Chapter 704

The betrayal, delivered by the one Teresa trusted most, struck her already broken heart like a fresh blade.

Jennifer was in agony. She desperately tried to grasp Teresa’s hand, but failed.

“I know I was wrong,” Jennifer sobbed, “but I had no choice. I’ve lost everything.”

Jennifer had already lost her baby. If she lost her job, too, she’d have nothing left.

“You lost everything?” Teresa shot back coldly. “And what about me? Do you think I had it easy? You forced your good intentions on me, and now you’re making me pay for your choices. Some sister you are.”

Jennifer’s eyes were red-rimmed. “Teresa, I know I wronged you,” Jennifer said tearfully, “but I can’t beg your ex. If you took the blame, Jonathan would go easier on you for old times’ sake.”

Teresa’s heart chilled even further. She thought, ‘So she can’t swallow her pride to beg Jonathan, but mine is always negotiable?

“And her dignity is sacred, but mine is worthless? Are my pride and self-respect supposed to mean nothing?”

“Do you know how I felt when I came to see you at the hospital?” Teresa demanded. “Jonathan confronted me, shattered the bracelet he gave me, and took Mike away. I was left alone. Then the traffic police called, yet I still rushed to you.”

No one could have known the depth of sorrow and exhaustion Teresa hid behind her calm facade that day.

Jennifer gritted her teeth. She knew none of it.

Teresa wiped the tears from her eyes. “So I won’t help you,” she said firmly. “I told you we each walk our path and bear our consequences. I don’t think you’re cut out for this line of work. Just switch careers. It’s for everyone’s good.”

“How can you say that? I’ve sacrificed to get into a medical university. After fighting my way to this position, I’m turning thirty soon. How can you stand by and watch me lose everything?”

“Why can’t I?” Teresa shot back. “You had no qualms letting me take the fall. Why should I hesitate to watch you lose everything?”

“Who said anything about jail time?” Jennifer protested. “I said Jonathan would let you off the hook because of your history together. All you have to do is help me.”

“I won’t help you,” Teresa cut Jennifer off and said mercilessly, enunciating each word with cold precision.

“In my heart, you’re no longer the Hannah I once knew,” Teresa said coldly. “You’ve used our sisterhood to guilt me for years. You’ve hurt me too many times, and I won’t let you control me anymore.”

“Just leave,” Teresa said coldly and flung the door open.

Then Teresa said one final word to Jennifer, “You’re on your own now.”

Just as she had chosen her path, Teresa no longer wanted Jennifer’s empty concern. She only wished to be left in peace–no more turning to her, no more disruptions. She owed Jennifer nothing.

Jennifer’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Fine,” she said, “if you’re going to be this heartless and refuse to help me, then I’ll have to call Evelyn and have her come back to help me instead.”

“Go ahead,” Teresa sneered, her eyes cold. “You used Evelyn to trick me into going to Gorthany. It’s the same old trick again. But I’m not afraid anymore, and I won’t let you guilt me again.”

This was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

Disappointment never arrived suddenly. It accumulated through countless letdowns and silent fractures, until the weight became unbearable and silence was no longer an option.

Teresa didn’t want to consider anyone else anymore. The weight on her shoulders was too much. She was only human, after all. She had a breaking point, too, a moment when she couldn’t endure it any longer.

This time, Teresa shoved Jennifer out and slammed the door behind her.

She finished her words in her mind. “I wish I never had a sister like you. Life would be so much better without you.”

On his way home after dropping Michael off at Teresa’s place, Gary ran into Jennifer.

Jennifer sat slumped by the roadside, her face streaked with dirt and her hair a tangled mess. She looked utterly broken, like a soulless shell, as if she had given up on herself.

Gary’s heart softened. He got out of the car and handed Jennifer a tissue.

Jennifer’s eyes brimmed with tears as she forced a bitter smile. “Are you here to gloat? I’ve lost everything, my baby, my family, and now I’m about to lose my job, too,” Jennifer said.

Gary realized what Jennifer was getting at and asked, “Did Jonathan come to settle the score with you?”

“He gave me two options,” she said. “Either I resign, or he’ll sue me for falsifying the DNA test results. No matter which I choose, he’s determined to block every path forward and make sure I lose this job.”

Gary said, “Then maybe it’s time to find a new job.

“Are you sure this job is right for you? You didn’t choose it out of passion, just for the status and prestige. But without the title, we’re all just ordinary people with simple needs.”

“No,” Jennifer said, fists clenched. “I fought so hard to get here, through med school, grad school, and all of it. I’m thirty already. How can I throw it away now and let it all be for nothing?”

“Turning thirty can be a fresh start, too. It doesn’t have to mean the end, but a chance to start fresh.”

“I can’t,” Jennifer said. Then she buried her face in her hands, her body wracked with agonizing sobs.

Gary knew he couldn’t make her any more promises. He had given Jennifer every chance, but she consistently chose concealment and deceit. In the end, this was the path she chose for herself.

Letting go was hard. Jennifer couldn’t give up the respectable job she had, let alone accept her failures and mistakes. She still wouldn’t face reality.

Gary drove away. From that moment on, he felt no lingering attachment to Jennifer. He owed her nothing more.

As Teresa tidied the pile of toys and clothes, she sent Michael to bathe. Jonathan had Gary deliver so many expensive toys that their small apartment couldn’t hold them all, and some ended up in her room.

“Mommy,” Michael said proudly, looking all fresh and squeaky clean after his bath, “when I stayed at Mr. Lime’s house, he helped wash my back. I felt so shy.”

“Really?” Teresa asked.

Did Jonathan bathe with Michael? Teresa wondered.

“Mr. Lime has a well-built physique, far surpassing what we usually see on TV shows.”

Teresa’s cheeks warmed inexplicably.

She thought, “Looks like I do need to cut back on his screen time from now on.”

“Mommy,” Michael chattered excitedly in front of Teresa, “let’s not live here anymore. Mr. Lime’s house is so huge. Why don’t we go live with him together?”