“Hayden, what’s done is done. We just weren’t meant to be together. From now on, we’ll both take care of Mike,” Teresa said, trying her best to sound relaxed.

‘Teresa is definitely playing some kind of game,’ Irene thought. ‘There’s no way she doesn’t want to use her son to get ahead in life. She’s totally faking it.’

Hayden let out a sigh, looking regretful. “So, you two are just going to stay stubborn and never get back together?”

“Hayden, it’s really not about holding a grudge. We’ve both made up our minds. I shouldn’t have kept it from you before. That was my mistake.

“Please don’t make things hard for Donald and Cheryl. They didn’t want to lie to you. If you need to blame someone, blame me,” Teresa said.

“Silly girl, I don’t blame you,” Hayden said, patting Teresa’s hand. “You gave our family such a sweet boy, and you’ve worked so hard raising him all by yourself. How could I ever blame you? My heart aches for you, if anything.”

Teresa’s eyes turned red, but she didn’t notice that Jonathan was staring at her, his eyes full of complicated emotions. “Thank you, Hayden,” she said.

She stood up, “Hayden, take care of yourself. Don’t worry about me. I’m really doing fine. Now that everything is out in the open, I’ll take Mike home for now. If you ever miss him, just let me know and I’ll bring him over to keep you company.”

As Teresa walked away, Hayden quickly nudged Jonathan. “Go after her!” He was still hoping the two of them would get back together.

Jonathan immediately got up and rushed after her.

Irene rolled her eyes. “Dad, why are you making him chase after her? Didn’t you hear what Teresa just said? It’s obvious they’re not meant to be together. Why are you still trying to push them? And you actually feel sorry for her? We still don’t even know if she’s just playing hard to get.”

“You shut your mouth!” Hayden slammed his hand on the table, fuming. “If you dare say another word, just try me.”

Irene’s eyes turned red, but she held back, not wanting to push Hayden into another stroke. She knew she’d be the one blamed if that happened. “I’m just looking out for our own family. Mike is part of the Lynn family, after all. He should stay under our name." With that, she walked off.

Hayden clutched his chest, so angry at Irene that his heart was acting up.

Donald hurried over to calm him down, while Jennifer put on a show of concern and followed too, but in reality, she was just keeping an eye on Teresa’s side of things.

Jennifer knew that Irene would definitely try to fight Teresa for custody, and she was eager to see how Teresa would handle it.

Outside, Jonathan called out to Teresa. “Did you really have to be so blunt in front of Grandpa?” He walked up to her, his eyes dark and unreadable.

“Wasn’t the plan always to co-parent Mike? Isn’t that good enough for us?” Teresa replied.

“Grandpa’s not wrong,” Jonathan said, enunciating each word. “I want our kids to have a real family, too. And soon, we’ll have two kids to think about.”

Teresa shook her head. “I just don’t agree with you. Like I said before, getting back together isn’t what’s best for the kids. There’s nothing left between us.”

“There’s nothing left between us…” Jonathan repeated, his voice low. His eyes narrowed, his gaze growing even darker.

“Isn’t that true?” Teresa continued. “Back when you found out the truth about Mike, when you confronted me–how angry and hurt you were. When you smashed that bracelet, I knew this day would come. Some things just can’t be fixed. The memories were beautiful, but they’re just memories now.”