Even after Teresa had completely left, Lysander’s eyes remained fixed on the spot where she’d been. “It’s not every day a young, gorgeous teacher with a great figure shows up around here,” he mused.

Teresa quickly adapted to her new classroom and officially began working. At school, she wore minimal makeup—just a light touch—and a pair of low-prescription glasses, but her beautiful eyes were impossible to miss. After just a few days, some children showered her with compliments: “Ms. Johnston, you’re so pretty!” and “Ms. Johnston, your eyes have stars in them!”

Teresa felt a little embarrassed by the attention. Most of the children were absolutely adorable, although a couple were mischievous, but not too many.

After work, Teresa went across the street to pick up Michael from kindergarten. The teacher called out, “Michael, your mom’s here to pick you up.”

“That’s not my mom, but my aunt,” Michael said. The teacher looked a little confused, but Michael had already dashed outside. He didn’t call her “Mom” until they were out of the school gate.

Michael always remembered Teresa’s warning about a curse; if he told anyone about their relationship, it would drive them apart. So, he never told anyone Teresa was really his mother.

Teresa took Michael home on her little electric scooter. It only took ten minutes; they lived very close by.

Teresa thought to herself, ‘There’s no need to buy a car for now. It’s not really useful. If we go back to Nareigh, we can just take a flight, and for longer trips, a taxi will do.’

“Mom,” Michael rummaged in his jacket and pants pockets, pulling out a handful of candies, chocolates, and some folded paper stars, showing them all to Teresa. “Mom, a bunch of girls kissed me on the cheek today,” he added.

“Did you like it?” Teresa asked.

Michael shook his head. “Not really. I don’t like it when people I don’t know well kiss me.”

Teresa paused for a few seconds. “If you don’t like it, just say so. If any girls try to kiss you again tomorrow, just dodge them and tell them you don’t like it. Or you can tell your teacher.”

Michael nodded.

Teresa went to make some porridge. Since both she and Michael had lunch at their schools, she only needed to prepare something simple for dinner.

Lysander suddenly texted her, asking if she was tired from work and if everything was okay. Teresa found it rather annoying—he’d already suggested dinner several times, and she’d refused each time.

Even if Teresa wanted a new relationship, she definitely wouldn’t choose a middle-aged man with a beer belly. Honestly, all she wanted right now was to raise her baby in peace—nothing else on her mind.

Whenever she had those thoughts, she’d recall that night with Jonathan, which helped her calm down. ‘Who else needs a memory like that just to deal with their own hormones?’ she chuckled to herself.

Once Michael was asleep, Teresa opened her laptop and checked her inbox. There were emails from Miriam.

Miriam: [Teresa, I’m dating Edward! He said he kind of likes me, and I just couldn’t help myself. I kissed him. Then he suggested we give it a shot. So now we’re officially together.]

Miriam: [You came back to Nareigh last time, right? Why was it so rushed? We barely got to talk. Next time you’re coming back, let me know in advance, okay?]

Miriam: [Did you bring Mike with you? Benny saw you, and now he’s convinced you’ve got someone new because you ran off as soon as you saw him. I didn’t even know how to explain.]

Miriam: [How’s Mike doing? Isn’t he about ready for kindergarten? When are you really coming back? If you sneak back again, just stay with me, okay?]

Miriam: [The apartment at Rosary Estates has been empty for ages. I heard your sister moved in with Donald.]

Miriam: [Honestly, it’s no big deal if you come back now. I saw your sister the other day. She was holding hands with Donald.]

Miriam had sent Teresa several emails, including work updates. Teresa was honestly surprised to hear Jennifer had moved in with Donald.

She replied to Miriam, [Enjoy your romance. If Edward ever gives you a hard time, or if anything comes up, just tell me. Seeing you happy makes me happy too. I’m doing great, so don’t worry about me.]

After hitting send, Teresa was about to log out when she spotted a message from Jonathan. The timestamp showed it was sent the morning after their night together in Jarisburg.

She had a bad feeling about it—Jonathan never had anything nice to say. She didn’t want to open it, but curiosity won, and her hand clicked anyway.

It was a photo. His long fingers were spread open, and when Teresa zoomed in, she saw a long strand of hair lying in his broad palm.

[Puppy’s.] Even through the screen, she could practically see that smug, teasing look on his face.

Teresa was speechless. She was mortified and annoyed—she knew she shouldn’t have opened it. She’d thought he’d forgotten all about that night; he’d been totally wasted and slept like a log afterward.

Fuming, Teresa hammered out her first-ever reply to Jonathan: [You’re nuts.] Then she shut her laptop for good.

By the second week of May, Mother’s Day was approaching fast—and it was also Cathy’s birthday. With both occasions coinciding, Cheryl couldn’t possibly skip coming home this time.

Cheryl needed someone to cover for her. Since she couldn’t reach Teresa, her only option was her current sister-in-law, Jennifer.

Jennifer received Cheryl’s message and replied that she’d be coming over at night to visit Jennifer’s family and have dinner with them.

“Alright, I’ll go with you,” Cheryl replied.

It was Jennifer’s first time visiting the Lynns. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous. Unsure of Cathy’s tastes, she bought a wool sweater for over 300 dollars, ordered a bouquet, and got a cake. She wanted to make a good impression.

Donald was quite happy that Jennifer was finally visiting his family. He hugged her slender frame and said, “Don’t be nervous. Just act like you always do. It’s just my family, no outsiders.”

Jennifer breathed in Donald’s familiar scent. “Okay, but you have to stay with me,” she said.

“You’re silly. Of course, I’ll stay with you,” Donald grinned. “Or maybe I should bring someone else along to keep you company?”

“Who?” Jennifer asked, confused.