Chapter 688

Seeing Jonathan , Michael immediately released Teresa’s hand and dashed excitedly toward Jonathan . He said , “ Mr. Lime , you’re here. Are you here to see me and Mom off – I mean , me and Ms. Johnston ? ”
“ Ms. Johnston ? ” Jonathan repeated slowly , his gaze sweeping over Teresa with a chilling disdain .
He thought , ‘ She actually had Mike call her ‘ Ms. Johnston ‘ right in front of me – again and again . And every time he did , I swallowed the lie whole , blind to every red flag , every crucial detail . I trusted her too much .’
Michael reached out timidly and gave Jonathan’s arm a gentle touch . He said , “ Mr. Lime , are you okay ? Your eyes are all red . ”
Jonathan bent down and gently cupped Michael’s small shoulders , his eyes sweeping over the boy’s face , height , and frame – memorizing every inch , as if to reclaim every second of fatherhood he’d lost .
Finally , he gave Michael a gentle smile , his face now stripped of the anger and hostility he’d shown Teresa only moments earlier . Overcome by a sudden tide of love and guilt , he swept Michael into a fierce , wordless embrace .
He murmured , “ Mike , my dear son . I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you before . ”
With a loud clatter , the suitcase slipped from Teresa’s grasp and crashed to the floor , nearly crushing her foot .
Michael was stunned for a second , then clapped his hands with pure joy . He exclaimed , “ Doctor was right . He said Mr. Lime could be my daddy . He did it . ”
“ My silly boy , I’ve always been your daddy , ” Jonathan whispered , pressing a remorseful kiss to Michael’s tiny hand . Only in
front of Michael did he let such raw tenderness show .
Jonathan said , “ I’m so sorry , Mike . I should have recognized you sooner . I made you so sad and let you feel wronged . ”
Michael’s eyes welled up as he rubbed them . He said , “ But Mom said my daddy is old and ugly . And Mr. Lime , didn’t you also say you weren’t my daddy ? So who on earth is my daddy ? ”
“ Don’t cry , ” Jonathan said softly , wiping away Michael’s tears and gently caressing his soft cheeks .
He said , “ I’m your real father , and I promise I’ll explain everything to you . For now , why don’t you go to my place first ? I need to talk with your mom , okay ? ”
As soon as Jonathan finished speaking , several bodyguards who had been notified rushed over .
Jonathan scooped up Michael and handed him to one of the bodyguards. He ordered , “ Take him back to Forlisle Rose
Estates . I’ll follow shortly .”
“ Yes , Mr. Lynn , ” the bodyguard replied
After Michael was taken away , Jonathan glanced at the suitcase lying in the hallway . His piercing , icy gaze fixed on Teresa . He demanded , “ Where the hell are you taking my son ? ”
Teresa recoiled .
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Jonathan , with intimidating fury , cornered her at the doorway .
Trapped with nowhere to run , Teresa grabbed the doorframe and darted inside , slamming it instinctively – only for Jonathan’s arm to shoot out and hold it fast .
Jonathan’s piercing gaze remained fixed on Teresa .
Teresa refused to meet his eyes .
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In one swift motion , Jonathan seized Teresa’s arm and yanked her back , cutting off her escape . In the next moment , he lifted Teresa off her feet and hurled her onto the bed in the next room . Her head reeled , vision swimming .
Jonathan gripped Teresa’s chin between his two fingers , forcing her to look at him . With a cold edge in his voice , he demanded , “ Where do you think you’re taking my son ? ”
Teresa stammered , “ Just taking him out for a little break . ”
Jonathan abruptly released her chin , his eyes glacial . He asked , “ You think I’m that easy to fool , is that it ? ”
Teresa kept silent . His voice – raw , ragged with feeling – drove straight to her heart .
Jonathan snapped , “ Teresa , in your eyes , am I , Jonathan , just some gullible fool you can so easily deceive ? ”
Teresa remained silent , her fingers digging into the bedsheets . The next second , she winced when Jonathan clamped her shoulder with bruising force , his eyes blazing into hers in sheer disbelief .
Jonathan said , “ Do you have any idea how broken , how furious I was on the way here ? Mike is my son – the whole world knew , and I , his father , was the only one kept in the dark .
“ You knew I grew up without a dad . You , of all people , knew how much I wanted a child . How could you let my son suffer the same fate – grow up fatherless , just like I did ? ”
Jonathan’s words stabbed into Teresa’s heart like cruel rose thorns , piercing straight to her core . She thought , ‘ Yes , Jonathan grew up without a father . Yet Mike almost became just like him . ‘
Tears that had been building up for so long now swirled in her eyes as her fingers clawed desperately into the bedsheets on either side . She choked out , “ I am sorry . ”
Jonathan snapped , “ Sorry? Do you think a single word can make up for all this ?
“ You made my son call you ‘ Ms. Johnston ‘ right to my face , never told him I was his real father , and got everyone around you – Jennifer , Cheryl , Christian , even Christian’s wife – to help you keep it from me .
“ You manipulated and coerced them all into hiding the truth . And I trusted you . I trusted you so damn much . ”
Teresa took a deep breath and offered no defense . In this moment , all she felt was a bittersweet relief that the truth was finally out , and a heartbreak so complete it left her utterly devastated . She said , “ I was wrong . ”
Seeing Jonathan’s fist rise , Teresa squeezed her eyes shut , her breaths quick and shallow . The blow only grazed her cheek . When she opened her eyes again , she saw Jonathan — seething with rage – slam his fist into the iron bedpost .
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Time seemed to freeze in that moment .
Teresa’s gaze locked on Jonathan’s bruised , bleeding knuckles . Instinctively , she reached to check the damage , but he jerked away .
Jonathan barked , “ Spare me the fake pity . You and your friends must think I’m a joke . Everyone who kept this from me will pay . ” With that , he stormed out .
The door slammed shut with a resounding crash that echoed through the room .
Tears welled up in Teresa’s eyes as she stared at the dented bedpost Jonathan had just struck .
She thought , ‘ How furious must he be ? How much must he hate me ? If he’d thrown that punch at me , I wouldn’t have said a word . But instead , he chose to hurt himself .’
The driver glanced worriedly at Jonathan’s bruised , bleeding right hand . He said , “ Mr. Lynn , you’re hurt . ”
Jonathan stared blankly out the window , lost in thought . With a dismissive wave of his uninjured hand , he signaled the driver to keep going ; the pain in his hand was nothing besides the ache in his heart .
Back at Forlisle Rose Estates , when Jonathan spotted Michael in the hall , the fury in his eyes melted away , replaced by a deep sense of guilt and self – reproach toward his child .
He thought , ‘ My own son was right here by my side all along , yet I never realized it . What kind of father does that make me ? ‘
Upon seeing Jonathan , Michael dropped his toys and the remote , then dashed excitedly toward Jonathan with a beaming smile . He called out , “ Mr. Lime . ”
Jonathan caught Michael as he barreled into his arms .
The next moment , Michael looked up at Jonathan and asked eagerly , “ How did the talk with Mom go ? Where is she ? ”
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