Becoming Mrs.Terry

Chapter Six: Cracks in the Armor

The late afternoon sun streamed through the high windows of the Terry mansion, casting golden streaks across the polished floors. Tinah had just returned from a quiet visit to the library wing—a place she had only discovered the day before—when Mrs. Danvers informed her:

“Miss Hope is here to see you, ma’am. Mr. Terry asked the staff to bring her in.”

Tinah blinked. “Rowland did?”

“Yes. They’re in the garden.”

Tinah didn’t even stop to take off her shoes. She hurried down the hall, through the glass doors, and stepped into the back garden.

The sight that greeted her made her pause mid-step.

Rowland—Rowland Terry, the man who spoke like his mouth had forgotten how to smile—was sitting on a garden bench across from Hope. His sleeves were rolled up. His phone was nowhere in sight.

And he was laughing.

Laughing.

Hope was in the middle of telling a story, hands moving animatedly, and Rowland—stoic, unreadable Rowland—had his head tilted back, a genuine smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Tinah stood still, watching from behind a rose archway.

“—and then Tinah nearly flipped the whole grill over because the chicken caught fire!” Hope finished, wheezing with laughter.

“I can’t picture her panicking,” Rowland said, amused. “She always looks like she’s calculating her next move.”

“That’s the thing,” Hope replied. “She was calculating. Just… badly. She wanted to impress this guy. What was his name again?”

Tinah stepped forward quickly. “That’s enough, Hope.”

Hope turned, grinning. “Too late. I already told him your secret. You’re not always composed and cool.”

Rowland stood, brushing invisible dust from his trousers. “Apparently, you used to be a menace in the kitchen.”

Tinah gave him a deadpan look. “I still am.”

He smirked, eyes glinting. “Noted.”

Hope wrapped her arms around Tinah. “This place is huge. I got lost three times.”

Tinah smiled, finally relaxing. “Thanks for coming. I needed familiar air.”

“I can’t stay long,” Hope said. “Just wanted to check in, make sure you haven’t turned into a cold rich wife who drinks sparkling water and says things like ‘Let’s do brunch.’”

Rowland chuckled.

Tinah raised a brow at him. “You’re laughing a lot today. Should I be worried?”

He gave her a look that was almost fond. “Hope’s very… convincing.”

Hope beamed. “I like him. He’s weird, but in a quiet, damaged kind of way.”

Tinah’s mouth dropped. “Hope!”

“What? I’m honest.”

Rowland didn’t seem offended. If anything, he looked thoughtful.

“I’ve been called worse,” he said. “But I don’t mind damaged. It means something still matters.”

Tinah looked at him. And for a moment, the mansion faded, the world slowed, and all she saw was a man who was trying—not just to do business, or keep appearances—but to connect.

Hope clapped her hands. “Okay, this moment is getting too soft. I’m going before I end up liking you too much.”

She hugged Tinah tightly, then gave Rowland a mock salute and walked back inside.

Once they were alone, Tinah glanced at him. “You didn’t have to entertain her.”

“I didn’t,” he said. “I enjoyed it.”

“That’s… surprising.”

He nodded slowly. “She reminds me of someone I used to know. Before all this.”

Tinah waited, but he didn’t elaborate.

“Thanks,” she said instead. “For letting her visit. For not being… you know, distant.”

Rowland turned to her. “I can’t be distant with someone who makes you laugh like that. I see how she grounds you.”

Tinah looked away, heart tightening. “She’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a sister.”

“She sees the real you,” Rowland said. “And I think… I want to see her too.”

Tinah looked up at him, startled.

Rowland’s eyes softened. “If I’m going to be your husband—even if it’s on paper—I should at least try to understand the people who matter to you.”

She swallowed hard. “That would mean a lot.”

They stood there in the golden light, a little closer, a little quieter.

For the first time, Tinah didn’t feel like a stranger in her own story.