edge. His closeness felt anything but innocent.

Teresa understood exactly what was going on, but she kept it to herself. ‘Some things are best kept in your own heart,‘ Teresa thought.

Once he finished tending to her wound, Troy still didn’t say a word. He set her phone down, grabbed the rope, and slipped out the window.

In no time, he was gone–vanished from the window.

After putting the first aid kit away, Teresa’s phone rang again. She looked down and saw it was Charles calling.

Maybe there’s news about the divorce agreement, Teresa thought, and picked up right away.

Charles’s voice came through the phone. “Hey, I wanted to ask–how do you usually help Yolanda when her stomach hurts?”

Yolanda’s stomach was acting up again, and nothing they did seemed to work. So, with no other options, Charles had no choice but to call Teresa.

Teresa felt let down again, but the feeling passed quickly.

She steadied herself and answered patiently, “Warm up your hands first, then gently press your palm on the spot that hurts and massage it in soft circles.”

Charles’s voice was calm on the other end. “Got it.”

Just as Charles was about to hang up, Teresa called after him, “Charles?”

“What’s up?” he asked.

Teresa spoke seriously, “If it’s not about the divorce agreement, please don’t call me again. I’m busy, and I don’t have time to play house with you. We’re not young anymore. Dragging this out is just a waste of both our time.”

Charles was taken aback. After a long pause, he finally said, “Liam just called. He said the divorce agreement is almost done. I’ll follow up tomorrow. Let’s meet at Brocade Villa tomorrow night.”

Teresa let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, see you tomorrow night.”

1/8

11:27 AM P P.

Chapter 128

0

The next evening, Teresa went to Brocade Villa right after work.

Barbara was surprised to see her, but her surprise quickly turned into a smile. “Mrs. Logan, would you like me to fix you some dinner?” Barbara asked.

Teresa shook her head. “I’m good, not really hungry.”

Barbara nodded and went back to what she was doing.

Teresa sat on the couch, waiting for Charles to come back. She didn’t even reach for her phone, just stared into space.

But as the minutes ticked by, Charles still hadn’t shown up.

It was almost nine o’clock, and there was still no sign of him.

The longer she waited, the more her patience wore thin.

H

TH

H

TH

41

W

”

H

7

THE

Teresa let out a sigh, her voice tinged with defeat. “Alright, I understand.”

After washing her hands and leaving the department, Teresa stepped out of the hospital and immediately saw Charles waiting in his car. She opened the door and slid into the back seat.

Charles didn’t give Barbara‘ a chance to ask anything. He ordered, “Barbara, go get some rest, Teresa and I have something to discuss.”

“Okay, Barbara said quickly and left.

The vibe tonight was strange, and Barbara didn’t dare linger.

Once Barbara left, Charles took out the divorce agreement he’d prepared and passed it to Teresa. “Take a look. If there’s anything you’re not happy with, we can go over it together, he said.

Teresa gave a quiet nod and accepted the papers, her eyes scanning each line with care.

2/3

11:27 AM PP.

Chapter 128

The first clause said Charles wanted custody of Yolanda.

The second clause promised Teresa 30 million dollars in cash, but Brocade Villa and Joyacre Villa weren’t included in the compensation.

The third clause made it clear Teresa couldn’t remarry or have any more kids for five years after the divorce.

The fourth clause said that whenever Yolanda needed her mom, Teresa had to drop everything and show up.

The fifth clause said Teresa could visit Yolanda, but only if both Charles and Yolanda agreed.

The sixth clause said they couldn’t let Richard know about the divorce for now, so whenever he called them home, they’d have to put on an act and pretend everything was normal.

After reading through the agreement, Teresa figured it was reasonable enough. She looked up at him and said, “No issues from me.”

She was eerily calm, like this was just another trivial thing between them. But this marriage was something Teresa had schemed and struggled to get in the first place. And now, she just dropped it.

These past couple of days, Charles kept wondering if Teresa was pulling back on purpose, trying to get his attention. But seeing her now, turns out, he’d just been imagining things.

Charles stared into Teresa’s eyes. For the first time ever, he was really taking a good look at her.

Even when they were in bed together, he’d just gone through the motions, never really paying attention. But now, for once, he was actually sizing her up, really noticing her.

He had to admit–she was gorgeous. With delicate features, a high nose, those deep eyes–she was a knockout, no doubt about it.

Charles spaced out, and when Teresa saw he was just sitting there, she called out to him, “Charles?”

He snapped back, grabbed a pen, and said, “I don’t have any objections either.”

Once he’d signed his name, he passed the pen to Teresa. She took it and slowly signed her name on the agreement.

With everything settled, Charles stood up and said to Teresa, “I’ll meet you at the local court at nine tomorrow morning. We’ll submit the divorce paperwork and start the next steps.”

“Okay,” Teresa replied.

3/3