Teresa thought, Jonathan is having another kid? No wonder Benny told Mike it was a secret. So this is what he was hiding?‘
Teresa was in a daze, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Forcing herself to stay calm, she said to Irene, “Okay, I’ll set the record straight. I won’t bother him anymore. I hope he’s happy.”
“That’s for the best. Just don’t hurt him again,” Irene said. Then she hung up.
Teresa gripped the table, dazed, her mind buzzing. Irene’s words kept ringing in her ears: Jonathan was remarrying—and having another baby.
Teresa thought, ‘Just let it go. Jonathan has already paid plenty in child support. He has someone new in his life and is moving on. I should be wishing him well.’
Teresa locked herself in the bathroom, slumped against the wall as she turned on the shower. Water streamed down her face, and she couldn’t even tell if it was tears or just the spray.
She felt she was dying from heartbreak. She’d never felt this awful–not even on the day she got divorced.
She thought, ‘Maybe from now on, all he’ll ever do for the two kids I gave birth to is just send money. Maybe in his heart, I’ll always just be the woman who gave him two children, won’t I?‘
Suddenly, Michael called from outside the bathroom, “Mom!”
Teresa quickly wiped her tears, took a deep breath to compose herself, and tried to sound normal as she asked, “What’s up, Mike?”
“Mom, are you okay? Did you fall asleep in there or something?” Michael asked, his tone full of concern.
“I’m just dealing with something, honey. I’ll be out in a minute,” Teresa replied.
Mike called out again, “Mom, Felix is crying.”
“Okay, I got it,” Teresa replied.
When Teresa finally came out, her eyes were still red.
Michael noticed her red eyes and asked, “What happened, Mom?”
“I was drying my hair and the wind from the hair dryer got in my eyes,” Teresa said, trying to play it off.
“Does it hurt? Want me to blow on them and make it better?” Mike asked, full of concern.
“No, it doesn’t hurt,” Teresa replied. She thought, ‘It’s not my eyes that hurt, it is my heart. It hurts so much, like there’s a hole rotting right through it.’
Amy had something to take care of today, so Teresa let her leave early. That left her as the only adult in the house, with Michael trailing right behind her.
8:20 Fri, Sep 12
Chapter 1041
“Mom, hasn’t Mr. Lime called yet?” Michael asked.
“He won’t be calling again,” Teresa replied.
“How come?” Michael asked.
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Teresa didn’t answer. She just turned her back to Michael and busied herself with comforting Felix. She thought, ‘Felix is only a month old. And he has already gotten another woman pregnant? What a guy!’
Michael still wasn’t ready to give up. He asked, “Mom, can we please call Mr. Lime again?”
“No, honey, we’re not calling him. Not ever again. If he really misses us, he’ll call us himself. If he doesn’t, then we don’t need to talk to him anymore,” Teresa said gently but firmly.
Teresa was up almost the entire night, unable to sleep. She kept telling herself inside, ‘Life goes on. I will never let Jonathan mess with my life again.’
The next morning, Teresa got up bright and early. It was almost time for the press conference.
She was wearing a high–slit dress, one of the latest styles her company was rolling out. Her body had snapped right back after giving birth—one’d never guess she was a mom of two. She looked even more stunning and seductive than ever.
Before leaving for the venue, she encouraged herself. She couldn’t afford to slip up at this product launch.
Teresa got to the venue early, and Miriam showed up as well.
Even with heavy makeup, Miriam could still see the red, swollen circles around Teresa’s eyes. She asked, “What’s wrong? Did you cry? Did something happen?”
“No, it’s nothing. Felix was fussy last night, and I couldn’t sleep,” Teresa replied, sniffing a little. She then asked, “Is everything ready? No problems, right?”
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