Chapter 431

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As that thought crossed her mind , Jennifer pulled out her phone , entered a number , and hit call .
On the other side , Teresa had already brought Michael home . Michael let Teresa hold his hand , looking up at her with excitement . “ Mom , you said Mr. Lime is going to celebrate my birthday with me . Is that really true ? You’re not tricking me again , are you ? ”
Teresa smiled , “ Honestly , when have I ever lied to you ? ”
“ Really ? ” Michael pressed , his eyes wide with hope .
“ Of course ! Remember when you wanted his autograph ? Didn’t I get it for you ? I’ll make sure everything’s set up for you this time , too . ” Teresa reassured him .
That finally put Michael at ease . He hugged Teresa tightly . “ It’s the best thing ever to be your kid ! Then can I invite Bunny , Edward , and Miriam too ? And want a huge chocolate cake with lots of layers , covered in candles . ”
“ Absolutely , I’ll make it all happen . Anyone else you want to invite ? ” Teresa asked , smiling .
Michael started counting on his fingers . “ Let’s see … Sherry , Mr. Dunn , oh , and Aunt Cheryl , and Mr. Lime’s grandpa . Then Aunt Isabel and Grandma . I don’t know if Aunt Isabel can make it back, but if she can’t , that’s okay . ”
After listing everyone , Michael didn’t mention Jennifer . Teresa gently ruffled his soft hair . “ I’ll do my best to invite everyone you want , okay ? ”
“ But Mr. Lime has to be there . He’ll bring me a present , right ? ” Michael insisted .
“ Of course . You’re so handsome and adorable – he really likes you , so of course he’ll bring you a gift . Pinky promise , I guarantee he’ll be there , ” Teresa said , hooking her pinky with his .
With a big smile on his face , Michael drifted off to sleep , completely happy
Miriam reached out to Teresa ; they talked for ages . “ Teresa , after looking after Mike these past couple of days , I’ve been thinking a lot . Mike is just obsessed with Jonathan . He kept pestering me to let him call Jonathan and ask if he could come back for his birthday . ”
“ Yeah , I know . I was right next to Jonathan when Michael called . ”
“ Huh ? ” Miriam was surprised . “ You two went on a business trip together ? Wait , no , you went with Jonathan on his business trip ? ”
“ Sort of . He introduced me to some clients , and thanks to him , I closed a few deals . ”
“ Jonathan’s always been good to you . Remember before your dad’s company became Teresouth Group , when we started that online store with Sherry ? He invested a lot of money for you , and even told me not to tell you about it . ”
Miriam sighed helplessly , “ Let’s not even talk about how well he treats you . Just look at Mike – he’s turning three in two days , and he’ll be able to start preschool this fall .
“ If you let him go to school in Nareigh , then as he grows up – elementary , middle , high school – he’s bound to ask about his dad , maybe even more and more . What are you going to tell him then ?
“ And honestly , Jonathan can’t just stay away from Mike forever . Unless … ”
Miriam paused . “ Unless he never comes back to Nareigh , gets remarried somewhere else , starts a new family , and has kids with his new wife . Then you two would really be over for good . ”
Teresa listened quietly as Miriam finished talking .
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“ Miriam , I’ve thought about all of this , too . Michael’s always been smarter than other kids his age . Just a few days ago , he asked me if his dad d us anymore , and why his dad never comes to see him . ”
As she spoke , Teresa’s voice caught . “ Do you think that doesn’t hurt ? I told Michael it was me who didn’t want his dad , but I don’t even know when li stopped believing me . ”
Teresa knew it was her fault . From the moment Michael was born , she’d taken away his chance to have a father’s love .
She used to think she could raise him just fine on her own , even imagined she and Jonathan would never cross paths again , that she could keep this secret forever . She thought Jonathan would marry someone else , have more kids , and eventually forget about her .
He once said that if Jonathan got married , or if his mom did , maybe then he would remarry . Maybe he really meant it .
Teresa said , “ Miriam , I’ve decided . The day before Michael’s birthday , I’m going to tell Jonathan everything . ”
“ Oh my god , ” Miriam blurted out . She thought Teresa would need more time to process everything ; it was a huge deal , after all . She never expected Teresa to make up her mind so quickly .
“ Are you sure ? When are you going to tell him ? Take me with you .
“ If he dares to give you a hard time or won’t let it go , I’ll stand up for you . I’ll even say it was all my idea to keep it from him , that I told you not to say anything . ”
Teresa couldn’t help but laugh at Miriam’s reaction . “ Alright , but maybe you should worry about your Edward instead .”
Miriam was caught off guard , not quite following .
Teresa reminded her , “ You were the first to know about Michael , my best friend , and now you’re dating Edward . What if Jonathan thinks Edward knew and didn’t say anything ? ”
“ Oh no ! My Edward is totally innocent – he doesn’t know a thing , ” Miriam protested.
But honestly , Jonathan might not buy it , and Miriam was nearly in tears . “ Teresa , maybe we should talk it through first . I’ll come over tonight with beer and BBQ skewers . It’s been ages since we had a drink together . ”
Teresa shook her head . “ Don’t worry ; I’ll make everything clear . I won’t let you or Edward get dragged into this mess . promise . ”
Still , Miriam was torn . She didn’t mind standing with Teresa , but she was afraid that Jonathan didn’t believe Edward .
Jonathan won’t blame you , I
Edward was just about to start working at Horizonlead Group . He’d told Miriam that his mom , Heidi , had begged Irene to ask Jonathan to get Edward a spot in the sales department .
Edward didn’t want to do sales , but Heidi insisted – this was a big deal for his future .
“ I’ll think carefully about how to say it . You’ve helped me with Mike so many times – Jonathan won’t make things hard for you , really . Relax , okay ? ” Teresa said .
After hanging up , Teresa absentmindedly played with the bracelet on her wrist . The style was called “ White Moonlight “ -that’s what he’d said back then . It really did look like moonlight , with a soft , silvery glow , just like the moon itself .
The next morning , as soon as Teresa went into her office , her assistant said , “ Ms. Johnston , you’re finally here . Dr. Nelson has been waiting for you at the office since six this morning – she insists on seeing you .”
“ What ? ” Teresa had only just arrived at nine and now Jennifer had actually waited over three hours for her . That was crazy .
Before Teresa could say a word , Jennifer’s voice rang out from outside the office . “ I’m Ms. Johnston’s big sister . Who dares stop me ? I’m just here to see
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my little sister — what’s the problem ? ”
* 气 81 % 量
When Teresa stepped out , she saw two security guards looking helpless . “ Ms. Johnston , your sister … she really won’t fake no for an answer , ” one of them
said .
Teresa was completely speechless at Jennifer’s behavior . She waved everyone else away and finally let Jennifer in .