Chapter 332

Benny said, “Miriam was hit by a car.”

Teresa froze, then quickly asked, “When did it happen? Is it serious? How is Miriam doing now?”

“It doesn’t look good,” Benny replied.

“What do you mean it doesn’t look good? Just tell me what happened?” Teresa’s voice rose sharply, filled with panic.

Benny was silent for a few seconds, then sighed. “She’s still alive, but… Miriam just didn’t want you to worry. She was afraid that you might think you’re no longer friends because it’s been so long. She didn’t want to trouble you.”

“How could she not be my friend?” Teresa retorted.

Benny sighed again. “She found out you were in Everport. She’s upset that Jonathan and I didn’t tell her.”

Teresa tightened her grip on the phone. She didn’t want to explain anything to Benny. “I’m booking a flight back to Nareigh right now.”

Just because Teresa hadn’t seen Miriam or told her where she was didn’t mean she didn’t care about her. After all these years of friendship, if she didn’t care, she wouldn’t have sent Miriam expensive gifts every year. Now, upon hearing about the accident, Teresa’s heart was pounding with worry.

“You don’t have to buy a ticket. I’ve already got one for you. Just come to Everport Southwest Airport,” Benny said. At that moment, Teresa didn’t even pause to wonder how Benny managed to buy her a ticket without her ID.

Teresa had planned to ask Jonathan to take care of Michael for a few days, but she couldn’t get in touch with him. This only made Teresa more anxious. Maybe Jonathan was also with Miriam. Perhaps things were even worse than she had thought. Having no other option, Teresa called her former colleague, Ivy, who lived nearby.

Teresa said, “My friend’s child is with me, but she’s not in Everport. Something urgent has come up, and I need to go back home for a few days. I can’t take care of him at the moment. Ivy, could you help me watch him for two days? I’ll pay you. I really don’t know anyone else reliable around here.”

Ivy said, “Sure, just bring him over. I’m at school right now.”

“He’s still at kindergarten, near the Everport Experimental Primary School. He hasn’t finished for the day yet.”

Teresa was in the car, having already arranged things for Michael with Ivy. Now, she was at the airport. Inside the terminal, Benny had turned on his live location. Teresa quickly located him and jogged over.

Teresa asked, “How’s Miriam doing now?”

Benny said, “It’s… pretty serious.”

“How serious is it, exactly?” Teresa grasped Benny’s arm. “Tell me the truth.”

Benny said, “Don’t get stressed out. Miriam didn’t want me to tell you. She just doesn’t want you to worry about her.”

Teresa said, “How could I not worry? What time’s our flight? Let’s go right now.” Teresa’s hand, still tightly grasping Benny’s arm, was trembling slightly. Her voice was tense with anxiety. Just then, a woman wearing a baseball cap walked by Teresa’s left side. She had overheard everything they had just said.

The woman said, “Hey, gorgeous, here’s your ticket—”

Suddenly, a plane ticket was handed to Teresa. She froze, glanced at the woman, who was bundled up in a hat and mask, and then looked down at the ticket: Nareigh → Everport. She stared blankly at the woman. Unable to hide any longer, the woman eagerly took off her hat and gave Teresa a huge hug.

Teresa snapped out of it. Looking at the woman in shock and excitement, with tears sparkling in her eyes, she exclaimed, “Miriam! Is that really you?”

“I’m sorry, Teresa,” Miriam said reluctantly as she let go. “I asked Benny to lie to you. I thought you no longer cared about me and that you didn’t regard me as a friend.”

Teresa came to her senses and started hitting Miriam on the head. “Are you crazy? What’s wrong with you, Miriam? How could you trick me like that? Do you know how worried I was? Do you know how anxious I was on the way to the airport? I thought I’d never see you again!”

Miriam said, “I thought the same. If I hadn’t known you were in Everport, I would have thought I’d never see you again. I really thought you didn’t care about me any longer.” Tears welled up in Miriam’s eyes as she reached out and touched Teresa’s face. “Why have you lost so much weight?”

“No way, I look the same as always.” Teresa pinched Miriam’s cheek. “But you, you’ve definitely put on a few pounds.”

Miriam covered her face. “No, I’ve gained only five pounds, at most.”

Teresa smiled. “It seems that love truly is powerful.”

All this time, Benny had been quietly watching their reunion. His phone rang, and when he saw the caller ID, he picked up. “Hey, Jonathan. Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to let you know that Miriam’s in Everport too.”

“What? You said not to let Miriam pull the car accident trick on Teresa? Sorry, too late—the show’s already over, and the two sisters are hugging it out right now.”

After hanging up, Benny finally said, “Jonathan’s here too. Here’s the plan: I’ll set something up for the four of us. Let’s go eat.”

“Alright, just wait, Benny. Teresa and I are definitely going to get some payback,” Miriam laughed, throwing her arm around Teresa’s shoulders.

The group left the airport. A black Maybach pulled up, its meteor shower-like headlights shining brightly. Jonathan got out and walked directly toward Teresa. When he saw the tears in Teresa’s eyes, he instinctively reached out to wipe them away and then patted her on the shoulder. “I didn’t know about this. I opposed scaring you like that.”

Miriam had actually asked Jonathan to cover for her. She wanted him to team up with Benny and pretend that she had been in a car accident, just to see how Teresa would react and find out if she still cared. But Jonathan refused to go along with it, so only Benny ultimately helped Miriam carry out the act.

“Alright,” Benny said, slinging an arm around Jonathan’s shoulders. “All four of us are here. Let’s celebrate Miriam’s birthday. And the fact that we found Teresa in Everport, and most importantly, our friendship. My treat. Pick any five-star restaurant you want, and tonight, spend as much as you like—I’ll cover it.”

“That’s enough,” Jonathan said, opening the car door. “Let’s all get in first.”

“Well, thanks for driving, Jonathan,” Benny said, hopping in first without hesitation. Teresa hesitated for a second, but Miriam linked arms and led her into the car.

At the restaurant, after they ordered, several bottles of Louis XIII were set on the table, looking grand and impressive. Benny turned to Teresa and Miriam. “What do you two want to drink? Should I order some red wine for you?”

Teresa shook her head. “You guys go ahead. I’m not drinking tonight.”