She released him, huffing as she turned to re ahead.


    At the red light, Tarquin brought the car to a halt, turning to soothe her with a charm that was hard to resist, "Whatever you say, hon. Please, don''t be mad."


    Reaching for Elysia''s hand, he was met with a p on the back of his hand.


    Far from being deterred, he sped Elysia''s hand even tighter within his own.


    Just as Elysia was about to snap at him, he gave her a pitiful look and said, "I think I''ming down with something."


    Elysia paused, her anger subsiding into concern, "What''s wrong? Where does it hurt?"


    "It''s everywhere. I only feel better when I''m close to you, the closer the better."


    Rolling her eyes, Elysia smacked his hand again, "Focus on driving!"


    With a goofy grin, Tarquin hit the gas as the light turned green, driving off with the joy of a peacock in full disy.


    He couldn''t even stop himself from humming love songs...


    On the second day of their love affair, they walked hand in hand through the streets, grabbed a bite to eat, and caught a movie, sneaking kisses in the street, the mall, the cinema...


    By the third day, the kids were back to school, and Keith had lost his job.


    Tarquin had put pressure on the preschool to fire Keith, and since Keith was badly injured and confined to his home, Elysia didn''t feel guilty about the kids being at school.


    But Tarquin turned into a whole new problem.


    Insisting on taking the kids to school himself, he risked exposing them-after all, Elliot, Evan, and Emmett didn''t wear makeup to school!


    With no other choice, Elysia, along with Blossom, had to drop the kids off at school half an hour early.


    This left Tarquin fuming. He sent Elijah to stay at a vi for a day and ''imprisoned'' Elysia in their Sunshine Community apartment, where he yfully tormented her all day long.


    They explored new ces to kiss kitchen, bathroom, balcony...


    Yet, the final boundary remained uncrossed, as Elysia set her limits, which Tarquin dared not overstep.


    However, when passion overwhelmed him, he couldn''t hold back, pouring out his affection for Elysia twice.


    Elysia, though embarrassed, didn''t me him, understanding his feelings.


    As days passed, their love soared like a rocket entering its peak phase.


    Not just Tarquin, Elysia too wanted to stick by his side every moment. Despite the temptation, she moved into apartment 1803 alone, leaving the kids at Blossom''s.


    She held keys to both ces, staying with Blossom during spats with Tarquin, and with Tarquin during their sweeter moments.


    Even in the throes of love, she never allowed Tarquin to move in with her.


    Yet, every night, Tarquin lingered until well past midnight before leaving.


    Then came March, bringing spring and the promise of renewal.


    Just when everything seemed to be going right, disaster struck out of the blue.


    One day, Tarquin''s Volkswagen spontaneouslybusted in the parking lot!


    They were kissing under a nearby tree when the car exploded, bursting into mes.


    Elysia screamed, haunted by nightmares for days after.


    Tarquinter investigated but found no signs of foul y, attributing the fire to spontaneousbustion. The insurancepany would handle it.


    Then, not long after, just when Elysia had begun to move past the incident, another, far more severe tragedy struck.