The sky began to pale with the first light of dawn, and the faint morning glow filtered through the glass window, casting a soft light on Tessa’s pale, haggard face.

She had sat by the window all night, only dozing off when morning came as she leaned against the glass.

It wasn’t a good sleep. She had dreamt of Stephen several times, waking up startled each time.

In the last dream, she saw Stephen standing in front of her, holding hands with Nancy. His eyes were filled with happiness as he smiled and told Tessa he was getting married, asking her to attend the wedding.

Of course, Tessa cried in the dream. When she woke up, there were tear stains on her cheeks.

Outside the door, the housekeeper knocked softly. “Ms. Yates, are you awake? Lunch is ready.”

Tessa wiped her tears, walked to the door, and pulled it open. “You go ahead and eat first. I need to take a shower and change before coming down.”

The housekeeper noticed Tessa’s pale face and the dark circles under her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Ms. Yates, did you not sleep well last night?”

The housekeeper didn’t use social media and wasn’t aware of Stephen’s scandal. She also didn’t know that the engagement between the Jacobson and Yates families had been called off.

All she knew was that Stephen and Tessa were in a relationship and that Stephen cared deeply for her, having specifically instructed her to take good care of Tessa. Seeing Tessa looking so unwell, she couldn’t help but ask.

Tessa was exhausted. She had only slept for five hours, which had not been a restful sleep. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

The housekeeper didn’t press further. “Alright, then go ahead and shower. I’ll keep the food warm for you.”

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. It’s what I’m here for.”

The housekeeper turned and went downstairs. Tessa closed the door, leaned

against it, and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the floor.

Her phone was full of missed calls and unread messages.

She scrolled through them one by one, but none were from Stephen.

She hadn’t eaten since last night. After staying up all night, her body was drained of all strength, her limbs weak and heavy. Her face was deathly pale, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

She sat there gripping her phone until her fingers went numb.

A call came in at that moment. It was from Samuel.

Tessa remembered he had mentioned yesterday that someone would come to pick her up today, so she answered the call.

On the other end, Samuel’s voice was warm and low, carrying the concern and affection of a father. “Tess, how are you? Have you been eating and sleeping well?”

Tessa’s nose tingled, and her eyes grew misty again. She said in a hoarse voice, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Samuel paused. Knowing Tessa as well as he did, she had to be lying.

She must have had a rough night-probably hadn’t eaten properly or slept well

either. Her voice was weak, as if she could barely hold herself up.

He sighed silently, and his chest tightened with heartache. After a moment, he steadied his emotions and spoke again. “Tess, the press conference ended this morning. We’ve officially announced the cancellation of the engagement. I’ve sent a car to pick you up? Have some lunch, and then come home, alright?”

Tessa’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only managed a weak hum in assent.

“Alright, go eat now. I’ll hang up.”

Knowing she needed time alone to process her feelings, Samuel didn’t stay on the phone. After saying what needed to be said, he hung up.

Tessa sat on the floor for a long time before finally dragging her exhausted, numb body into the bathroom like a lifeless shell.

Downstairs, the housekeeper dialed Stephen’s number.

Stephen had given her his private line so he could be informed of Tessa’s

situation as soon as possible.