bed that was in disarray, leaving the lights to burn and the door wide open. She jumped in the back seat of the limo with her suitcase resting on her lap, staying close to the window, and leaving plenty of space between her and Rupert.
The driver looked up into the rearview mirror to see her face was full of tears.
âKeep your eyes on the road!â Rupert shouted.
They reached the airport. Rupert instructed the driver to take a walk. The driver got out and got lost.
Houston leaned over and grabbed her by the hair. âMy wife is pregnant. Thatâs the only baby Iâm looking forward to. Iâll destroy you if word gets back to her that youâre carrying my baby, too, Forget you ever knew me, much less my family. You hear me?â he shouted as he yanked her hair.
âYes.â Tessa trembled, praying that she would make it to the airplane.
Rupert kissed her on the lips one last time. âIt was good while it lasted.â He opened the door and pushed her out of the limo. She almost fell over her own suitcase.
The driver witnessed her getting out. He saw to it that she got on the airplane and stayed put until the flight took off.
She made it safely to Cancun, Mexico, finding her way to hersister, Julia, and her newborn baby. Tessa lay in bed for days depressed and sad. She hated that Rupertâs selfish ways denied her the chance to have true love with Baron.
Depression took a toll on Tessa until the day that she went into the bathroom and her water broke at seven months. She cried for Julia, who had experienced delivering a baby. After so many pushes, Tessa delivered a baby girl. Her sister cut the umbilical cord. The baby had problems breathing. Mother and baby were rushed to a hospital. Due to renal complications, her baby died.
As time passed, Tessa recovered. She found work cleaning in Mexico. It did not pay much like the Houston Estate. The income was insufficient so she got up enough nerve to send Rupert a photo of her sisterâs little girl, who resembled her. She wrote on the back of the photo: âMr. Houston, this is your daughter.â
Rupert received the photo at his office. He panicked. To keep Tessa away, he mailed her three hundred dollars a month, for what he called support.
The flight attendantâs announcement for passengers to fasten their seat belts brought Tessa back to reality. She fastened the belt and reached into her purse to find a stick of gum to help with the signs of nausea that might come on due to the high altitude.
Inside her purse was the stub from the last of the three hundred-dollar money orders she had received monthly from Rupert. She started to ball it up and throw it away; but instead, she left it in her purse. She found the stick of gum and chewed on it.
The roaring sound of the airplaneâs engine taking off made her brace herself. The plane began to move slowly until it picked up speed, faster and faster. Her hands clenched the arms of the seat. Up in the air she went, looking out the window to see the land of her heritage disappear before her eyes.
A flashing light appeared ahead, giving the passengers clearance to remove their seat belts. Tessa unlatched her seat belt. She took out the article on the Houstons and read it again. Her eyes stayed glued to Rupertâs photo. A male passenger who sat next to her noticed the photo as well.
âSuch a loss. He was a great man.â
âSo you say.â
Tessa folded the paper, shoving it back in her purse.
âI think Iâll take a nap. I see this might be a longer trip than I expected.â The male passenger closed his eyes.
Tessa wondered how Rupert was so nice in front of high-society people, but behind the scenes, he treated the common folks so cruel. She witnessed his cruelty against female servants.
Every female servant was under thirty years old, except for Elsa, the head servant. The male servants were older men. She assumed that he didnât want any
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