His Unveiled Passion

The night before the hearing, while Tessa was in the shower, the sound of something shattering in her bedroom startled her.

She quickly rinsed off, threw on her pajamas, and hurried to investigate.

The bedroom was empty, but the floor was covered with broken ceramic shards.

Tessa immediately recognized the broken pieces as her mother's ceramic doll.

She and her mom had painted it together at a DIY store when she was 12 years old. It was a light blue

Cinnamoroll figurine with their names carefully engraved on the back.

As she looked at the shattered fragments, a wave of anger surged through her, consuming her completely.

"Who did this?" Tessa roared, storming out of her bedroom.

She pounded on the door to Zachary's room across the hall.

"Zachary! Wendy! Which one of you went into my room?"

Zachary opened the door, his eyes clouded with annoyance. "What now? It's the middle of the night. Can't a person get some sleep?"

Tessa's chest heaved with anger, her eyes blazing. "Zachary, were you in my room?"

"Who else would have gone into your room?" He frowned. "I've been in here working on a contract this whole time."

"If it wasn't you, it must've been Wendy," Tessa snapped, turning and heading straight for Wendy's room without another word.

Wendy's room was at the end of the hall.

Seeing Tessa storm off in anger, Zachary hurried after her. He was worried something might happen.

"Wendy! Open the door!" Tessa shouted, her voice trembling with fury as she kicked it open. Zachary was taken aback.

Was this really the same gentle, submissive Tessa he had always known?

What could have happened to make her so furious?

Wendy opened the door cautiously. "Tessa, what's wrong with you?"

Tessa grabbed Wendy's wrist and yanked her toward the room.

Wendy struggled, stumbling as she was pulled along. "Let go of me! Tessa, let go!"

Tessa shoved Wendy to the floor.

"Ouch!" Wendy cried out as she lost her balance, her knee slamming into the nearby cabinet.

"Have you lost your mind, Tessa?" Wendy shouted, clutching her injured knee.

"Did you break my ceramic doll?" Tessa's voice was cold as she leaned in. "And why were you in my room just now?"

Wendy's eyes flickered nervously. "I... I didn't! I was in my room the whole time. Don't accuse me!"

Tessa looked directly into Wendy's eyes. "Oh, really? Then, why did I see the hem of your beige skirt when I came out of the bathroom?"

"That's ridiculous! I was wearing my gray dress! This beige skirt..." Wendy's words stumbled out, betraying her before she could stop herself.

She flew into a rage. "Tessa, you tricked me! You didn't even see my skirt, did you?"

Tessa shot her a cold glare. "What about your skirt? Isn't that beige dress the one you just changed into?"

A frosty glint flickered in Tessa's eyes as her voice turned as icy as a midwinter chill. "What were you doing in my room?"

Wendy froze under her piercing gaze, an involuntary shiver running down her spine. "I... I was just... looking around..."

"Why were you looking around in my room?"

Wendy swallowed hard. She was terrified that Tessa might uncover what she had done. "I... I was just..." "That's enough!" Zachary stepped forward and stood in front of Wendy. "Tessa, stop overreacting. It's just a broken porcelain doll. We can buy another one. Why are you taking it out on Wendy?"

Before he could finish, a sharp slap echoed through the room as Tessa struck Zachary hard across the face.

Both Zachary and Wendy froze in shock.

"Get out!" Tessa screamed at Zachary. "This is none of your business! Why are you defending her?" Seeing Zachary slapped, Wendy's expression hardened. She shoved him gently aside and confronted Tessa. "Why did you hit him?"

With a resounding slap, Wendy was struck hard across the face.

"Get out!"

A bright red handprint instantly bloomed on Wendy's cheek.

Furious, Wendy refused to let it slide.

She widened her eyes and raised her hand to slap back, but Tessa caught her wrist and shoved her aside. Wendy fell onto a pile of ceramic and porcelain shards, the sharp fragments cutting into her skin as blood began to gush out.

"Ah! My hand! My hand!" Wendy screamed in agony.

Zachary rushed to her side, panic etched across his face. "Dee Dee, are you alright?"

"Serves you right," Tessa said coldly, her gaze unyielding. "You wouldn't have gotten hurt if you hadn't broken it in the first place."

"Tessa, you've gone too far!" Zachary snapped, glaring at her angrily. "Apologize to Dee Dee right now!" Tessa's gaze turned icy. "She should be the one apologizing to me. She broke my things."

"Zachary, it hurts so much," Wendy whimpered, leaning into his arms as tears streamed down her face. "Please, take me to the hospital. I'm in so much pain."

"Dee Dee, just hold on. I'll take you right away."

After saying that, Zachary scooped Wendy into his arms and carried her away. As he passed Tessa, he shot her a fierce glare and said coldly, "I don't ever want to see you again."

"Fine," Tessa replied flatly, her face devoid of emotion.

Zachary paused, sensing something was off about Tessa's behavior.

But he couldn't afford to dwell on it. Wendy's hand was still bleeding. Casting Tessa a dark, piercing look,

he turned and hurried downstairs with Wendy in his arms.

After the two left, a heavy silence settled over the room.

Tessa slowly approached the pile of shattered ceramics. Kneeling down, she reached out with trembling hands, her fingers hovering over the broken fragments as if afraid to touch them.

Tears fell, one drop after another, onto the fragments.

"Mom, I'm so sorry... I couldn't protect the gift you left me... I'm so, so sorry..."

In the vast emptiness of the room, Tessa crouched on the floor as she wept uncontrollably.

When Tessa was just 12 years old, her mother fell gravely ill.

The once-gentle and serene woman, who always had a smile on her lips, was ravaged by the disease, leaving her frail and gaunt.

Back then, Tessa was still in middle school, but every day after class, she would rush to the hospital without fail.

She stayed by Tyla's side, sharing stories about her day at school and singing the new songs she had learned.

"Mom, when will you get better?" Tessa asked, her bright eyes clouded with a touch of sadness as she sat by her mother's bedside.

Tessa's mother had been ill for over six months, and her condition seemed to worsen with each passing day.

Tyla gently stroked Tessa's hair and smiled softly. "The doctor said I'll be able to go home soon," she murmured.

"Really?" Tessa's eyes lit up with hope.

"Yes." Tyla's face was drained of color, her lips faint, and her body frail. Yet, her eyes were filled with a gentle and unwavering love as she looked at her daughter. "I'll be home in a few days, just in time to celebrate your birthday."

"Yay!"

Tessa believed her.

She truly thought her mother would recover soon.

It wasn't until later that she understood what her mother meant. When Tyla said she was going home, she wasn't talking about recovery. She meant returning to spend her final days with her family and fulfill her last wishes.