Chapter 864

Jonathan felt another sharp pain in his chest. He'd lost count of how many times his heart had broken tonight. He gently stroked Michael’s head and said with absolute certainty, “What she says doesn’t matter. I promise you, you’ll never be separated from your mom.”

“That’s great. Now I don’t have to worry anymore,” Michael mumbled, resting his head on Jonathan’s shoulder as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Jonathan carefully laid Michael down on the small bed nearby before turning his attention to Teresa.

“I’m sorry about everything that happened today,” he said softly, his voice full of regret. “Let me give you my word. I’ll never, ever fight you for custody of the child, and my mom will never be able to take the child away from you,” he added.

“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” Teresa said with a sigh, “I promised you I wouldn’t do anything reckless before you got back, but I did. I didn’t take care of myself and the baby inside me.”

“From now on, I’ll protect the baby,” Jonathan said, pausing for a moment. Then he turned to Teresa, his eyes locking onto hers. “And I’ll protect you, too,” he added.

Teresa was stunned for a moment, then looked up at him. Jonathan was already watching her. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, but still clear and gentle as they met his gaze.

Seeing her confusion, he explained, “Your brother told me about how my mom tried to buy you off and planned to sue for custody. I was terrified for you, so I dropped everything and rushed back.”

“I’m sorry,” Jonathan said again, his voice thick with emotion. Guilt and pain crashed over Jonathan, nearly suffocating him. He continued, “I didn’t know my mom would do something like that. I never realized how much you had to suffer because of her.”

Tears slid silently from the corners of Teresa’s eyes. She didn’t say a word, just letting those silent tears slip down from her eyes.

She couldn’t bring herself to look at his face. If she saw the endless regret and pain in his eyes, it would hurt her even more than all the torment Irene had ever put her through.

“I’m tired. I want to sleep for a while,” she whispered.

“Okay,” Jonathan said, his voice rough with emotion. “I’ll be right here, watching over you both.”

Tonight, all he wanted was to stay by her side and not leave her for a moment.

“It’s okay, you should get some rest, too,” Teresa said softly.

“I’m not tired,” Jonathan said, sitting down. Only when Teresa turned her back to him did he realize she was trying to hide her tears.

He didn’t force her. Instead, he gazed at her back and said softly, “Just try to get some sleep. I remember there’s a song you like. Let me sing it for you.”

His deep, magnetic voice was slow and lingering, like the mellow resonance of a cello, echoing gently throughout the room. Teresa closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

Over at Irene’s place, she had barely slept a wink all night. She spent the whole night on edge and restless, her heart pounding with fear and unease.

When Jonathan arrived, she felt like she was facing pure darkness. His expression was cold and unfeeling. Without a word, he tossed a stack of papers down in front of her.

“These are the documents for the lawsuit you want to file against Teresa. I got them from Benny’s law firm,” he said. “Try suing her again and see what happens,” he warned, his eyes burning with anger.

With that, Jonathan tore the lawsuit papers in half right in front of Irene, then ripped them to shreds, strip by strip.

Bits of paper fluttered down, scattering all over the floor. Some even settled on Irene’s shoulders.