Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 63: Comforting Teela

King

King was pained that Teela thought so little of him. He never saw her as furniture. Did he really come off like that?

He wanted to give Teela what she needed, but he wasn’t sure how to take care of someone. Everyone had catered to him since he became an adult and took over the business.

When Teela began crying, King wasn’t sure how to comfort her. She’d made it clear she didn’t want him around her. But he was the only one around. He’d been surprised that she had allowed him to help her with her jacket and shoes.

It had been years since he’d comforted anyone. Not since Ben was little. He searched his memories for what had worked with Ben, but he didn’t think playing with racecars or sneaking snacks in after bedtime would do the trick with Teela.

"Teela, wait here. I’ll be right back."

King rushed next door but hesitated before knocking at the door of the condo assigned to the support staff. Man, this was going to hurt his pride to the core. If it was anyone but Teela, there was no way he would put himself through this.

He tapped twice and waited.

Jake opened the door, looking tired. "Yeah?"

"I don’t know." King hated asking for help. He hated it even more that he was asking Jake, the same guy his wife had just professed her love to.

This wasn’t going to get any easier if he just stood there looking stupid.

"She’s crying. I don’t know how to comfort her."

Jake rubbed at his eyes. "Man, I don’t know. Did you try holding her?"

"She gets upset when I touch her."

"Okay, then don’t touch her. Get her a bottle of water and a warm cloth to wash her face. Sit next to the bed and talk to her."

"About what?"

"Anything. It doesn’t matter. The point is to get her out of her head and thinking about something else. Treat her like a scared puppy."

"I’ve never had a pet."

"King, you’re killing me here. Where’s Father DiMarco when I really need him?"

"Okay. Fine. I’ll work it out." King turned to leave.

"Talk to Teela until she calms down, then talk her into going to bed. Offer to stay with her in whatever capacity she’s comfortable with, but respect her wishes if she asks you to leave."

King nodded. "Thanks."

"Good luck."

King returned to his condo, stopping in the kitchen for water and the bathroom for a cloth.

He took them to Teela’s bedroom, tapping on the door before going in.

Teela was still sitting on the edge of the bed, wringing her hands and crying.

King squatted in front of her. "Hey, Teela, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. Can you forgive me?"

He opened the water bottle for her and handed it to her. He was pleased when she took a drink before handing it back.

"I’m fine," Teela said.

She sounded tired and sober.

"I hope so."

Tentatively, King reached out to wipe the tear streaks from Teela’s cheeks. Startled, Teela reared back and out of reach.

"Sorry," King said. "I brought you this." He handed her the cloth. "I thought it would make you feel better."

Teela shook her head. "I should sleep. I drank too much. I probably embarrassed Jake."

"I don’t think so. He seems pretty tolerant of you, no matter what you do."

Teela nodded. "Still, he shouldn’t have to be. He’s got enough troubles of his own."

King decided to get comfortable. He kept his distance but adjusted his position until he was resting with his back against the bed and his legs stretched out on the floor before him.

"Yeah? What is Jake’s story? How did he end up in your friends circle?"

King was surprised when Teela actually told him, and as she shared Jake’s story, Teela relaxed on the bed. From his position on the floor, it sounded like her head must be right above his.

"So, his wife sold his stepsons to Daniel. Is that the theory?" King asked.

"All we know for sure is the boys are missing, and we found a video from one of Daniel’s properties showing a guard carrying the younger boy out of a reflection room."

"How old are the boys?"

"Young. Not even teenagers yet."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

King remembered what Jake said about talking to Teela. He wasn’t good at talking without a purpose. He was getting better at it with Teela, but it didn’t come naturally to him. He blamed life with Mom and too many visits to the reflection room. If the walls had ears, then the less said, the less that could be used against him.

"I spent most of my teen years trying to keep Ben out of the reflection room. I remember hurrying home from school so I could meet Ben at the door. We’d go to my room to study or play quietly. Anything to keep him out of Mom’s sight as much as possible.

"For some reason, she hated Ben ever since he was a baby."

Teela said, "I wonder if she blamed him for ending her marriage."

"Maybe. I don’t know for sure why Dad left. I was too young to understand much. One day he was there. The next, he was gone, and Mom was angry. I don’t think a day has passed since then when she wasn’t angry."

"What about your dad? Do you have a relationship with him?"

"I looked him up. He has a new family now. He’s happy. But no, not really. We don’t talk."

"It might be interesting to hear his side of the story."

"Maybe, but what would it change?"

"I don’t know. My mom is gone. I don’t have an option to have a relationship with her anymore. I guess I was thinking you might regret it if you didn’t at least find out for sure whether your dad might want a relationship with you."

"Mom always said it was his choice to leave."

Teela yawned. "But your mom’s a liar. Can you trust she didn’t like about your dad, too?"

I’d thought of that, but now didn’t see like the right time to drag Dad back into our lives. Maybe after the dust settled on this human trafficking stuff.

Teela fell quiet, and her breathing evened out. King peeked over the edge of the bed and saw she had fallen asleep on top of the covers. He got up and covered her, tucking a pillow under her head.

He thought hard about stretching out next to her, but if she woke up and found him there, King was sure it would upset her. On the other hand, he didn’t want to sleep alone any more than Teela did.

Strange. He seldom slept beside Nan, and when he slept beside Teela every night, he did his best to ignore her. Now, all he could think about was how nice it felt the few times recently when Teela had let him hold her close.

But again, she would not appreciate his attention while she was sleeping. So, King took the extra pillow from the bed and tossed it on the floor next to the bed. He tiptoed to the closet and pulled down the extra blanket he knew was stored there, and used it to fashion a makeshift pallet on the floor.

His body might regret sleeping on the hard floor, especially after the taekwondo workout, but something deep inside him needed to stay close to Teela more than his body needed the comfort of a real bed.

King wondered what had changed. Why had she become so important to him? Was it like Teela said? Did he value her more because he saw how much she meant to Jake and Stiff? Or was he an adult male acting out against his domineering mother? Because Mom hated her so much, King felt that much more inclined to protect her.

The more King thought about it, the more certain he was that the change was because of Teela herself. Before she made herself small, taking up as little space in the Heavenly household as she possibly could, but now, she was spreading her wings. She spoke up for herself and others, and she showed an intelligence that King never knew was there.

He also had to admit that when she wasn’t wearing baggy clothes, she was an attractive woman. While not as sophisticated as Nan, Teela had a natural beauty that showed from the inside out.

Before long, King found himself relaxing to the sound of Teela’s steady breathing. Maybe that was it. Maybe he had grown accustomed to her breathing. Maybe it was the ultimate white noise to soothe his troubled soul.

Anything was better than the nightmares that plagued too many of his nights, and now that he knew Min’s story, he was sure those nightmares would become more frequent. It killed him that his childhood friend had been at his side all these years, and he never even knew it.

He had so many sins to pay for. If only Teela would give him the chance.