Chapter 571

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Teresa left Jonathan’s villa and headed to Miriam’s place to pick up Michael , but Miriam said that she would bring Michael over to Teresa .
Teresa was too exhausted to make the trip herself , so she readily agreed .
Miriam dropped Michael off . While the boy was playing in his room , Miriam immediately caught the telltale marks on Teresa’s neck .
Miriam said , “ Mike had a slight fever yesterday . I tried calling you , but you didn’t answer . ”
Teresa’s heart skipped a beat . She was about to check on Michael when Miriam suddenly grabbed her hand .
Miriam said , “ Mike is fine now . He just had a low fever . ”
After a sign , Miriam continued , “ I called you yesterday , but you didn’t pick up . Jonathan answered instead . The moment I heard his voice , I figured you two were together . That’s why I didn’t tell you about Mike being sick .
“ So don’t blame yourself . I know if you’d known he was ill , you would have come right away . ”
Teresa slumped on the sofa , with her head hung low in self – reproach .
She said , “ Thank you , Miriam . If it weren’t for you , I don’t know how I would have gotten through this alone . ”
Miriam couldn’t bear to see Teresa like this . She sat down beside Teresa and held her hand .
Miriam said , “ You can’t keep this up forever . Come clean with Jonathan about Mike . If he dares to give you any trouble , I’ll take you and Mike and leave
here . ”
Teresa frowned , suppressing her unease . “ I’m just afraid that I’ll never be able to leave if I tell him the truth . ”
Miriam reassured her by saying , “ Don’t worry. You’re Mike’s mother , so custody will go to you . You don’t have to stress about Irene . ”
“ How can I not worry ? ” Teresa said bitterly . “ Irene never accepted me , and I divorced Jonathan just to please her . I was so naive . I thought I could keep it from Mike forever , but I overlooked one crucial thing . ”
She continued , “ Mike was born after Jonathan and I divorced . He is a child born outside of marriage . That makes him illegitimate . ”
Miriam’s heart skipped a beat . “ No. Mike is Jonathan’s son . How could he be an illegitimate child ? Who put that idea in your head ? Was it Jennifer again ? ”
Miriam couldn’t think of anyone but Jennifer who would constantly guilt – trip Teresa like this .
Teresa said , “ She does have a point . I just can’t bear to imagine Michael , a lively and cheerful boy , being looked at with prejudice . What would he think ? How would he feel ? ”
Miriam noticed the tears welling up in Teresa’s eyes . Teresa’s fingers were ice – cold , and even as Miriam held her hands tightly , Miriam couldn’t seem to warm away the deep chill .
Miriam said , “ This isn’t as serious as you think . Let Jonathan handle his mother . He must make him choose between you and his mother .”
“ Forget it . ” Teresa pulled her hand away . “ Jonathan was raised by his mother alone . Why should I be the reason he’s labeled as ungrateful ? Why let people think I’m the one coming between him and his mother ? ”
Miriam stroked Teresa’s head . “ You’re overthinking everything . Stop letting it get to you . ”
Teresa said , “ I just can’t stop thinking about it , Miriam . You know , Irene is capable of anything . ”
Miriam said , “ But how much longer can you keep Mike a secret ? I know you still have feelings for Jonathan , or you wouldn’t have … ” Miriam trailed off .
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Her gaze flicked to the telltale marks on Teresa’s neck .
Miriam finally admitted that she had spotted the hickey on Teresa’s neck the moment she walked in . As a woman , Miriam just got
Teresa hastily pulled a scarf over her neck and gave an awkward cough . She asked , “ The concert tickets were from Jonathan , Why did you keep it from
me ? ”
Miriam froze for a moment , and then she blinked innocently . “ He told me not to say anything . How did you know ? Did he tell you ? How could he fish for credit in front of you ? ”
Teresa said , “ He didn’t fish for credit . ” She hesitated because she didn’t know how to put it to Miriam .
“ Anyway , I don’t want to see Jonathan again , ” Teresa said . “ If it really comes to that , I’ll just take Mike and leave . ”
In the past , Miriam would have supported every decision Teresa made , Miriam was her best friend and trusted her completely . Miriam never wanted to interfere with Teresa’s choices .
But things were different now . Miriam found herself reconsidering her stance . After seeing Teresa go through all these ordeals , she knew Terasa’s resolve must be wavering , too .
Teresa could no longer be as unyielding , cold , and unfeeling as she was right after the divorce .
Miriam’s advice remained the same . She wanted Teresa to come clean .
Miriam said , “ Your only problem is Irene . Damn that woman . She really pisses me off . Tell me , why doesn’t she like you ? Is she just jealous because you’re more attractive than she ever was ? I swear , many women envy their daughters – in – law for being prettier . ”
Teresa said , “ Irene just wants Jonathan to marry an understanding woman , ideally , someone who grew up with him . Honestly , if Yvonne were still alive , she would be Irene’s top pick . ”
Miriam suddenly asked Teresa , “ Do you think Yvonne is really dead ? ”
Miriam wondered if Yvonne faked her death .
Teresa wasn’t sure if Yvonne was dead or not . After all , Jonathan had told Teresa that Yvonne committed suicide due to depression , and since the divorce , Teresa had never seen her again.
Miriam said , “ If Yvonne is really dead , you don’t have to worry about her popping up and coming between you and Jonathan after you remarry . You two can finally give Mike the family he deserves . As for Irene , just let Jonathan handle her . ”
“ No. ” Teresa became stubborn .
Miriam frowned . “ Why must you always put yourself last? You don’t want Jonathan to have conflicts with his mother , and you don’t want to make things hard for him . But doesn’t this torment you ?
“ You let Jonathan think you don’t love him anymore , and let Mike grow up misunderstanding you . I just can’t stand seeing you shortchange yourself like
this . ”
Seeing the tears welling in Teresa’s eyes , Miriam gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder . “ Just let Jonathan handle everything . Don’t worry if he can handle it . If things really go south , worst case , we’ll just take Mike and leave . ”
Teresa took a deep breath and said , “ Miriam , please give me a few more days to think about it .”
Miriam nodded . “ At first , Benny and I thought you two had fallen out of love , especially you . I thought you’d stopped loving Jonathan long ago . Who would’ve thought you still … Alas . ”
Miriam finally knew that Irene was the real source of Teresa’s worries .
After seeing Miriam qut , Teresa went to check on Michael . His fever was gone , but she still pressed her forehead to his , just to be sure .
12:15 Mon , 21 Jul OG
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After Michael fell asleep , Jonathan called Teresa . She noticed he had called twice and , after a brief hesitation , she picked up .
Jonathan asked , “ Are you okay ? ”
Teresa replied , “ What could possibly be wrong with me ? ”
Jonathan said , “ I took a nap and had a dream . You were running a fever in it . ”
Teresa instantly fell silent . After a while , she replied , “ I’m not running a fever . ”
“ Alright . I just came home ,” Jonathan said . He noticed Teresa hadn’t taken the necklace , but chose not to bring it up .
Then Jonathan teased , “ Why didn’t you do the dishes after breakfast ? ”
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