Tessa’s heart thudded. She opened the door just enough to take the envelope from the woman’s hand. Thick. Sealed with wax.
No name written on the front.
She turned it over slowly, her pulse quickening with every second. The weight of it felt ominous, like whatever lay inside would split her world open even further.
Derek’s hand brushed hers gently, steadying her as her knees threatened to buckle.
“What could it be? Did you order something?” he asked.
Tessa’s lips parted, her voice a trembling whisper.
“I don’t know.”
With trembling hands and a heart beating faster than normal, Tessa turned it over in her trembling hands, running her thumb along the seam as if touch alone could reveal its secrets.
Derek’s eyes never left her. He stood close enough that she could feel the heat radiat
