Tessa felt her stomach tighten. She wanted to interrupt, to say something, anything to ease the weight of his confession, but she stayed quiet, sensing that this moment wasn’t about her. It was about him laying himself bare, trusting her with something sacred.
“When I came into town,” he continued, his gaze drifting down to the street below, “I never imagined I’d meet you. I never imagined I’d… care like this. I didn’t even know a part of me could care this much. But then I saw you, Tessa. Your presence… it stood out. You didn’t ask for attention, but you had it anyway. There was something about you I couldn’t ignore.”
Tessa’s breath caught in her throat. She swallowed hard and stepped closer. “Derek…”
He didn’t look at her. He just kept walking slowly around the office, hands buried in
