Chapter 662

Gary pointed at Jennifer and snapped angrily. As he turned to leave, Jennifer grabbed his arm. Gary wrenched his arm free and climbed into his car without hesitation. Jennifer stood frozen, a storm of emotions playing across her face.

Donald witnessed the whole scene, white-knuckling the steering wheel. He felt angry and helpless.

Donald thought, “I trust her with all my heart. Despite all her promises, she still meets Gary. She claims there’s nothing between them, but they’re all handsy with each other.”

Lost in her thoughts, Jennifer didn’t notice Donald. After a moment of gathering herself, she got into the car. At the hospital, she hurried straight upstairs.

Donald stared intently at Jennifer’s retreating figure. Only after she rounded the corner did he approach Lucia at the nurses' station and ask in a low voice, “What did Jennifer just ask you?”

“Dr. Nelson was asking about the pediatric ward. A child was brought to the pediatric ER with an upset stomach, likely from something he ate,” Lucia replied.

Donald froze. He leaned closer and quietly asked Lucia, “What’s the child’s name?”

“His name is Michael,” Lucia replied.

“Michael.” The name struck Donald with a jolt of sudden realization.

“Yes, Dr. Lynn. Do you know this child?” Lucia asked.

Donald snapped out of his daze. “It’s possible,” he murmured. “Thank you.” He wasn’t sure if this child was Mike.

In the hospital’s pediatric ward, Hattie was scolding Teresa. “How could you be so careless? Michael is still so little, yet you let him eat so much. He had seafood, then fruit and orange juice right after. No wonder his stomach hurts.”

Teresa hung her head, looking guilty. Usually, she was strict about Michael’s diet and never let him have too much food. But since they were leaving tomorrow, she had been busy packing in the bedroom and hadn’t monitored what he was eating.

Another mother nearby had also brought her child in for stomach pain. She kept insisting frantically, “It wasn’t on purpose. I love my child. He ate too much while I wasn’t paying attention.”

Teresa offered no excuses. After letting Hattie finish, she admitted, “It was my oversight this time. I promise I’ll be more careful next time.”

Hattie thought, “Teresa is so beautiful, but she came to the hospital with her child alone. I wonder why the child’s father didn’t come along?”

“He’s stable now,” Hattie said. “We’ll monitor him for another day, and if there are no complications, he can go home.”

“Thank you,” Teresa replied.

As soon as Hattie left, Jennifer quietly stepped into the room. “Is Mike alright now?” Jennifer asked. “Dr. Zamora was just here, and since she knows me, thought it was better not to come in.”

“Nothing,” Teresa said coldly. Teresa sat alone at Michael’s bedside, her back turned to Jennifer.

“I only called you today out of sheer desperation. I was just too worried about Mike. Now that he’s stable, you can go.” All she wanted was some time alone with Mike.

Jennifer paused for a moment, her gaze fixed on Teresa. “Teresa, guess who I ran into on my way here? Gary. And you won’t believe what he tried to do. He actually—”

Teresa cut Jennifer off, “Enough! I don’t want to hear anything right now. All I want is to be with Mike. Please, leave.”

Jennifer turned and left without a word. The room fell silent once more.

Teresa buried her face beside Michael, tightly clutching his tiny hand.

By the time Donald arrived, Jennifer was already boarding the elevator going the opposite way. He headed upstairs.

Arriving at Michael’s hospital room, Donald found the door slightly ajar. Peering inside, he saw Teresa, as well as the sleeping Michael, just as he expected. Teresa was holding Michael’s hand so tightly.

Donald frowned and thought, “No one would look that worried unless it was her child. Besides, Mike took Teresa’s surname.”

As Donald was lost in thought, Hattie walked over and said, “Donald? Aren’t you off duty today!”

Donald quickly steered Hattie aside to the windowsill and whispered, “I’m just here to visit a child I know. Dr. Zamora, are you on duty today? Is Michael under your care?”

“He got an upset stomach. His mom looks pretty young and seems nice enough, but she’s far too careless. She let him gorge on food without ever watching him. His dad couldn’t even be bothered to show up,” Hattie replied.

“So that’s how it is,” Donald said. As Hattie spoke, Donald’s eyes darkened with more suspicion.

Donald wondered, “Could Mike be Teresa’s child?” He suddenly remembered hearing Michael call Teresa “Mom” before. He’d even suspected that Teresa had secretly borne Jonathan’s child.

At one point, Donald secretly took hair samples from Michael, himself, and Jennifer for a DNA test. He wanted to find out if Michael was related by blood to the Lynn family. If the results were positive, it would mean Michael was Jonathan’s child.

Jennifer collected the DNA test report and told Donald conclusively, “The child isn’t biologically related to you or Teresa. He’s just the son of one of Teresa’s friends.”

Donald wondered, “Late at night, it was Teresa who brought him to the hospital. Could Jennifer have lied to me? Is Mike Teresa and Jonathan’s son? Did she lie about the test results? Why would she do this to me?”

“Donald!” Hattie called Donald’s name several times before he finally snapped out of his daze, his expression still vacant. “Well, I’ll go make my rounds. Since you know Michael, why don’t you go check on him?”

“Alright, thank you,” Donald replied. As Hattie walked away, Donald sagged against the wall, feeling utterly drained.

Donald wondered, “Why would she do this to me? What exactly is going on between Jennifer and Gary? Why would she lie to me about the DNA test results?”

Such questions burned through Donald’s mind, each one more intense than the last. In the end, Jennifer’s name lodged itself deep in his heart like a dagger. Donald’s fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

In the room, Michael stirred awake and, with a tiny voice, called out, “Mommy.”

Teresa quickly dabbed away her tears and gently cupped Michael’s face. “You’re awake, Michael. You gave me such a scare.” She smiled softly. “How are you feeling now? Does your tummy still hurt?”

Michael nodded. “My tummy doesn’t hurt anymore. Mommy, I had a dream,” he said softly. “A giant monster wanted to eat us up, and Mr. Lynn kept helping us fight it off.”

Chapter 663