"Sam. I am so sorry I’m late!" Tea says as she rushes into his office.
"Relax Tea, no big deal," Sam Rappaport smiles.
Tea looks at him strangely, "Why are you in such a good mood?"
"C’mon Tea, it’s Valentine’s Day. I have big plans. Dorian’s gonna watch Starr and Blair is all mine for the night. I have it all planned…,"Sam trails off as he sees the sadness in Tea’s eyes. It hits him. "I’m sorry, Tea, I wasn’t thinking."
Tea attempts a smile. "Forget it Sam, just because I’m miserable doesn’t mean everyone else should be. I hope you and Blair have a great time."
Sam walks over to her and puts his hand on her shoulder, "I’m sure wherever he is, he’s thinking about you."
"Yeah, sure," Tea says sadly, "Let’s just get to work."

The diner is bustling with the lunchtime crowd. Tea is sitting in a booth poring over some legal briefs. Sam had asked her for her help on a murder case he had recently taken on. She had agreed, why not? They had been a great team when they worked on Todd’s case…
Here I go again, she thinks.
Her eyes fall again to her wedding ring. The future had seemed so bright that day. The wedding was beautiful, everything she had dreamed. She remembered Todd’s hazel eyes staring lovingly, hopefully into hers as he put the gold band on her finger.
Where it belongs, he had whispered They were finally going to be together. A real couple, a real family. Then, like a bubble, her dream burst. Todd had been caught trying to see Starr. Even though the integration of his alters had been successful, the judge had decided to wait a little longer before reconsidering her custody decision. Since Todd had so openly disobeyed her ruling, she made good on her promise to send him away to a psychiatric facility. Tea had tried everything to change the judge’s mind, but nothing worked. Two days after he had been admitted, Todd had managed to escape and Tea hadn’t heard from him since. She is worried, and prays silently that he is okay, but she is also angry with him. How could he just leave her like this? Doesn’t he know how deeply she loves him?
"Tea? What’s the matter?" Carlotta’s worried voice pulls Tea from her thoughts.
"What?" Tea looks up, startled.
"You’re crying!"
Tea touches her face and feels the teardrops. "I’m alright, just a little meltdown," she tells Carlotta with a weak smile.
"Don’t work too hard," Carlotta says and touches Tea’s shoulder.
Tea shakes her head and tries to focus on work, but it’s hopeless. She gathers her things and waves goodbye to Carlotta.

It’s freezing, she thinks to herself as she walks to her car. She piles her things on the hood as she fumbles for her keys. Suddenly, she sees a peach rose in front of her face. She stares at the rose for a second and is about to turn around when a deep, familiar voice freezes her.
"Happy Valentine’s Day, Delgado."

TO BE CONTINUED…