Chapter 157

Jennifer explained, "The… chi gogy… When we were kids, we promised that when we grew up, we’d…" She trailed off. "I thought, perhaps you might… wing the ponchley of a day… menang sing weld av Franagh… our native… And if I became a… I might help you if you… needed anything."

She continued, "I never thought the world would turn out like this—to be the one doing your checkup. For years, I’d been imagining what my… then suddenly, there was your face in front of me."

"Because of your cousin, we ended up meeting a few more times. After work, we… I finally asked your name, and when you told me it was Teresa, you have no idea how much I wanted to instantly tell you I was your sister, Hannah."

"But the words stuck in my throat. On one hand, I was afraid of scaring you; you might think… I was crazy. On the other, I was afraid you’d already forgotten me—your sister who went missing twenty years ago."

Jennifer admitted, "If it weren’t for the car accident, I wouldn’t have ever told you." She added, "It’s as the myth says: people only bare their souls when they’re about to die. At that moment, I was terrified of dying."

Teresa tightly held Hannah’s hand and said, “Hannah, you’re so silly! How could I ever forget you? We’re sisters, connected by heart and blood. Even though I was just a kid back then, you, Grandpa, and Grandma were my most precious family.”

Speaking of their grandparents, Teresa couldn’t hold back her tears. “If they knew you were still alive, they’d be so happy! But they’re no longer with us. A fire broke out in their residential area, and they were gone just like that.” Teresa, raised by her grandparents, had a deep attachment to them.

Jennifer patted Teresa’s shoulder, comforting her. “Take me to visit their graves sometime.” Choking back tears, Teresa agreed.

“Hannah, now that you’re back, I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you again,” Teresa said.

Jennifer wiped Teresa’s tears. “I remember you saying that when you were little, too. Grandma used to tease you, asking, ‘Teresa, if Mom and Hannah fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?’”

“You replied, ‘I’ll save Hannah first! Mom knows how to swim, but Hannah doesn’t. I’ll always protect her.’”

Teresa could barely remember that. She’d been too young, and her thoughts were never as meticulous as Hannah’s. “Hannah, I didn’t have the ability back then, but now I do. I won’t let you suffer anymore,” Teresa said.

Jennifer smiled. “And I’ll protect you and Mike. You are my most important family.”

“Mom…” Teresa hesitated, then decided to tell the truth. “Mom went back to the place where you disappeared and searched for you for a long time. By then, I think Ms. Nelson had already taken you in. The police looked for you for a long time but couldn’t find you.”

“Then they told us you’d probably fallen into the deeper part of the cliff. Philip coldly said, ‘If we can’t find her, then we can’t. The dead can’t come back to life.’ And then they held a funeral for you.”

“But Mom really cried for a long time, holding your portrait. I remember she stayed with your black-and-white photo, not sleeping for days and barely eating.” Teresa paused. “And you know what? Right before I got the news of your car accident, I’d just come from Nareigh General Hospital. Mom had been hospitalized for many days.”

Jennifer froze. “What happened to her?”

Seeing the concern in Jennifer’s eyes, Teresa reassured her. “Don’t worry, it was just some complications caused by the flu and high-risk childbirth. She’s fine now. Someday, let’s go see her together.”

“I don’t want to see her. I don’t want to acknowledge her. I won’t go,” Jennifer said, lowering her head.

Teresa held her hand gently. “Hannah… her daughter is that she wanted to make up for you. She told me that she sees her new daughter…”

Jennifer looked up.

Teresa continued, “It’s true. She said she wanted to atone for how she failed you, so she had a daughter with her new husband—to start over.”

A wave of sadness fell again. “I hated them… I hated them for hitting and… killing… No. For many years, they… disappeared.”

“Do you know how much I loathed those… mixing… perennial flyers… Prasad… on cardboard… Bowest Row? Beating… begging for as many…” Jennifer’s voice trailed off.

“Now I don’t want to acknowledge them. I’m… confused. Thinking about them… for Hannah… died a long…”

Teresa hugged Jennifer, gently patting her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I should have thought more from your perspective. If you…”

“Not long after you went missing, when I was five, Evelyn and… Philip said… things… through him… with… things he had… hers, and he didn’t…”

Jennifer wiped the corners of Teresa’s reddened eyes. “Did you live with Grandpa and Grandma starting from the age of five?”

Teresa replied, “Yes. When they divorced, neither of them wanted me. Only Grandpa and Grandma cared about me.”

“Later, Mom started her business and made a lot of money. She began giving me an allowance… and ended up… bringing lots of money but always leaving quickly to focus on her work.”

“Philip also gave me money, but only because Grandpa and Grandma repeatedly confronted him. They had invested money in Roc Group, so they ensured he gave me monthly support.”

“At least I always had money. They both sent me to private schools, bought me a car, and gave me a comfortable life… they each remained… As for Philip, his company went into debt last year, and his wife left him.”

Upon hearing that, a sharp glint appeared in Jennifer’s eyes. “I know the current Teresouth Group was previously Roc Group. I investigated Philip’s old company and found out that the woman he married wasn’t the same mistress who slapped me.”

Jennifer clenched her fists tightly. “I still can’t forget that mistress. I remember her surname was Chapman, and Philip called her ‘Chappy’ so affectionately… and spitefully. Those six slaps she gave me… if I see her again, I’ll repay her double. No, tenfold!”

Chapter 158