Chapter 430

As that thought crossed her mind, Jennifer pulled out her phone, entered a number, and hit call.

On the other side, Teresa had already brought Michael home. Michael, holding Teresa’s hand, looked up at her excitedly. “Mom, you said Mr. Lime is going to celebrate my birthday with me. Is that really true? You’re not tricking me again, are you?”

Teresa smiled. “Honestly, when have I ever lied to you?”

“Really?” Michael pressed, his eyes wide with hope.

“Of course! Remember when you wanted his autograph? Didn’t I get it for you? I’ll make sure everything’s set up for you this time, too,” Teresa reassured him.

That finally put Michael at ease. He hugged Teresa tightly. “It’s the best thing ever to be your kid! Can I invite Bunny, Edward, and Miriam, too? And I want a huge chocolate cake with lots of layers, covered in candles.”

“Absolutely, I’ll make it all happen. Anyone else you want to invite?” Teresa asked, smiling.

Michael started counting on his fingers. “Let’s see… Sherry, Mr. Dunn, oh, and Aunt Cheryl, and Mr. Lime’s grandpa. Then Aunt Isabel and Grandma. I don’t know if Aunt Isabel can make it back, but if she can’t, that’s okay.”

After listing everyone, Michael didn’t mention Jennifer. Teresa gently ruffled his soft hair. “I’ll do my best to invite everyone you want, okay?”

“But Mr. Lime has to be there. He’ll bring me a present, right?” Michael insisted.

“Of course. You’re so handsome and adorable—he really likes you, so of course he’ll bring you a gift. Pinky promise, I guarantee he’ll be there,” Teresa said, hooking her pinky with his.

With a big smile on his face, Michael drifted off to sleep, completely happy.

Miriam reached out to Teresa; they talked for ages. “Teresa, after looking after Mike these past couple of days, I’ve been thinking a lot. Mike is just obsessed with Jonathan. He kept pestering me to let him call Jonathan and ask if he could come back for his birthday.”

“Yeah, I know. I was right next to Jonathan when Michael called.”

“Huh?” Miriam was surprised. “You two went on a business trip together? Wait, no, you went with Jonathan on his business trip?”

“Sort of. He introduced me to some clients, and thanks to him, I closed a few deals.”

“Jonathan’s always been good to you. Remember before your dad’s company became Teresouth Group, when we started that online store with Sherry? He invested a lot of money for you, and even told me not to tell you about it.”

Miriam sighed helplessly. “Let’s not even talk about how well he treats you. Just look at Mike—he’s turning three in two days, and he’ll be able to start preschool this fall. If you let him go to school in Nareigh, then as he grows up—elementary, middle, high school—he’s bound to ask about his dad, maybe even more and more. What are you going to tell him then? And honestly, Jonathan can’t just stay away from Mike forever. Unless…”

Miriam paused. “Unless he never comes back to Nareigh, gets remarried somewhere else, starts a new family, and has kids with his new wife. Then you two would really be over for good.”

Teresa listened quietly as Miriam finished talking.

“Miriam, I’ve thought about all of this, too. Michael’s always been smarter than other kids his age. Just a few days ago, he asked me if his dad loved us anymore, and why his dad never comes to see him.”

As she spoke, Teresa’s voice caught. “Do you think that doesn’t hurt? I told Michael it was me who didn’t want his dad, but I don’t even know when he stopped believing me.”

Teresa knew it was her fault. From the moment Michael was born, she’d taken away his chance to have a father’s love. She used to think she could raise him just fine on her own, even imagined she and Jonathan would never cross paths again, that she could keep this secret forever. She thought Jonathan would marry someone else, have more kids, and eventually forget about her. He once said that if Jonathan got married, or if his mom did, maybe then he would remarry. Maybe he really meant it.

Teresa said, “Miriam, I’ve decided. The day before Michael’s birthday, I’m going to tell Jonathan everything.”

“Oh my god,” Miriam blurted out. She thought Teresa would need more time to process everything; it was a huge deal, after all. She never expected Teresa to make up her mind so quickly.

“Are you sure? When are you going to tell him? Take me with you. If he dares to give you a hard time or won’t let it go, I’ll stand up for you. I’ll even say it was all my idea to keep it from him, that I told you not to say anything.”

Teresa couldn’t help but laugh at Miriam’s reaction. “Alright, but maybe you should worry about your Edward instead.”

Miriam was caught off guard, not quite following.

Teresa reminded her, “You were the first to know about Michael, my best friend, and now you’re dating Edward. What if Jonathan thinks Edward knew and didn’t say anything?”

“Oh no! My Edward is totally innocent—he doesn’t know a thing,” Miriam protested.

But honestly, Jonathan might not buy it, and Miriam was nearly in tears. “Teresa, maybe we should talk it through first. I’ll come over tonight with beer and BBQ skewers. It’s been ages since we had a drink together.”

Teresa shook her head. “Don’t worry; I’ll make everything clear. I won’t let you or Edward get dragged into this mess. I promise.”

Still, Miriam was torn. She didn’t mind standing with Teresa, but she was afraid that Jonathan wouldn’t believe Edward. Edward was just about to start working at Horizonlead Group. He’d told Miriam that his mom, Heidi, had begged Irene to ask Jonathan to get Edward a spot in the sales department. Edward didn’t want to do sales, but Heidi insisted—this was a big deal for his future.

“I’ll think carefully about how to say it. You’ve helped me with Mike so many times—Jonathan won’t make things hard for you, really. Relax, okay?” Teresa said.

After hanging up, Teresa absentmindedly played with the bracelet on her wrist. The style was called “White Moonlight”—that’s what he’d said back then. It really did look like moonlight, with a soft, silvery glow, just like the moon itself.

The next morning, as soon as Teresa went into her office, her assistant said, “Ms. Johnston, you’re finally here. Dr. Nelson has been waiting for you at the office since six this morning—she insists on seeing you.”

“What?” Teresa had only just arrived at nine, and now Jennifer had actually waited over three hours for her. That was crazy.

Before Teresa could say a word, Jennifer’s voice rang out from outside the office. “I’m Ms. Johnston’s big sister. Who dares stop me? I’m just here to see my little sister—what’s the problem?”

When Teresa stepped out, she saw two security guards looking helpless. “Ms. Johnston, your sister… she really won’t take no for an answer,” one of them said.

Teresa was completely speechless at Jennifer’s behavior. She waved everyone else away and finally let Jennifer in.