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‘ Pretend we didn’t meet ? ‘ Jennifer mused and felt heartbroken . She asked , “ Teresa , do you know how much I’ve missed you ? I’ve been looking for you this whole time . ”
Teresa turned her eyes away and asked , “ Aren’t you busy being all lovey – dovey with Donald ? Why would you still care about me or bother looking for me ? ”
Jennifer asked in reply , “ You really think I’d just forget about you as I’m dating someone ? You know how much I care about you . ”
As she spoke, Jennifer glanced at Teresa’s belly . Seeing how flat it was made her feel even worse . She said , “ It’s been three months and your belly is still flat .
“ Wouldn’t it be better if you stayed in Fernlandia ? Or at least let me know you were here , so I could cook for you . ”
“ I already mastered cooking , ” said Teresa .
“ Oh , really ? So you can cook now ? What , just a couple of simple stir – fries ? I bet that’s all . And you came for your checkup alone ? Where’s Mike ? Didn’t he come with you ? ” asked Jennifer .
“ He’s home , ” said Teresa . She didn’t want to talk with Jennifer and said coolly , “ If there’s nothing else , I’m leaving . ”
“ Wait , Teresa … ” said Jennifer .
Rebecca came out and looked at the stubborn Teresa , trying to play peacemaker .
“ If I hadn’t chatted with Jennifer , I wouldn’t have known you two were siblings . I always felt you looked alike . Now you’re pregnant , so don’t be immature . Just go home with her , ” said Rebecca .
“ Immature ? ” Teresa suddenly looked at Rebecca with upset and said , “ Right , Rebecca , it’s all my fault . I’m pregnant , but I don’t listen to Jennifer . I should be blamed , okay ? ”
She should’ve realized sooner . Two people with the same last name Nelson . They must be related .
Jennifer looked at Teresa , disappointedly saying , “ Sorry , Rebecca . Teresa’s so immature and causing you trouble . ”
Teresa was speechless and turned around to leave . Jennifer tried to catch up , but it was too late . Teresa had already gotten in her car , floored the gas , and sped off .
Watching Teresa drive off so fast , Jennifer felt both anxious and angry . Just as her face went pale , Donald showed up – he’d been nearby for something and came to find Jennifer by the way ..
“ What’s wrong ? ” Donald asked while getting out of the car . He walked over to Jennifer , put his arm around her shoulders , and asked , “ Weren’t you catching up with Rebecca ? Didn’t go well ? ”
Jennifer snapped out of it , sighed and said , “ I saw Teresa . She’s been hiding out here . She actually lives nearby . ”
“ Really ? ” Donald looked puzzled and asked , “ Where did you see her ? Where is she now ? ”
“ At the hospital . She was there for- ” Jennifer stopped herself before saying “ a prenatal checkup . ” Right now , she was the only one who knew Teresa was pregnant .
“ She was in the area . I saw her , trying to catch up and talk , but she just drove off at a fast speed . It pissed me off . I worry about her every day , but she just did this … ” said Jennifer .
Donald gently pulled Jennifer closer and said , “ Did you speak in that tone with her again ? You always do this , never saying things nicely , even when you
mean well . ”
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Jennifer leaned into Donald’s arms , feeling grateful that he was always there for her . “ I’m not going back to Nareigh for now , ” she said .
“ Teresa’s definitely living somewhere nearby . Now I don’t have to worry about her running off again . I’ll stay here and wait for her to come back with me ,” she said .
Donald was quiet for a few seconds ; then he said , “ I think I still have the chance to ask for leave this month .”
“ You should go back . I’ll be fine here on my own , ” said Jennifer .
“ No way . If so , I’m staying too . I’ll book us a hotel , ” said Donald . While he was booking a hotel , he contacted Jonathan as he figured he should let him know they’d found Teresa .
But he did not realize Jonathan was actually the first to find her – and had been quietly keeping it to himself .
“ Jennifer is here too ? ” Jonathan asked Donald , frowned when Donald confirmed it , and said , “ I’ll arrange the hotel for you . ”
“ No need , Jonathan . I’ll just book a room myself , ” Donald replied .
“ I never checked out of my hotel room anyway . You can live in.”
“ Oh , thanks . If I find out where Teresa’s staying , I’ll let you know right away , ” said Donald .
Jonathan was silent for a few seconds . He’d originally planned to head back to Nareigh – he’d been working at the branch office too long . But with Teresa here , he hadn’t left . Now , hearing Jennifer had arrived , he wanted to leave , but he couldn’t .
Teresa drove back home right in time . Michael ran over , hugging her leg and asking her to check out his game – he’d just leveled up again . Teresa barely glanced at it , then got him settled and headed straight to her room .
“ Hey , Teresa , what’s wrong ? Did something happen ? ” Miriam asked as she could tell something was off .
“ Jennifer saw me , ” Teresa said , casually running her fingers through her hair .
“ And then ? ” Miriam asked , sitting beside her and wrapping an arm over her shoulder . Teresa told her how Jennifer had grabbed her hand , scolding her for being immature .
Miriam was quiet for a few seconds , then said , “ Okay , I take back what I said about her not going to look after you . As I see , she’ll still discipline you even when she’s old . ”
Teresa didn’t say anything . She’d left Nareigh hoping to live on her own , but somehow everyone she knew found her – first Jonathan , then Benny , Miriam , and now Jennifer .
Just as Teresa was worried , Michael suddenly shouted , “ It’s Mr. Lime’s car ! ”
He bounced over to Teresa , tugged at her sleeve , and said , “ Mom , look ! Mr. Lime’s car .”
Teresa grabbed the binoculars . On the balcony , she saw Jonathan’s car parked at the gate of the community . ‘ What does he want at this hour ? ‘ she wondered .
“ I’m heading downstairs for a bit . Miriam , can you keep an eye on Mike for me ? ” she said .
Miriam nodded , holding onto Michael’s arm to keep him from running off . Michael pouted , watching Teresa go down to meet Jonathan , who had just parked and was about to come up . But Teresa was already downstairs . She stopped him and asked , “ What’s the matter ? ”
Jonathan asked directly , “ Did Jennifer come looking for you ? ”
Teresa was surprised and asked , “ Who told you that ? ”
“ Donald told me . What did Jennifer say ? poes she want you to go back ? And what do you think of it ? ” asked Jonathan .
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“ I don’t want to go back , ” replied Teresa .
“ Still not going back ? ” Jonathan asked while raising his eyebrows . “ Haven’t you had enough ? You got harassed by a coworker’s brother and almost got drugged by the old principal . Your job’s a hassle ; the pay sucks . So what’s so great about staying here ? ”
“ I will stay , ” Teresa responded .
“ What ? What do you even like about this place ? What’s so bad about Nareigh ? ” asked Jonathan .
“ I’ll tell you why . ” Teresa said seriously , “ I don’t wanna live with Jennifer , I don’t wanna lose my freedom , and I sure as heck don’t wanna get picked on by your mom . And I definitely don’t wanna get tangled up with you again . ”
AD