Chapter 141
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Her subordinate was shocked . “ Who is it for , Ms. Larkin ? ”
Simona replied impatiently , “ Do I need to tell you who it’s for ? Keep this a secret from my parents , or I’ll hold you accountable . ”
After hanging up the phone , Simona steepled her fingers as her expression became even more devious . She did not believe that Jonathan would shirk responsibility if he slept with her .
*****
Today , while organizing Michael’s clothes at Rosary Estates , Teresa noticed the scarf she bought him was missing . He was still wearing it at the movies , but it had disappeared by the time they got home .
Michael really liked that scarf and had been asking about it all day .
The movie theater was nearby , so Teresa drove there to ask the cleaning
Staff if she
had found a scarf while cleaning Hall 1 after the 3:30 pm showing of “ Paddington ” during New Year’s Day .
“ I remember you , Miss , ” the staff replied . “ You came to watch the movie with your husband and son , right ? ”
Teresa nodded without explaining much .
The staff smiled . “ Your family’s so good – looking and left an impression on me . I didn’t find anything while cleaning that day . ”
Teresa said , “ I see . Thank you . ”
Teresa left the movie theater , wondering if Jonathan had taken the scarf . After all , she was in a hurry when carrying Michael into the elevator while Jonathan left later . She ended up messaging him to ask if he had it .
A moment later ; Jonathan replied , saying he took the scarf with him because she had already rushed off . He added: [ So why does Mike have the same scarf as me ? ]
Teresa got a strange feeling when she saw “ Mike ” in Jonathan’s message . She texted : [ The mall had a BOGO deal . ]
Jonathan : [ Who did you buy it for ? Who
Teresa was amused by how Jon got the free one ? ]
always argued with her over trivial matters . Without saying more , she responded : [ Since you have it , I’ll come get it for him . He really wants it . ]
Successfully unlocked !
Teresa added : [Should I get it at Luvicton Estates ? ] However , there was no response .
Jonathan did not reply until the afternoon . He said : [ Why don’t you come to the Lynn
residence tonight ? I’ll bring the scarf 1
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Teresa : [ I’ll pass . Your mom and grandpa are there . ]
Jonathan : [ Grandpa went to Donald’s place , so it’s just me and my mom . ]
Teresa chuckled to herself . It was exactly because Irene was there that it was a hassle . No matter what , Teresa did not want to meet her again . Teresa : [ Some other time . I’ll get the scarf when you’re free . ]
Jonathan didn’t respond , and Teresa didn’t say anything else . Although she had blocked him , the chat history was still there . When she scrolled up , she saw that he had not accepted the money she sent for the movie tickets and had returned it .
Jonathan messaged Teresa again at around 5:00 PM . , telling her to go to the Lynn residence tonight to take the scarf . Irene would not be around , and only he would be
there .
Teresa was frustrated after having to spend the whole afternoon talking to him over a scarf . This was like when they were married . They would have long conversations just to decide what to have for dinner .
He had an answer for everything ; but , if he was busy with work or was on business trips , their plans would fall through . Now that he was the boss , no one could order him around . He was the one giving orders instead ,
That was what crossed Teresa’s mind .
That evening , Miriam came to see her . She asked Miriam to watch Michael because she was going out .
“ Where are you going ? Visiting some relatives ? ” Miriam asked .
“ I’m just stepping out to get a scarf . I’ll be back soon , ” Teresa replied .
Michael stopped Teresa . “ Mommy , did you find my scarf ? Is it at the movie theater ? ”
Feeling guilty , Teresa hummed in acknowledgment . “ I’m going to get it for you now . ”
Teresa drove off in her white Audi A6 . She remembered Jennifer saying that a car was just a means of transportation ; and , as long as it was decent , any car was fine . So , Teresa changed her car today .
The other day , her car was involved in a minor accident . She took the opportunity to repair it and sold it as a used vehicle to buy a new one .
When Teresa arrived at the Lynn residence , she noticed that the front door was ajar- which was odd . She thought Jonathan had returned .
She shouted before she pushed the door open and entered . There was no one inside . She glanced around the living room and did not see Jonathan or the scarf .
Teresa called Jonathan , but his line was busy . She thought , ‘ What’s going on ? Is he coming back or not ? The door’s open and the lights are on , so someone must’ve been here but had just left .
arten
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minutes , but Jonathan still had not returned .
She was about to leave when she noticed a painting on the wall next to her . There was a boy holding a muffin in the middle , with purple violets on the left and a tree with limes on the right .
As soon as Teresa saw the painting , she recognized it as Michael’s artwork . Violets were her favorite flower , the muffin represented Michael , and the lime tree was Jonathan .
She had noticed Michael’s talent for painting and never overlooked it . She signed him up for classes , found teachers , and even had Cheryl – a Lumina School of Art graduate
-coach him several times .
It was unclear when Michael painted this . Jonathan was with Michael for five days , so it must have been made while they were at the Lynn residence .
Teresa was surprised to find Michael’s painting hanging on the living room wall . No one aside from her could understand its meaning . Teresa felt uncomfortable upon realizing Michael wanted Jonathan to be his father .
There was an already an opened bottle of wine on the table beside her , along with an empty glass . She sat down , poured herself a glass on a whim , and drank alone .
She rarely drank wine , and this one tasted odd unlike any she’d had before . The taste numbed her temporarily .
She touched the painting with one hand and remembered how she loved to draw as a child , often sketching a family of four . Even after Hannah was gone , Teresa would still draw her and imagine the family together .
Before Teresa knew it , she had emptied more than half the bottle .
Teresa took out her phone and snapped a picture of the wine’s packaging . It was imported from Friyx and cost tens of thousands of dollars . She texted Jonathan : [ Sorry , I drank your wine . I’ll replace it with a new one . ]
Jonathan didn’t reply , and Teresa frowned . He didn’t answer her calls or messages . She wondered if he was coming back or not . She decided to leave ; but , as she stood , she felt dizzy and weak .
She felt drained , with an unexplainable heat building within her .
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