Take My Breath Away

Early on, Erica had been able to see that the guy Julianna was seeing was a punk. Repeatedly, Erica had tried to convince her friend to break things off with him. But Julianna hadn't listened, and after they'd had one too many arguments over it, she and Erica fell out.

Later, Tam moved back to Y City because of his career, taking Julianna with him, and the two women hadn't seen each other since.

Still on the phone with her friend Rhea, Erica thought back on those old wounds until it twisted her stomach into a knot. Finally she said, "Forget it. I'll just ask for my brother's help!" Gifford was good at locating people, just as much as Wesley.

But Rhea suggested, "Why don't you just ask your husband for help? It will be quicker that way."

"No, Phoebe is still in his office," said Erica quickly. "I guess he is busy comforting her. I'd better not disturb them." The more she thought about it, the more wretched she felt. Here she was, stuck in a marriage that, more often than not, seemed loveless. Yet in some ways this man actually was very good to her. Not to mention, he was a source of financial stability, so Erica was reluctant to leave him.

She was a bit startled by what Rhea said next. "What nonsense! Have you forgotten you're the legal wife here? Why are you acting like you're the mistress? Stand up for yourself! You should go back to that office right now and kick Phoebe out of it. No matter how good their relationship was before, he is your husband—not hers! There's no reason at all for you to be accommodating yourself to them."

Erica winced, and her fingers tightened around her cell phone. Deep down, she thought her friend was right. But Matthew didn't even like her, let alone love her, and her feelings toward him were no warmer. Why should she go back there and make a scene over Phoebe?

"No, forget it," she declared. "I'm going to try Gifford. Besides, we haven't talked in a while. I should see if he has found a girlfriend and forgotten his little sister."

"Okay. Call me if you need anything," Rhea said.

"Okay. Bye!"

Still sitting on the curb, Erica took a few minutes to let her mood get back to normal before calling Gifford. The phone rang for almost a full minute before he finally answered. Gifford took the first word—and sure enough, it was a barb. "Matthew doesn't strike me as a stingy man. Why are you calling?"

Erica rolled her eyes. It seemed like his opinion of her hadn't changed much. "Brother, do you think I would only call you to ask for money?"

Gifford didn't miss a beat. "Yes, that's exactly what I think."

"Oh, come on! I don't need money. I'm

riend not to tell anyone about the child. Taking a breath, Erica started over. "Something happened to Tessie in A Country. Some medical complication—the doctor told me that she died because of it, so I came to find out the truth."

"Which quack dared to talk nonsense like that—spreading rumors about my family?" Fanya Dong snarled. "Who did you hear this from? Tell me so I can sue him into oblivion!" She was a strong woman who had spent half a lifetime in the business world. It was a frightening thing when she lost her temper!

However, Erica was not intimidated. All she cared about was learning what had happened to her friend. However rich she might be, Fanya Dong meant nothing to her.

"So is it true?" Erica pressed. "Tessie is really alive? Where is she now? Is she home? I want to see her!"

Had her life been saved? If Tessie was really alive, why hadn't she contacted her and Ethan?

To Erica's surprise, Fanya Dong seemed to get even angrier. "Mrs. Huo, don't you know better than anyone else why Tessie was transferred back from A Country?" If Erica weren't a member of the powerful Li family, and if she hadn't married into the even more powerful Huos, the Su family wouldn't have let go of her!

"I?" Erica hesitated, not sure what to say. She guessed then that Tessie had transferred to another school because she was afraid of what would happen if anyone found out she'd had a child.

"Mrs. Su," Erica said. "Can you give me Tessie's phone number? Or at least tell me which school she goes to?" She just wanted to see Tessie and get the truth for herself.

Fanya Dong's face didn't soften a bit. "Why should I tell you anything? Haven't you made Tessie suffer enough?" With that, she turned to the driver. "Take me inside!"