Chapter 1071

“You care so much about Jennifer, who isn’t even your real daughter, but what about Teresa? Did you ever help her out after she had her baby? Don’t you think Teresa’s tired?” Jonathan demanded.

“When her kid had a fever, she had to drive to the hospital alone in the middle of the night. What did you do?” Jonathan demanded.

“Shut up!” Evelyn snapped, pointing at Jonathan. “Jonathan, you’re in no position to lecture me. Why don’t you worry about your mother first?”

“You can’t just twist right and wrong,” Jonathan shot back.

Evelyn couldn’t stand it anymore and stormed off.

By the time Jonathan got home, it was already late. He saw Teresa asleep at her desk in her room. There were still documents on the desk that she needed to read.

Jonathan sighed, thinking, ‘Has she been living like this all this time?’

He tidied up her desk, gently picked her up, and carried her to bed. Seeing Teresa frowning in her sleep, Jonathan reached out and gently touched her forehead before tucking her in.

The next day, Teresa woke up and found herself lying in bed. She wondered, ‘Could it have been Jonathan who carried me here?’

Teresa found she was still in her pajamas. Letting out a self-mocking laugh, she thought, ‘What am I thinking? He’s not that kind of guy!’

“There’s something I want to discuss with you,” Jonathan said over breakfast. “You know Horizonlead Group, right? If you’d like, I can let you take over Horizonlead Group. You’d get a 30-million-dollar dividend every year, so you wouldn’t have to work yourself so hard.”

“No need, I just want to manage Teresouth Group myself,” Teresa replied. After finishing her meal, she got ready to head to the office.

It was Sunday, so the kids didn’t have school. Jonathan spent the day at home with Michael and Felix.

At Teresouth Group, Teresa was busy with work when Evelyn suddenly showed up. Teresa still agreed to see her and said, “I made myself clear yesterday. I’ve got nothing more to say.”

Evelyn, having bottled things up all night, finally burst out. “Did you forget what happened to your sister, how she ended up in prison? Or how Jonathan’s mom treated you? Didn’t you say you’d cut him off?”

“That’s impossible.” Teresa fixed Evelyn with a hard stare. “I know everything now. He never said he wanted to remarry, and he’d walk away from the kids. You lied to me, didn’t you? You did it on purpose, right?”

Evelyn didn’t deny it. “So what if I did it on purpose?”

Teresa let out a helpless sigh. “I don’t want to argue about who was right or wrong in the past. I want to follow my heart now.

“So what if I want to be with him? He’s single and so am I. Even if I chase after him, that has nothing to do with you.”

Evelyn’s eyes went wide. “What nonsense are you talking about? I don’t remarry my ex after a divorce. How silly you are! Your sister told me not to meddle in your life. If I do, she’ll blame me,” Evelyn added.

Teresa thought, ‘Why are you so biased?’ “Do you even treat me like your daughter? You don’t dare interfere in Jennifer’s private life.

“But only pick on me because you think I’m easy to push around. You never say a harsh word to Isabel; you spoil her the most,” Teresa said.

“Have I ever been unfair to you? I’ve never once let you worry about a thing,” Evelyn retorted.

Teresa retorted, “Haven’t I worried about this family? Wasn’t I the one who helped you through your divorce? When you and Isabel had nowhere to go, didn’t you come to me? Even when I was heavily pregnant, I was still running around for you.

“Can’t you see everything I’ve done for this family? You’re always bragging about how tough you are, how you can take on anything and adapt to any situation. But you just put on a show.”

A sharp slap echoed through the room. The moment Evelyn’s hand flew out, she was stunned by what she’d done.

Teresa never imagined Evelyn would hit her. She just stood there, frozen in shock. Her eyes instantly filled with tears.

Evelyn quickly explained, “I didn’t mean to hit you.”

But Teresa cut her off, not wanting to hear another word. She thought, ‘I don’t want to listen to this anymore.’ Without saying a word, she turned and walked away, never looking back.

“Teresa, I didn’t mean it,” Evelyn called after her. She stared at her hand, fingers trembling, tears spilling before she could stop them. Teresa never looked back.

Teresa couldn’t even feel the pain anymore. Sure, there was a bit of a sting, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her chest. Her heart hurt so much she could barely breathe.

Meanwhile, Jonathan was playing with Legos with Michael, and from time to time, he’d gently soothe Felix to sleep. He was dressed in a cozy black sweater, looking warm and relaxed. It was rare for him to spend a day at home like this.

His phone buzzed with a message from Teresa: [Not coming home tonight. Working late at the office.] Jonathan saw Teresa’s message and frowned.

Teresa had joined the Nareigh Chamber of Commerce with Jonathan’s help, and she was grateful. But from here on out, she didn’t want to rely on him for anything else. She wanted to see what she was capable of on her own.

After having dinner at the office, Teresa mentioned to Jonathan that she wanted to launch her beauty brand. Teresouth Group mainly focused on women’s clothing and jewelry.

Jonathan replied on the other end of the line, “Go for it. It doesn’t matter if you fail.”

Teresa shook her head. “You’ve already helped me enough. From now on, I want to do it myself.”

“So you still haven’t figured it out, huh?” Jonathan said, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

Teresa didn’t know what he was talking about. “I’m going to get back to work. Take good care of Michael and Felix,” she said and went on working.

On her desk were photos of her two kids; they were what kept her going. Teresa scrolled through her phone and paused at a picture she’d taken of Jonathan holding Felix in his arms.

Too many times, all she could do was watch his back as he walked away. Teresa wanted to stand proudly by his side, with nothing to hide.

At night, a Maybach was parked in front of Teresa’s office building.

Jonathan rolled down the window and found Teresa’s office light was still on. His hand was on the door handle, ready to get out, but after a moment’s thought, he stayed in the car. He sat there in silence, quietly keeping her company from downstairs.

Teresa’s phone buzzed. When she saw it was Evelyn calling, she let it ring without answering. After Teresa ignored the call, Evelyn didn’t try again.

Teresa set her phone aside. After finishing her work, Teresa broke down at her desk and cried for a long time. She thought, ‘No matter my marriage, love life, or career, my mom had never once acknowledged me.’