Hidden Heart by Camelia Miron Skiba Page B

of candles scattered all over the
floor and turned on the radio. Soft music flooded the room. Then,
she turned off the lights and took her clothes off. She sunk in the
hot water, leaned against the tub’s edge and closed her
eyes.
    Half an hour later, the
water had turned cold. She reached for a towel.
    Daniel handed it to her.
When did he enter the bathroom? He covered her and gently touched
her face. He kissed her eyes, then her mouth. Hungrily, she turned
to him for anything he had to offer; she wanted him to hold her.
Tessa gripped his shoulder and returned his kisses. She desperately
needed to forget the pain; she’d welcome anything that would
distract her from it. That night they made love like they once did
when their love felt alive and real. She fell asleep in his arms
and dreamt of her mama laughing and watering her beloved plants in
the family room. She woke up feeling slightly better; her mama
seemed happy and still so close.
     
    The next day Tessa drove to
her parents’ house, and together with her sisters searched through
boxes filled with photos, old school tests and diplomas. They
laughed at some photos, cried at others. They remembered old times
when they had gotten in trouble for silly things they did. It felt
good to be with her sisters and share memories.
    They decided to sell the
house once all their parents’ belongings were sorted out and the
place emptied out, which of course fell on Tessa’s shoulders since
her sisters didn’t plan on returning back to Romania for a while.
She promised she’d try to do little by little, whenever she could
and hoped no later than the summer she’d hire a realtor to help
with the sale.
     
    Later that afternoon
Octavia returned to England and Chiara back to Germany. Tessa took
both of them to the airport and, although she’d seen her sisters
leave before, for some reason, this time seemed the hardest time to
say goodbye.
    Loneliness overcame her as
she left the airport behind. She always had her mama to go back to,
to call in between meetings, in between flights, on her way home,
anytime she needed. But she no longer could do that. Mama, her dear
Mama was gone.
     

Chapter 4
     
    The grief of losing her mama was unbearable. Needing additional
support, Tessa kept in touch with her sisters more now than before
the funeral. Each time she walked into her parents’ house the
memories enveloped her and she wouldn’t stay there for more than a
couple of hours at a time.
    She often felt exhausted
from the business traveling, sometimes three or four days at a
time. Her life spiraled at an agonizing speed between work, travel
and social life. Some weekends she cleared more of her parents’
belongings and ran errands, others she’d have one event to attend
after another and by the time Monday rolled in she was already
tired. The following week she’d start all over again.
    For a while things seemed
better between her and Daniel. He appeared to understand her
grieving period and offered her comfort, but soon he left again for
days and spent more money than he made. She grew tired of arguments
and deep in her heart, she knew she needed to focus more on their
relationship.
     
    “ Victor called and said you
need to stop by the office before you leave for Vienna. He said
it’s urgent.” Eva poked her head in Tessa’s office and left the
door open behind her.
    “ What is it now? My plane
leaves in two hours and I haven’t even packed.” She sighed and
shoved a handful of files in her bag, then walked out of her
office.
    “ Good morning,” Victor
invited her in. “Have a seat.”
    “ Thanks,” Tessa took the
cup of green tea he handed her. “I need to be at the airport, so
what’s the emergency?” She took a sip from her cup, closed her eyes
to savor its aroma and felt energized within seconds.
    She sat across from
Victor’s desk and waited for him to talk. When she looked at him
she realized something was wrong.
    Victor seemed very nervous
and