Chapter 256

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Miriam reached out to Jennifer , thinking Teresa would have told her where she was headed .
“ What ? ” Jennifer exclaimed , panic setting in . She hadn’t even known Teresa had left Fernlandia .
Jennifer immediately called Evelyn , who hesitated before finally admitting , “ Teresa left . a week ago . She told me not to say anything . ”
“ She told you to keep quiet , and you actually listened ? Did you even think about how I’d feel ? ” Jennifer snapped , her voice sharp with frustration .
“ Hannah , are you trying to drive me insane ? Teresa says I don’t care about her feelings , and now you’re saying the same thing . What do you want from me ? ” Evelyn’s voice cracked .
Jennifer’s tone turned cold . “ I’ve stopped expecting anything from you . Not even your love . All I asked was for you to keep an eye on Teresa and take care of her . Was that too much to ask ? ”
“ I thought she had gone back to Nareigh , ” Evelyn replied weakly .
“ She didn’t go back to Nareigh . If she had , I would’ve known ,” Jennifer shot back , her words cutting .
“ If she didn’t go back to Nareigh , then where could she be ? And she took Mike with her ! She doesn’t even have a place to stay . How could she be so reckless ? ” Evelyn’s voice now carried a note of panic .
Jennifer scoffed , her voice dripping with sarcasm . “ Now you’re worried ? Where was all this concern when it could’ve made a difference ? If you’d told me earlier , we wouldn’t be in this mess . ”
“ I didn’t know she wasn’t even contacting you ,” Evelyn murmured , guilt evident in her
tone .
Jennifer felt a surge of frustration . She thought , ‘ I’m her only sister . Aren’t we supposed to be close ? How could she just cut me off like this ? ”
She went to Miriam , pressing her for Teresa’s whereabouts . Since Miriam was Teresa’s closest friend , Jennifer assumed she would know how to contact her .
Miriam , clearly annoyed , snapped , “ Teresa really didn’t tell me where she went . ”
Both of them had assumed Teresa would reach out to the other .
Jennifer’s voice carried a hint of bitterness . “ Before Teresa left , we talked on the phone . We argued , and she accused me of a lot of things . Was I too much ?
Miriam frowned . “ What did you two argue about ? ”
Jennifer briefly recounted some of their issues . They had agreed to leave Nareigh
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together , but while Teresa left , Jennifer stayed behind .
Miriam’s temper flared . “ Seriously , Jennifer , Teresa doesn’t owe you anything ! Who do you think you are , making all these demands on her ? No wonder she looked so upset . when she left . It was you ! You’re the reason she was so miserable ! ”
Jennifer frowned , her tone defensive . “ How is it my fault she’s unhappy ? Everything I did was for her . ”
“ Always ‘ for her own good , huh ? My parents used to say that all the time , and it drove me crazy . You keep saying it’s for Teresa’s sake , but look at her now . She’s gone with Mike , and doesn’t even talk to me anymore . Happy now? ”
“ I really was doing it for her ! ” Jennifer insisted . “ I didn’t want my nephew to be taken away by Irene . You know better than anyone what her ex – husband’s family is like . ”
“ But your so – called love has become a burden to her , ” Miriam shot back . “ It’s also the chain she wants to escape from . Teresa can’t stand you . From what I know about Teresa , she left Nareigh because she didn’t want to live with you anymore . ”
Tears welled up in Jennifer’s eyes as Miriam’s words weighed heavily on her heart . But deep down , Jennifer clung to the belief that everything she did was for Teresa’s sake , even if it hurt .
“ Love is about respecting her , not forcing her , ” Miriam continued . “The reason I’ve been able to stay close friends with Teresa for so long is because we respect each other . When she wanted to keep her child a secret , I respected her decision .
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