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Teresa pulled up outside the apartment complex . Suddenly , her phone rang , making her hast skip a bear . After hesitating for a moment , she picked up
“ You called me ? ” Jonathan’t only been gone a few days , but his deep , familiar voice felt like it belonged to another lifetime . It was as if just yesdalıdı . the two of them were at Jennifer’s engagement party together .
i
“ must’ve dialed you by accident , ” Teresa said .
Jonathan was silent for a few seconds .
Teresa fell silent too , swallowing back the words the almost said . In a low voice , she murmured , “ I’m sorry ”
The next second , Jonathan shot back , “ What are you pulling now ? ”
Thinking he hadn’t heard her , Teresa paused , then said softly , “ Sorry , I shouldn’t have thrown your ring away like that ”
Jonathan remained silent .
Teresa let out a quiet sigh . “ I won’t bother you anymore . I’m hanging up . ”
“ If you ever need anything , don’t be shy , We might not be husband and wife , but we can still be friends ”
Without saying anything . Teresa hung up .
Then she took out the ring Jonathan had given her before he left . It was three times bigger than their wedding band . She pulled out the wedding ring too . She didn’t throw it away .
At the Lynn residence , Jennifer took out a bank card and handed it to Cathy and Werner . “ This is the dowry my mom gave me . There’s 254 thousand dollars . I’m paying Donald back for the money he spent on the house . ”
Donald was caught off guard and instinctively looked at Jennifer . Only then did Jennifer say , “ Cathy told Teresa about it , and Teresa told me . ”
Donald called out , “ Mom ,” his tone a bit accusatory . “ Why did you reach out to Teresa ? Didn’t I already say I paid for the house willingly ? What are you trying to do ? ”
Cathy was pretty upset . She thought Jennifer was doing this on purpose
se to drive a wedge between her and Donald
Werner chimed in , “ Your mom didn’t mean anything by it . You know what she’s like ”
Donald took the card from Jennifer “ Take it back . That’s your dowry . We can’t accept it . ”
But Jennifer was firm and insisted on returning it . “ I told you I’d pay you back . It’s all here . ”
“ Don’t do this ” Donald said , gently squeezing her cold hand . “ Can you wait outside for me ? I talk to my parents . ”
Jennifer book a deep breath . “ Anyway , I’m leaving there . Don’t give it back to me . ”
After Jennifer turned and left , Donald tertible mood . He looked at Cathy and Werner . “ Is this enough ? Are you happy now ? ”
Cathy got angry . “ Shouldn’t she pay the money back ? She’s your fiancée , so i didn’t want to say it to her face . I talked to her sister instead . Was I wrong ? ”
Werner agreed , “ Your mom’s not wrong . She’s not even married in yet , and you’re already spending our money on her , buying her a house , and you didn’t even toll us . However you look at it , this is your fault . ”
Donald was silent for a few seconds . “ Jennifer has never been someone who cares about money . I know her best . She’s proud , independent , and has a
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lot of self – respect . She’s really great . What you did just now embarrassed her , and it embarrassed me too . ”
Werner muttered under his breath , “ If she were really that independent , she wouldn’t have taken your money ”
Donald said , “ Dad , I told you , did it because I wanted to
Suddenly , Cathy raised her voice . “ That’s enough ! ”
Ronald and Donald were both a little confused , because Cathy was usually even tempered .
“ The engagement is already set . Are you two really going to fall out over a woman ? ”
“ it’s not that serious , ” Werner said , putting a hand on Cathy’s shoulder . “ Don’t get upset . He thought Jennifer wasn’t perfect , but breaking off the engagement over the house would be too much .
Cathy looked at Donald and sighed . “ We’re family Getting along is the most important thing . Fidon’t want us to end up like Irene’s family , always fighting and having drama . As she spoke , she pushed the bank card back over .
“ Her mom gave her that dowry . Of course i can’t take it . After you two get married , use this money for your own household . If you want to change cars , go ahead , if not , save it for your future kids ‘ education ”
Donald was silent for a few seconds , then took the card . “ Thanks , Mom , You’re being reasonable . But I still can’t use Jennifer’s dowry ”
“ Wright , ” Cathy said , “ Wait until tomorrow . You two come back for dinner , and I’ll talk to her. I never wanted her money ”
“ Get ” Donald said , and lett .
As soon as Donald left , Cathy was so mad she pounded her chest , and Werner tried to calm her down , telling her not to get so worked up .
Cathy brushed his hand away . “ I never should’ve fallen for you , never should’ve chased after you , and I definitely shouldn’t have given you a son , ” she snapped .
Werner let out a sigh . “ Why are you blaming me again ? ”
Cathy took a deep breath . “ I’ve figured it out . If I take that money , I’ll just be the evil mother – in – law . That Jennifer’s not someone you can mess with . ” Cathy was upset that Donald had already taken Jennifer’s side .
She’d spent all these years raising Donald , and now , for a woman , he would turn his back on her . She didn’t want to end up like Irene or Teresa , always Fighting with their families . All she could do was swallow her anger
That evening , Teresa messaged Cathy , asking how things were going with the money
Cathy saw the message but left it on read without replying .
Teresa followed up , How much did Donald put in ? Is 150 thousand enough ? Lean transfer it to you tomorrow , I’ve hit my limit for today . ]
Cathy replied , [ Teresa , just let it go ]
Teresa insisted , Cathy , I should pay . Jennifer said she wanted to buy the house for me , so let’s just treat it as mine . You guys work hard for money . ]
Otherwise , just thinking about how Donald had indirectly paid for the house made Teresa uncomfortable . She felt embarrassed for Jennifer , even when her own company was struggling , she never once thought about asking Jonathan for a single cent .
Cathy replied . [ Teresa , Jennifer already gave up 264 thousand . You don’t need to pay us. ]
Teresa went silent . She wondered if Jennifer had given up Evelyn’s dowry for this .
Cathy didn’t say outright that it was the dowry . She just said , We didn’t take it . Let’s just let the whole house thing go . )
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Teresa said , [ Cathy , your phone number is your Alipay , right ? I’ll send you a lucky amount . Please don’t make this harder for me . Let’s just put the thing behind us . I won’t tell anyone about this , and I won’t bother you again .
Cathy quickly showed Werner her phone . Teresal
had just transferred 195 thousand to her .
Werner said , “ Honestly , I think Teresa is more reliable than Jennifer ”
Cathy sighed , “ Teresa’s always been a good kid . I’ve never understood why Irene doesn’t like her
Werner motioned for Cathy to come closer and whispered , “ I think it’s because the
have children ?
AD