Jonathan glanced over and saw it was Teresa calling. He frowned and thought, ‘She calls Benny but
doesn’t even call me?‘
Benny answered the phone and said, “Hey, Jonathan’s leaving today. Aren’t you coming to see him off? He said he’s moving abroad.” Then he shot Jonathan a look and added, “He isn’t coming back.”
Teresa replied, “I’m not coming. Tell him to stay safe.”
35
Benny had the phone on speaker, so Jonathan heard her words. He thought, ‘I waited two days for
her, and that’s all she says?‘ He took Benny’s phone and walked a few steps away. “It’s Jonathan,” he
said.
Teresa fell silent. After a moment, she said, “Stay safe.”
Jonathan squinted slightly, watching the plane take off outside the window. “Is that all you have to
say to me?” he asked.
“Is there really anything left to say? Haven’t we already said everything that needs to be said?” Teresa
replied.
Jonathan fell silent. He clenched his hand by the window, took a deep breath, and finally brought up
the kids.
He said, “Don’t tell Mike too much. Just say I’m away on a business trip and I’ll come back to see them
when I can. You just got out of the hospital, so you’re still weak.
“After you move to Forlisle Rose Estates with the kids, let the nanny take care of them, so you don’t have to worry. I’ll have Gary stay here–if you need anything, you can talk to him, or Benny. They’ll both look out for you.”
Even though Teresa hadn’t said a single word to ask him to stay, Jonathan was still the father of their two children. He felt it was his responsibility to remind her of some things.
He continued, “With everything that’s happened between our families, and with Jennifer’s situation. the way it is, there’s no way we can appeal anymore. But life has to go on.
“Mike needs to start kindergarten soon, so I’ll have Gary take care of the paperwork. Since I’m leaving now, and you guys don’t want to leave Nareigh, I can get him into the best kindergarten here.
“Or, if you think that’s not necessary, just pick one nearby–whatever works for you.”
Teresa waited until Jonathan had finished, then replied in a hoarse voice, “Don’t worry about it–I’ll
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Chapter 1012
handle it myself.”
Q
41%
4351
Jonathan fell silent again. It wasn’t that he was just worried–he just couldn’t accept it, couldn’t let it go. He wanted to say a few more words to Teresa.
He knew that if she just said, “Stay. We can work things out with Evelyn and Irene. Let’s give the kids a real family, okay?” he’d cancel his ticket right then and there.
But he waited and waited, and still, Teresa never gave him an answer. He thought, ‘When things get to this point, how could I possibly keep going?
‘Real life isn’t a fairy tale, and this was never a real remarriage anyway. We’d signed a contract, agreed to pretend for three months, but now it’s ending even sooner. That beautiful vision is gone.‘
“Well, that’s that then,” Teresa said, her voice tight, like she was holding something back. She repeated softly, “Safe travels. Take care of yourself. I won’t keep you from going through security.”
“Wait,” Jonathan called out, stopping her.
“What is it? Is there something else?” Teresa asked.
Jonathan said, “I’ll find some time to reach out to a few directors and get Lucas some audition
opportunities. He’s pretty talented. If it weren’t for his injury dragging on for so long, he probably would’ve already made his debut.”
“No, you really don’t have to keep helping us just for the kids‘ sake,” Teresa said quietly.
Jonathan’s temper flared. His voice was tight with frustration as he snapped, “What did you just say? You think I’m only doing this because of the kids?”
Teresa replied, “Isn’t that what you wanted? A fresh start? I won’t get in your way anymore. I hope you find happiness.”
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