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Jennifer pressed her lips together , forcing herself to calm down when the saw Teresa about to make young and reckless ”
Teresa nodded . “ Sure , I’m not as old as you , but I’m not a kid anymore . ”
Tm not as impolitve in you , You’re just
Jennifer , annoyed at the jab about her age , pointed at Teresa . “ Fine . But if trene ends up taking Mike away , don’t come crying to me And don’t regret what you said today ”
Teresa shot back , “ Who knows which one of us will end up in tears ? Deep down , we both know who’s got it
Jennifer snapped . “ If you’re so brave , call Jonathan right now . Tell him Mike is his son . Go on , do it ! ”
Teresa was really pissed off , “ You sure about that ? ” it a burst of anger , she pulled up Jonathan’s number on her phone and hit call .
Jennifer’s eyes w
widened in shock . She hadn’t expected Teresa to actually call Jonathan ,
The phone rang twice , but no one picked up . Before the ringtone could finish , Jennifer snatched the phone from Teresa and hung up , staring at her in
disbelief .
“ Are you out of your mind ? Seriously , you’re just going to throw away your peaceful life to confess to him ? Have you even thought about how I feel ? ”
“ And have you thought about how I feel ? Or how your nephew feels ! I’ve let Mike down , and I’ve let Jonathan down too . ”
Tears streamed down Teresa’s face . She lifted her hand to cover it , not wanting Jennifer to see her break down . All the time she’d stayed silent and pretended to be cold to Jonathan Suddenly , she felt like she was falling apart .
Jennifer’s heart ached . “ You haven’t let anyone down , Teresa , You did the right thing . You just wanted Mike to stay with his mom , not grow up in a mess . ”
Teresa lowered her hand . “ I was wrong . There were so many times I wanted to tell Jonathan the truth , but you always stopped me . Now , after everything that’s happened , I just can’t face him anymore . ”
way without looking back , if he’d just glanced back , he
When Jonathan leh Narigh , he hugged Teresa once at the airport , then turned and walked away would have seen Teresa’s hand resting on her belly and her face streaked with tears .
“ You didn’t do anything wrong , so why blame yourself ? ” Jennifer said . “ Back when we weren’t even family , you told me you’d keep the baby a secret , not get back together , and never let his dad know .
“ You said your mother – in – law treated you terribly , and I saw for myself how much trouble trene caused you . How could I stand by and watch you walk
back into that mess ? ”
Teresa was quiet for a few seconds , and then she said , with a hint of meaning . “ You once swore you’d leave Nareigh , but you changed your mind halfway through . So why can’t I ? Isn’t everyone just figuring things out as they go ?
“ But it’s too late now . Like you said , we both have to live with the choices we made . I just don’t have the face to keep getting tangled up with Jonathan .”
Jennifer’s voice was strained as she asked , “ Do you want to get back together with him ? Do you want to remarry him ? ”
Teresa shook her head . “ You still don’t get it . I don’t want to remarry . But my son needs a father . That’s where I messed up . I thought I could raise him on my own , but I ignored his feelings . I’ve made too many mistakes . ”
Not getting back together is one thing , but whether or not to tell Jonathan about Michael is a whole different story . After everything that had happened , she just couldn’t bring herself to confess without hesitation .
She was afraid to tell him , didn’t want to tell him , and couldn’t tell him . She didn’t know where to start with an apology , or who she should be apologizing to Sometimes , people choose to ignore things because they didn’t know how to face them
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Jennifer rested her hand on Teresa’s shoulder and said gently , “ Teresa , I’m here for you . We’ll take care of Mike and the baby together . Things will get better , I promise . ”
“ It’s not the same . That kind of feeling , just isn’t the same ”
“ Wright , Jennifer patted Teresa’s shoulder . “ I owe you an apology
Teresa looked at her , a complicated mix of emotions flickering in her eyes , as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard .
Jennifer spoke seriously , “ I shouldn’t have hit you . I know my own strength , I could never really hurt you . I won’t do it again “ .
The faint light in Teresa’s eyes faded . She gave a small , bitter smile . “ You think the only thing you need to apologize for is that slap ! ”
“ And there’s the whole thing with Donald buying a place , and situation with Sanford . Don’t worry , I’ll handle it . ”
Teresa shot back , “ Why did you tell Sanford I have a son ? Aren’t you worried he’ll tell someone ? ”
Jennifer shook her head . “ He won’t . We’ve been friends for years . I know him . Besides , he was the one who told me he liked you and wanted to pursue you . That’s when I told him about Mike , to see if he minded .
“ Just don’t get the wrong idea , okay ? Don’t let this become a misunderstanding between us . ” Since Sanford was nearby , Jennifer called him and asked him to come to the hospital .
Jennifer didn’t hold back as she tore into Sanford right in front of Teresa “ Are you out of your mind ? Why would you propose to Teresa ? You scared her half to death ! ”
Sanford glanced at Teresa , whose face was cold and full of disgust . A complicated look flickered in his eyes . “ I’m serious . I’ll treat Teresa right . You have
to trust me .
Teresa shivered , goosebumps popping up on her arms . “ I don’t need you to treat me well . Since Jennifer’s here , let me make this clear : I’m not interested in you . Don’t bother me again , or I won’t care about anyone’s feelings . ”
She tossed out , “ And don’t forget to handle things with Donald ,” then walked out of the hospital without looking back .
ry Teresa ? ”
Jennifer crossed her arms and stared Donald down . “ Are you serious ? Do you actually want to marry
Donald clicked his tongue . “ Of course . I couldn’t be more serious ”
Jennder studied him for a few more seconds , then let out a soft laugh . “ I don’t know , you’re starting to seem like a stranger , I just hope you’re still the Sanford I know . ”
Sanford was silent for a few seconds , then raised a hand . “ I promise you , no matter what happens , I’ll never do anything to hurt you or Teresa . ”
“ You’re acting weird , ”
* Jennifer muttered , though she couldn’t quite say why
“ Am 17 ” Donald replied . “ I’m still me . Just trust me , okay ? ”
Jennifer almost told Sanford that Teresa was pregnant and wondered if he’d care, but remembering how upset Teresa was today , she kept quiet . “ if you really like Teresa , then show her you mean it . Let hersee your sincerity . ”
“ Alright ,” Donald said , a calculating glint flashing in his eyes
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