Chapter 725
“Jennifer will be focusing on her pregnancy and taking care of herself,” Donald said, deliberately looking at Jonathan. “She’ll be taking a break from the hospital for now.”
Jonathan looked at Donald, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. This wasn’t what they’d agreed on when they negotiated terms.
“Jonathan, I’m really sorry about some things. Let’s eat first. I’ll toast to you,” Donald said, trying to break the ice. But Jonathan didn’t take the drink, his expression still cold.
Hayden spoke up, “Alright, let’s all eat. This is good news. Our family is getting a double blessing.”
“Grandpa, would you mind if we had a triple blessing in the family?” Cheryl asked, her tone extra careful.
“What’s up?” Hayden asked, curiosity piqued. “Did you fall in love or something?”
“It’s even bigger than-” Cheryl began, but before she could finish, Donald nudged her arm, making her swallow her words.
“You little troublemaker,” Hayden said, catching on that Cheryl was hiding something. “What are you trying to say?”
“It’s nothing. I was just curious. That’s all,” Cheryl replied, trying to play it off.
“Girls your age should be thinking about marriage. If you meet someone nice, don’t wait too long to start dating,” Hayden said in a half-scolding and half-teasing tone.
“Grandpa, I’m just going to the restroom.” Teresa suddenly stood up.
“Donald, I’ll go to the restroom, too,” Jennifer said, rising from her seat as well.
Donald nodded, watching Jennifer as she walked away.
In the restroom, Teresa just couldn’t wrap her head around Jennifer. ‘Didn’t she just have an abortion? And now she’s pregnant again? How is that even possible? It’s only been a few days,’ Teresa thought in disbelief.
“There will be another baby,” Jennifer said quietly.
Jennifer’s words made everything click for Teresa. “So you lied to Donald again, didn’t you? You never even told him about the abortion, did you?”
“What was I supposed to do?” Jennifer’s eyes shimmered with tears. “If I told him, he’d leave me. The baby is my only bargaining chip. I can’t lose him.”
“But that’s still lying to him! He’s going to find out sooner or later. Didn’t you learn anything from what happened with Mike?” Teresa said, her frustration showing.
“If I can get pregnant with a second baby soon, he’ll never know I had an abortion. This is the only way I can keep our marriage together,” Jennifer said.
She took a deep breath and added, “Instead of lecturing me, maybe you should worry about your own situation. That old witch Irene is out to snatch Mike from you.”
“I knew this would happen,” she said, with that classic ‘I told you so’ look on her face.
Teresa let out a cold laugh. “I don’t regret Jonathan finding out about Mike. I only regret not telling him sooner. Now Mike has a dad, and he’s happy. That’s enough for me."
“Sure, Irene worries me, but I’m not afraid of her. Mike would never choose to leave me for Jonathan. Even if Irene tries to take him, Mike will still pick me.”
Jennifer scoffed at Teresa’s naivety. “Aren’t you afraid Irene might just snatch Mike away from you? That old witch looks like she’d do anything. Now both our lives are a mess, just like you wanted, huh?”
“This isn’t all my fault,” Teresa said, feeling completely worn out from yet another exhausting conversation with Jennifer. Every time they talked, it just drained her. ‘If we were really sisters, would it always be this hard to get along?’ she wondered.
“If you want to lie to Donald, then you can deal with whatever comes next,” Teresa said, pausing. “Honestly, you should just use this pregnancy as a reason to resign. At least that way, you’ll leave the hospital with your reputation intact.”
“I’m not giving up my job, and I’m not giving up Donald either. My marriage and my career–they’re all I have left. I can’t lose either of them,” Jennifer said, her voice desperate and unwavering.